The best investment apps to use right now

<ul class="summary-list"><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/category/disney-parks">Disney parks</a> are the most magical places on Earth, and <keyword id="12224494" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="random-acts-of-kindness" source="Orion">random acts of kindness</keyword> happen there a lot.</li><li>These 10 instances went <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/viral">viral</a>, making us all believe in the magic.</li><li>A <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/disney-world">Disney World</a> visitor wore a shirt asking for a kidney transplant - within days, over 100 people contacted him.</li></ul><p>Sadly, <a href="https://www.insider.com/disney-parks-photos-reality-2018-2">Disney parks don't always exactly live up to the hype</a>. But every so often, a story of exceptional kindness will unfold and go <keyword id="11896837" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="viral" source="Orion">viral</keyword>, showing us all that magic still exists in the world, and people are still good at heart.</p><p>From Captain America learning sign language to two college students fundraising enough money for an entire family to visit <keyword id="46161" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="disney" source="Orion">Disney</keyword>, these stories will have you weeping at your desk.</p><p>Here are nine viral acts of kindness that have taken place at <keyword id="11920976" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="disney-parks" source="Orion">Disney parks</keyword>.</p><h2>A very polite little boy stole the hearts of all the princesses in <keyword id="71278" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="disney-world" source="Orion">Disney World</keyword></h2><p>Vanessa Guedert's TikTok <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@vanessaguedert/video/7006803485735849221?lang=en&amp;is_copy_url=1&amp;is_from_webapp=v1ebapp=v1">video of her son Bernardo tipping his cap</a> to all the characters as they walked by has been viewed over 43 million times since it was uploaded in September 2021.</p><p>Multiple comments called the 4-year-old "a true gentleman" and many admitted the video made them cry. Chivalry's not dead, after all.</p><h2>A man seeking a kidney transplant wore a shirt to Disney World asking for help - 5 months later, he received a new kidney</h2><p>Robert Leibovitz spent $35 screen-printing a custom T-shirt that read, "In Need Of Kidney" with his blood type and phone number. Did he get a return on his investment? If you consider successfully finding a match and receiving a new kidney a good return - then yes.</p><p><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2018/01/27/this-dad-wore-a-t-shirt-at-disney-that-said-in-need-of-kidney-it-worked/">According to the Washington Post</a>, Leibovitz wore the shirt to Disney World in August 2017 in the hopes another visitor would see it and potentially contact him. He thought, "maybe I'd get a little pixie dust."</p><p>Instead, a photo of his shirt was posted to Facebook and shared 33,000 times in a single day, and over 90,000 times in a week. Best of all: A man contacted him who ended up being a match. The transplant successfully took place in January 2018.</p><p>"I had no clue that this thing would be so viral, so successful," said Leibovitz.</p><h2>A <keyword id="11915010" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="disneyland" source="Orion">Disneyland</keyword> visitor was visibly overjoyed when he realized that Captain America could communicate with him via sign language</h2><p>An Instagram video uploaded in June 2016 made the internet smile. The video, which has over 27,000 views, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BHQR1v4BB_X/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_againgain">shows a park visitor having a conversation with Captain America</a> in American Sign Language. <a href="https://www.upworthy.com/watch-this-disneyland-visitors-joy-when-captain-america-joins-him-in-sign-language">According to UpWorthy</a>, the guest signed he's from Boston, and the superhero responded by telling him he's working on his ASL, but "he's a bit of a slow learner."</p><p>Making parks more accessible to the deaf and hard of hearing community has been part of their mission since 2010, <a href="https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2010/06/new-sign-language-intrepretation-service-at-disneyland-resort/">according to Disney Parks</a>.</p><h2>After a 6-year-old boy donated his 'vacation savings' to help victims of Hurricane Dorian, Disney organized a free trip for his 7th birthday</h2><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/boy-uses-disney-savings-to-help-hurricane-dorian-evacuees-2019-9">Jermaine Bell went viral in September 2019</a> for using his savings - which he had been planning to use on a trip to Disney World - to buy hot dogs, chips, and water for people displaced by Hurricane Dorian.