TheStreet: How Digital Style Helps Insurers Profile You -- And Save You Money

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Would you strap on an Apple Watch or Fitbit device to get a better deal on your health insurance?

You may have the opportunity soon, as the once-stodgy insurance business explores ways to take advantage of vast quantities of consumer health data and the proliferation of wearable devices. Many insurers are conducting pilot tests that involve asking people to wear personal devices that collect health information, says Shane Cassidy, senior vice president for North American insurance with consulting firm CapGemini Financial Services in Chicago. Read more here.

Forbes: How To Live Like Charles Bukowski

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Abel Debritto is back with another edited compilation of writing by Charles Bukowski, this time he deals with the heart. The book, On Love, was published by Ecco in early February.

As with all things Bukowski, it is about much more than the title. It’s about life, failure, success, and regrets. One thing I like about him is that he pursued his own goals rather than the goals others might have set for him. That’s something we should all learn. Read more here.

Photo by JOSHUA COLEMAN on Unsplash

Barron's: The Great Orange Juice Squeeze

By SIMON CONSTABLE

This might be hard to swallow, but a case CAN be made that orange-juice futures will soon go the way of the dodo. The market certainly isn’t quite as sweet as it once was.

“OJ is a market that has been racing to the bottom of a futures-market extinction event,” says Shawn Hackett, CEO and president of Hackett Financial Advisors and author of the Hackett Money Flow Report.

At least part of the problem is that orange juice isn’t the staple it once was. Slipping consumption is having a knock-on effect in the futures market, which could eventually mean orange juice no longer will attract enough interest from speculative traders to be viable. Read more here.

Photo by aliet kitchen on Unsplash

Forbes: Worst Boss -- Part 11

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Part 11 of a continuing series, which outlines how you too can be an appalling manager. Read part 10 here.

For this part the focus shall be on quitting. There are great ways to quit, but as a terrible boss you should pick only awful ways. Here are some examples, with commentary.

U.S. News: How to Spot the Bear Market and Beat It

By SIMON CONSTABLE

If stocks are in a bear market, the last thing investors need is to hear about it after the fact. It's as unhelpful as being told, "You should have been here yesterday." 

The pullback in the Standard & Poor's 500 index hasn't yet reached the classic definition of a bear market, which is a decline of 20 percent or more. But by that measure, the drop is nearly here. 

Are we headed for a bear market, and what should investors do? The answers are tricky.

Read more here.

TheStreet: Recession? We're Not There Yet, So Don't Hit the Panic Button

By SIMON CONSTABLE

The doomsayers may have jumped the gun a bit: Some pundits and analysts say a recession is just around the corner. 

The evidence isn't there, however. Not just yet, anyway. Yes, eventually we will have a recession in the United States. The world of commerce has always had business cycles -- expansions followed by contractions. This time is no different.

But is one imminent now? Not at all, according to some key measures. Read more here.

Forbes: Ten Things To Learn From Hunter S. Thompson

By SIMON CONSTABLE

I’ve long been a fan of Hunter S. Thompson, author of such classics as “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” and “Hell’s Angels.” So when I saw a book by his son, Juan F. Thompson, published in January I itched to get a copy.

The book, Stories I Tell Myself by Juan F. Thompson: Growing Up with Hunter S. Thompson, is a fine read. In some ways, it’s a love letter to his departed father. Perhaps more important, is that for us as outsiders it paints a three-dimensional portrait of a literary giant. People are complicated; Thompson Sr. more than most. 

Read more here.