What You Need to Know Today: December 29

Good afternoon, Early Risers!

Here’s what you need to know

TECH

The truth about gadget warranties. Three weeks ago my smartphone broke. I took it in for repairs and the guy said he couldn’t fix it — the motherboard was toast. After I bid farewell to my Nexus 5 (I sold it for parts), I began looking for a replacement. All the new smartphones I researched recommended adding an extended warranty with purchase. When your phone of 2 years that you spent $500 on breaks out of the blue, the allure of insurance is strong. But here’s why I’m NOT going to buy any AppleCare or other plans with my new smartphone.

Your smartphone buying guide. It’s the best time of year to buy a smartphone. Here’s what to look for.

CAREER

The storytelling secrets that have netted these funny guys $600 million. “Matt Stone and Trey Parker have made serious bank because of their storytelling skills. Team AmericaSouth Park and their hit-musical, Book of Mormon — they’ve all been huge hits. But how do they come up with storylines like PC Principal and Sodo SoPa — and turn them into money?” The Hustle reveals Matt Stone and Trey Parker’s 3 rules of storytelling. This is a must read!

How to sell $150,000 in books in 10 days (product launch 101). On paper this looks easy, but the truth is this takes a lot of work to pull off successfully. Profits will be rolling in over 10 days, but you’ll have spent weeks, even months, working hard leading up to those 10 days. If you’re up for the challenge, the payout can be well worth your time — and as an added bonus, you can rinse and repeat this new-learned strategy as needed. Here are the steps to a successful product launchTake home point: you need to deliver so much value in the bonuses that those bonuses alone would be worth far more than the cost of the books. “I wanted people to think, as they read the sales page, ‘I bet this is going to cost $500.’ Then, I hoped, people would read down to the bottom and see they could get everything for under $50,” says Brandon Turner.

LIFESTYLE

The next bulletproof-coffee trend. What’s better than grassfed butter in your coffee? How about infusing it with nitrogen…umm, OK. Nitro coffee is the next bulletproof-coffee trend coming in 2016. Served on tap, nitro coffee tastes like chocolate milk and purports some TBD health claims like improved blood flow and weight loss. Because nitro coffee tastes naturally sweet, no added sweeteners or cream required = weight loss. When you’re done giving that last line the side eye, here are 9 more wellness trends to watch for in 2016.

#NOWYOUKNOW

New Year’s Eve Hacks

How to get into da club. Interview with Berlin’s world-famous bouncer Sven Marquardt.

What to do once you get into da club. Secrets on how to run the room. 

Champagne cheat sheet: the best bottles, cocktails, and alternatives for New Year’s eve.

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