</p><p>"I wanted to be generous and live to give," the 6-year-old boy <a href="https://www.wjbf.com/csra-news/allendale-boy-gives-up-disney-trip-to-give-hotdogs-to-dorian-evacuees/">told local TV station WJBF</a>. "When people were hungry, I wanted them to have something to eat."</p><p>This sweet story got even better a few days later, when <a href="https://www.insider.com/jermaine-bell-surprised-with-disney-vacation-after-hurricane-dorian-2019-9">Disney surprised him with a free trip to the park</a> for his seventh birthday. Mickey Mouse and other Disney favorites rolled up to his house in a charter bus decked out with Disney decorations and whisked him away on a special VIP trip to Disney World.</p><p>"Be strong, and if you do good things, you will be rewarded," <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2WFJYAhdAQ">Bell said after receiving his surprise</a>.</p><h2>When a hardworking barista told 2 customers about her dream of taking her family to Disney World, they set out to raise enough money for the vacation</h2><p>This beautiful story happened back in 2016. Kathryn Thomson has been an employee at Acorn, a coffee shop beloved by the students of Elon University, for 10 years. One evening, she <a href="https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2016/01/unforgettable-kindness-leads-to-a-dream-come-true-at-walt-disney-world-resort/">happened to tell two customers</a> and Elon students, Taylor Zisholtz and Lucy Smith-Williams, that she dreamed of taking her son, his wife, and her two grandchildren to Disney World.</p><p>The two students were so moved by Thomson's story that they put the call out on social media to donate money for Thomson's vacation. Within weeks, they had successfully raised enough money for Thomson and her family to go.</p><p>According to Disney Parks, the family "experienced all four theme parks, a special meet and greet with Mickey Mouse and with a little Disney magic, a surprise reunion with the two college students who worked to make this happen."</p><h2>A little girl visiting Disney World was given a heartbreaking gift by a couple commemorating their late daughter's Make-a-Wish trip</h2><p>In November 2019, Kara and Kyle Geiselman were prepared to apologize when their 4-year-old daughter Belle ran into two strangers - but instead, the strangers offered Belle a gift. The couple explained they were in Disney celebrating the anniversary of their late daughter's Make-a-Wish trip.</p><p>The couple told the Geiselmans they had bought two golden Mickey Mouse rings on their trip: one for their daughter and one for another child who was "adorable like their little girl."</p><p>As <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10156270433072003&amp;set=a.33163847002&amp;type=3&amp;theater&amp;theater">Kara explained in a Facebook post,</a> it was all the more meaningful for the family because it was Belle's first trip to the park "without needing a feeding tube for nourishment or an oxygen mask on the flight." Belle was born prematurely, and she <a href="https://nypost.com/2019/11/19/disney-world-guests-search-for-grieving-strangers-who-gave-heartbreaking-gift/">needed a feeding tube</a> for the first 18 months of her life.</p><h2>Instead of clamoring for an autograph from a Disney character, a 6-year-old boy only wanted the signature of an Orange County deputy</h2><div type="image" title="disneyland paris cops" height="3200" width="4266" msid="86687384" hostid="261"></div><p>In November 2015, 6-year-old Shayne Welch, his brothers, and their parents visited Disney World. On the last day of their trip, <a href="https://www.today.com/kindness/real-hero-boy-seeks-autograph-disney-world-police-officer-t57241">Shayne's mom, Jennie, told Today,</a> they decided to let their sons pick out autograph books to get some autographs from the Disney characters who wander the park.</p><p>However, Shayne decided he wanted an autograph from a real life hero: Orange County Master Deputy Keith Rogers.</p><p>"As soon as he saw Deputy Rogers, he asked if he could get his autograph. We walked over to Deputy Rogers, who immediately bent down to Shayne's level and began a conversation with him," Welch told Today. "When we were leaving, Shayne insisted on going out the exit near Deputy Rogers. When the deputy saw him, he yelled out, 'Bye, Shayne!' Shayne looked at me with a huge smile and said, 'Mom, I'm gonna miss him.'"</p><h2>After a mom was almost too claustrophobic to get on a ride with her daughter, a helpful Disney employee rode with her - and held her hand the whole time</h2><p>In September 2019, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10114185201958413&amp;set=a.10100505398070063&amp;type=3&amp;theater&amp;theater">a Facebook post by Jessica D. Thomas, which garnered over 73,000 likes,</a> detailed the story of her first trip to Disney World with her 1-year-old and her 3-year-old.</p><p>Thomas wrote how she's been claustrophobic for her entire life and experiences panic attacks if she is triggered - it happened right before she boarded a ride in Disney's <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/animal-kingdom">Animal Kingdom</a> based on "<a href="https://www.insider.com/category/avatar" rel="nofollow">Avatar</a>."</p><p>So, she got off with her 1-year-old - but before she could exit, a friendly Disney cast member named Samantha took it upon herself to ask what was going on. After Thomas explained, Samantha offered to ride with her.</p><p>"She not only held my hand the entire time but she also pointed out every single exit to me, told me about all the ways I was safe and how the cast members could come get me out if any of my worst fears came true. *Here is where she is an out right Godsend* [sic] While she was helping me through this, she simultaneously pointed out every detail of fun for my little girl and didn't miss a beat," wrote Thomas. "Today, I didn't feel like less of a mom or less than at all. She made me feel...well.. just magical at Disney today."</p><h2>When an autistic little boy was overwhelmed by the crowds at Disney World, Snow White went above and beyond to help soothe him</h2><p>In August 2019, Lauren Bergner and her family traveled to Disney World. Her son Brody has autism and is nonverbal, so he became overwhelmed by all the sights and sounds of the park and crowds when meeting Snow White. In Bergner's words, he was "having [an] autism meltdown."</p><p>But in response, Snow White "was amazing with him!! She kissed, hugged, and cuddled him," and "held his hand, danced with him, took him over to a bench and sat with him. She went above and beyond," <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10158746472443136&amp;set=pcb.10158746473063136&amp;type=3&amp;theater&amp;theater">Bergner wrote on Facebook</a>. "She was a pure angel ! She was magical and my family is forever thankful and touched!"</p><p>Bergner's heartwarming story quickly earned over 181,000 shares and 50,000 comments from well-wishers, but it's since been deleted.</p><h2>This Disneyland Cinderella took the time to greet this service dog, and now we're all crying</h2><p>In January 2019, a video capturing the moment <a style="font-size: 15px;" href="https://www.insider.com/service-dog-meets-cinderella-disneyland-video-2019-1">a service dog met Cinderella</a> at Disneyland went viral. Who among us hasn't wanted to give our favorite Disney princess a giant hug, just like Elijah the service dog-in-training did?</p>

10 times magical acts of kindness unfolded at Disney parks

<p dir="ltr">Business Insider has launched <a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=http://markets.businessinsider.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1477411685879000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHgmMe5bNPiR7n7uAhKWn3z6bnyEg">Markets Insider,</a> which combines the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/business-insider-launches-markets-insider-2016-10">best of Business Insider with <span>real</span> <span>time</span> market <span>data</span></a>. <span>You can follow the site on Twitter </span><a href="https://twitter.com/MktsInsider" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=https://twitter.com/MktsInsider&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1477411685879000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEI0BuqdnSVu3b-nTQIXiNMZtnwTw"><span>@</span><span>MktsInsider</span></a><span>, and </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/MktsInsider" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=http://www.facebook.com/MktsInsider&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1477411685879000&amp;usg=AFQjCNENu247forjI-osGS1jdEPOjRUFYg">on Facebook</a><span>.</span></p><p><strong><em>Welcome to Finance Insider, Business Insider's summary of the top stories of the past 24 hours.</em></strong></p><p>Where to start? It has been a crazy 48-hours for dealmaking, with the $85 billion AT&amp;T-Time Warner deal announced over the weekend, and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/merger-monday-october-24-caps-huge-month-for-deals-2016-10">a bevy of smaller deals announced early Monday</a>. Here are the headlines:</p><ul><li><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/att-to-buy-time-warner-2016-10">It's official: AT&amp;T will buy Time Warner for $107.50 per share, or $85.4 billion</a></li><li><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/att-time-warner-investment-bank-fees-loan-2016-10">Wall Street has stepped up with $40 billion to help finance the deal</a></li><li><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/att-time-warner-bank-advisor-fees-2016-10">The deal could mean up to $390 million in fees for Wall Street banks</a></li><li><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-for-att-time-warner-was-always-on-the-menu-2016-10">Time Warner was always on the menu for AT&amp;T</a></li><li><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-time-warner-ceo-says-only-att-approached-with-offer-2016-10">Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes says only AT&amp;T approached with offer</a></li><li><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/investors-discounting-att-time-warner-merger-2016-10">It looks like investors don't think the AT&amp;T-Time Warner deal is actually going to happen</a></li><li><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/why-att-thinks-the-time-warner-acquisition-will-be-approved-2016-10">Here's what AT&amp;T is saying to doubters of its plan to buy Time Warner</a></li><li><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/att-time-warner-comcast-nbc-similarities-2016-10">The deal sounds a lot like the Comcast-NBC merger, and it could be AT&amp;T's best hope</a></li></ul><p>And in other deals news:</p><ul><li><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/hna-to-buy-a-stake-in-hilton-2016-10">A Chinese company on a buying spree just took a 25% stake in Hilton</a></li><li><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/rockwell-collins-buying-be-aerospace-for-64-2016-10">Rockwell Collins is buying B/E Aerospace for $6.4 billion</a></li><li><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/td-ameritrade-to-acquire-scottrade-2016-10">TD Ameritrade is buying Scottrade for $4 billion</a></li><li><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/american-midstream-to-buy-jp-energy-2016-10">Two oil pipeline companies are combining in a $2 billion deal</a></li><li><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/netflix-raising-800-million-in-debt-2016-10">Netflix is taking on another $800 million in debt</a></li><li><a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/Stocks-are-rallying-on-a-big-day-for-Wall-Street-deals-SPX-SPY-DJI-IXIC-T-TWX-AMTD-V-TMUS-1001474779">Stocks are rallying on a big day for Wall Street deals</a></li></ul><p>In finance news, t<span>here are two election scenarios that'll cause the markets to go haywire, <a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/EL-ERIAN-There-are-2-election-scenarios-thatll-cause-the-markets-to-go-haywire-1001473965">according to </a></span><span><a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/EL-ERIAN-There-are-2-election-scenarios-thatll-cause-the-markets-to-go-haywire-1001473965">Mohamed El-Erian</a>. Goldman Sachs CEO <a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/EL-ERIAN-There-are-2-election-scenarios-thatll-cause-the-markets-to-go-haywire-1001473965">Lloyd Blankfein is supporting Hillary Clinton</a>. </span>America's biggest banks <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/bank-branches-around-the-world-are-shrinking-in-favor-of-digital-models-2016-10">are closing hundreds of branches</a>.</p><p>And economists never imagined negative interest rates - <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/economists-negative-interest-rates-rewriting-textbooks-2016-10">now they're rewriting textbooks</a>.</p><p>A startup cofounded by Michael Dell's brother <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/clarity-money-from-adam-dell-backed-by-george-soros-2016-10">Adam and backed by George Soros is promising to save you money</a>.</p><p>Business Insider's Matt Turner sat down with former hedge fund manager and Real Vision TV founder Raoul Pal for an interview on Facebook Live on Monday morning. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BusinessInsider.Finance/videos/1200393813358263/">You can watch the full interview here</a>. And here's Pal on volatility <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/raoul-pal-on-us-election-volatility-is-way-too-low-2016-10">being too low heading in to the US election</a>.</p><p>Goldman Sachs just got more <a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/Goldman-Sachs-just-got-more-pessimistic-about-earnings-for-the-biggest-companies-in-the-US-1001474835">pessimistic about earnings for the biggest companies in the US</a>.</p><p>Lastly, meet the guys trying to turn the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ashley-madison-turnaround-2016-10">infamous Ashley Madison site into more than a cheating hotspot</a>.</p><p><em><strong>Here are the top Wall Street headlines at midday</strong></em></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/dont-need-full-autonomy-to-have-a-brilliant-self-driving-future-2016-10">Tesla, Google, and Ford are investing billions of dollars in technology America doesn't need</a></strong> - <span>Trying to achieve fully self-driving cars could be a waste of time and money.</span></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/companies-complaining-us-presidential-hurting-business-2016-10">Investment banks to mattresses: Here are 13 companies complaining that the US presidential election is impacting business</a></strong> - <span>Businesses are nervous about the US presidential election.</span></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/acorns-airbnb-partnership-2016-10">Hot investing app Acorns just snagged Airbnb to give its customers "free money</a>" -</strong> <span>Popular micro-investing app </span><span>Acorns</span><span> </span><span>has snagged Airbnb for its rewards program.</span></p><p><strong><a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/T-Mobile-crushes-earnings-1001474615">T-Mobile crushes earnings</a> - </strong>T-Mobile US, the No. 3 US wireless carrier, reported a 17.8% rise in quarterly revenue as promotions helped attract more subscribers.</p><p><span></span><strong><a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/commodities/news/Oil-producers-havent-been-this-cautious-on-oil-prices-since-2007-USO-WTI-OIL-VDE-BNO-1001475249">Oil producers haven't been this cautious on oil prices since 2007</a></strong> - <span>Short positions - bets that prices will fall - in US crude oil futures contracts that are held by producers and merchants rose to the highest level since 2007 in October, according to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).</span></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/cowen-apple-earnings-iphone-unit-sales-powder-keg-2016-10">Apple is sitting on "a powder keg of dramatically aging" iPhones</a></strong> - <span>Apple reports its September quarter earnings on Tuesday, and analysts are expecting CEO Tim Cook to report another decline in iPhone sales.</span></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/vf-corp-cuts-profit-outlook-amid-sluggish-retail-sales-2016-10">The company that makes Vans cut its guidance and has a bleak outlook for American retail</a> </strong>-<strong> </strong>VF Corp. cut its forecast for profit this year amid a sluggish retail market in the US. </p><p><strong><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/teslas-new-driverless-tech-changes-its-business-2016-10">Tesla is on the verge of completely changing the way it does business</a></strong> - <span>Ever since Tesla entered the Elon Musk era, around 2008, the electric automaker has practiced a counterintuitive strategy: </span>overpromise and under deliver<span>.</span></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-lincoln-came-back-from-dead-put-ford-back-on-luxury-map-2016-9">How Lincoln returned from the brink of death and put Ford back on the luxury map</a> </strong>-<strong> </strong>Kumar Galhotra is what you might call the right man for the job, and the job happens to be one of the toughest in the entire auto industry.</p>

What you need to know on Wall Street right now

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="560055" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Value-investing">Value investing</keyword> consists of finding and buying stocks that are priced below their companies' intrinsic worth, or true value. </li><li>The value investing approach involves researching a company's fundamentals, examining its earnings and assets in relation to its stock price.</li><li>Though eclipsed lately by flashier <keyword id="6690775" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Growth-investing">growth investing</keyword> strategies, value investing remains a good way to diversify and hedge against losses.</li></ul><p>Value investing is an investment strategy that involves buying stocks that are underpriced compared to market averages. Rather than targeting the most hyped or best-performing equities, it seeks out neglected stocks in the hope that the market will realize the errors of its ways and belatedly start to push up those shares' prices.</p><p>Value investing has long been used by investors seeking to find bargains that eventually provide a big return, but it has become less profitable in recent years. However, by allocating a proportion of your portfolio to value stocks, you may be able to hedge your risks and cushion losses during downturns.</p><h2>What is value investing?</h2><p>As its name suggests, value investing is about finding, researching, and buying investments that are priced below their intrinsic worth - their true value.</p><p>"Value investing usually means a style of investing that looks for companies that seem truly unloved. These companies tend to be in undesirable or slow-growing areas, with a low price relative to recent profits and their ratings appear much lower than the market average," says Susannah Streeter, a senior investment and <keyword id="31671" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="markets">markets</keyword> analyst at <a href="https://www.hl.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hargreaves Lansdown</a>.</p><p>The strategy was <a href="https://www8.gsb.columbia.edu/valueinvesting/about/history" target="_blank" rel="noopener">developed in the 1920s at Columbia Business School</a> by finance educators Benjamin Graham and David Dodd, who both believed the intrinsic value of a stock should be determined through research of the company's fundamentals, not the anticipated reactions of the market.</p><p>Among Graham's most well-known students? Warren Buffet, who made his fortunes by being a loyal practitioner of value investing. </p><p>At its core, value investing is all about buying low and selling high. In practice, the approach works under the premise that with enough patience, a company's intrinsic value and market value align, resulting in big future gains. </p><h2>Value investing vs. growth investing</h2><p>Value investing is more or less the flip side of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/growth-investing-definition-strategies">growth investing</a>. Rather than buying companies whose stock is already rising fast, value investors buy companies that are cheap because other investors have decided they aren't worth much.</p><p>Growth investors tend to be younger with a bigger appetite for risk, while <a href="https://www.cbs.dk/files/cbs.dk/paper_laurentcalvet.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">value investors are proportionally more likely to be older</a>. They also tend to possess higher financial and real estate wealth, indicating that they don't need to take so many risks on growth stocks. And because value investors are often closer to retirement or retired, they usually prioritize a steady income over quick gains, focusing on stocks that also provide dividend payments in addition to being undervalued.</p><h2>Evaluating a company's intrinsic value</h2><p>There are many metrics investors use to determine the intrinsic value of a stock, all of which deal with scrutinizing company accounts, in order to unearth financial information which indicates that a company's stock price isn't an accurate assessment of its overall worth.</p><p>As a starting point, beginner investors seeking value can look at:</p><ul><li>Price-to-earnings ratio: the ratio of a company's share price to its earnings per share</li><li>Price-to-book ratio: the ratio of a company's share price to its book value (its assets minus liabilities)</li></ul><p>"The value investing approach relies heavily on company accounts and trying to establish the value of a company compared to its current price. The price-to-earnings ratio is a key indicator as is the book value of a firm's assets," says Streeter.</p><p>While average price-to-earnings ratios will vary over time, the <a href="https://ycharts.com/indicators/sp_500_pe_ratio" target="_blank" rel="noopener">S&amp;P 500's P/E ratio passed 30 in 2020</a>, meaning that you'd spend $30 for every $1 of profit the companies in the index earn (on average). It had been just above 20 in 2019 and was as low as 13 in September 2011. </p><p>However, Streeter says that the subtle art of identifying value stocks has become harder in recent decades, largely because company assets have become more intangible in a digital, information-based economy.</p><p>"Instead of factories and machinery, today's valuable assets are more likely to consist of data sets, software, brands, and even ideas. Not accounting for these could throw investors off the scent of stocks with great scalability potential or could lead them to snap up what they see as bargain value stocks with little prospect of recovery," she adds.</p><p>When investing for value, it's also important to learn how to distinguish between companies that have been neglected because the markets have made a mistake and those that are neglected because they're in serious trouble.</p><p>"The key thing when choosing value stocks is to make sure they've not been priced cheaply because they're on their way to bankruptcy. Check their debt levels, how much free cash flow they have, and also their price-to-book ratio, which tells you how the share price compares to the value of the company's assets," says Glen Goodman, an investment expert and former TV business correspondent. </p><h2>How to find value stocks</h2><p>As with equities investing in general, you have two main options for investing in value stocks.</p><p>Your first option is to identify value stocks yourself and invest in them individually. You can do this using one of the many <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/what-are-the-best-investment-apps?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener">investment platforms or apps</a> now available, such as Robinhood, Betterment, Fidelity Go, Acorns, Investr, E*TRADE, and so on. Alternatively, you can also use <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/best-online-brokerage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an investment broker</a>, such as Fidelity Investments, TD Ameritrade, and Charles Schwab. </p><p>Secondly, you could invest in one of the many mutual funds or ETFs which target value stocks.  Some of the largest, in terms of assets under management.</p><p>Value ETFs:</p><ul><li>iShares Select Dividend ETF</li><li>iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF</li><li>Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund</li><li>Vanguard Utilities ETF</li><li>Vanguard Energy ETF</li><li>Invesco KBW Bank ETF</li><li>Fidelity MSCI Utilities Index ETF</li></ul><p>Value mutual funds:</p><ul><li>Bridge Builder Large Cap Value</li><li>T. Rowe Price Small-Cap Value</li><li>Vanguard Equity Income Fund</li><li>Dodge &amp; Cox Stock</li><li>Eaton Vance Focused Value Opportunities Fund</li><li>Vanguard Windsor II Fund </li></ul><p>Assuming that you have found a genuine value stock, investing in it should ultimately result in profits somewhere down the line. If a stock is currently priced at $20, but you've calculated that it should be priced at $80, then you'll make $60 merely by holding it and waiting for the market to catch up with reality.</p><p>This may take several, even many years to happen, but this is essentially how such famous investors as <keyword id="6358963" type="DEFINITION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Warren-Buffett">Warren Buffett</keyword>, <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/warren-buffett-berkshire-hathaway-charlie-munger-12-best-quotes-2020-5-1029210949" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Charlie Munger</a>, Seth Klarman, and Joel Greenblatt have made their names over the years. </p><p>The strategy does involve patience and perseverance. But if you've carefully weighed up a company's fundamentals, then you should be able to hold firmly to the assurance that the market will, sooner or later, realize its fair value.</p><h2>Tips for investing for value</h2><p>Value investing used to be a dependable and safe strategy for growing your assets steadily over time. But this has changed substantially in recent years, as the market and economy have shifted to an increasing focus on growth stocks and the companies issuing them.</p><p>"The main reason value has under-performed lately is that many financial stocks have been languishing ever since the 2008 financial crash, while the big <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-invest-in-tech-stocks">tech stocks</a> have been conquering the world," says Glen Goodman.</p><p>That said, there are a number of principles an investor should adopt if they want to increase their chances of making a profit when value investing.</p><p><strong>Strike a balance: </strong>Diversification is possibly the most important strategy any investor can take, regardless of their particular focus. The same goes for value investing, which should be viewed as a means to diversify, rather than a standalone strategy in its own right.</p><p>"Adding value-investing into your mix will not necessarily make you more profitable, but it may … help smooth out your investment returns. For example, if you invest half in growth stocks and half in value stocks, when the big tech stocks plunge, your growth portfolio could take a big hit, but your value stocks may outperform, helping to cushion the blow to your overall portfolio," says Goodman.</p><p><strong>Focus on research: </strong>Value investing is the one area where research of a company's fundamentals is absolutely necessary. With growth investing you really can follow the herd almost, but the whole idea of value investing is that you're spotting something others have missed, so it implies a considerable amount of research and homework.</p><p>This means poring over a company's financial statements, its balance sheet, its assets, its liabilities, its returns, its growth, and so on.</p><p><strong>Be patient: </strong>As mentioned above, the likes of Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger profited from value investing by holding onto value stocks for years, with <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/warren-buffett-switched-cherry-coke-pepsi-neighbor-don-keough-2019-11-1028727422" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Buffett holding Coca-Cola for 32 years now</a>. It really is a long-term strategy, so don't buy value stocks unless you're prepared to sit tight and wait. </p><p>This implies shrugging off slow growth, as well as resisting the urge to sell up and splurge on some seemingly more attractive growth stocks. </p><p><strong>Be prepared to buy the dip: </strong>Returning to Buffett, it's worth noting that he bought his shares in Coca-Cola following the 1987 stock market crash. This is a tactic used widely by value investors, who pounce on market crashes to buy otherwise strong stocks on the cheap. As such, it may be worth holding some cash in reserve for just this possibility.</p><h2>The financial takeaway</h2><p>At the present moment in history, value investing has become more of a supplementary strategy, one which will help <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-diversification" target="_blank" rel="noopener">diversify</a> your portfolio and hedge against risk. It has demonstrated good results in past decades, but the market focus on fast-rising growth stocks now means that some apparently underpriced stocks don't ever rise to their "real" value.</p><p>Nonetheless, it may still be worth investing in stocks that truly are undervalued compared to the rest of the market, although you will need to do your research. At the same time, the dominance of tech and other growth stocks may run its course, so it's probably wise to keep value investing in your toolkit.</p><p>"No sector and no strategy outperforms forever, so at some point, value is sure to have its day in the sun once again," says Glen Goodman.</p><h2>Related Coverage in <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/investing-reference" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Investing</a>:</h2><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-common-stock" target="_blank" rel="noopener">What is common stock? The most typical way to invest in a company and profit from its growth</a></h3><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-diversify-portfolio" target="_blank" rel="noopener">How to diversify your portfolio to limit losses and guard against risk</a></h3><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-invest-in-penny-stocks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">How to invest in penny stocks: a guide for beginners</a></h3><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/passive-investing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Passive investing is a long-term wealth-building strategy all investors should know - here's how it works</a></h3><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-a-self-directed-ira" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A self-directed IRA gives you control over a greater choice of investment options, but it also means more responsibility and risks</a></h3>

Value investing is a bargain-hunting strategy that targets low-performing but quality stocks, aiming to profit when their prices rise again

<p><em><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/insiderpicks" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.businessinsider.com/insiderpicks&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1551904003606000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGicoaJ_dTNpkDbIWqxa6BV9RjxNw">Insider Picks</a> writes about products and services to help you navigate when shopping online. Insider Inc. receives a commission from our affiliate partners when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.</em></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HCZ7LPW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_061719_super-mario-bros-u-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07HCZ7LPW&amp;linkId=3d88e0e09503ccd3ae67c5f032134940" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a><p class="source"><span>Amazon</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li><strong>Nintendo's Super Mario Bros. franchise has a long history of delivering a challenging gaming experience for new players and seasoned pros alike.</strong></li><li><strong>The new <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HCZ7LPW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_061719_super-mario-bros-u-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07HCZ7LPW&amp;linkId=3d88e0e09503ccd3ae67c5f032134940" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe</em></a> is the latest in the series for Nintendo Switch, bringing a few new players and a ton of new levels.</strong></li><li><strong>The game was easy to get used to and an absolute blast to play, and for just $45, definitely worth buying for any Nintendo Switch owner.</strong></li></ul><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Super Mario Bros. franchise has a long history filled with dozens of characters and beloved games that users have spent hours combing over. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mario games have taken a few different forms, including the 3D adventure game <em><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/super-mario-odyssey-nintendo-switch-review" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Super Mario Odyssey</a></em></span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and the super-popular racing game </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Super Mario Kart</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">. But despite the variation in game types, there are few games that can beat the classic side-scrolling </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Super Mario Bros.</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, the latest of which is <em><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HCZ7LPW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_061719_super-mario-bros-u-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07HCZ7LPW&amp;linkId=3d88e0e09503ccd3ae67c5f032134940" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe</a></em></span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em> </em>for the Nintendo Switch.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In our opinion, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HCZ7LPW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_061719_super-mario-bros-u-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07HCZ7LPW&amp;linkId=3d88e0e09503ccd3ae67c5f032134940" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a><em><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HCZ7LPW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_061719_super-mario-bros-u-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07HCZ7LPW&amp;linkId=3d88e0e09503ccd3ae67c5f032134940" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe</a></em> is well worth picking up. Here's our review after playing it for a while now to see how the latest take on </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Super Mario Bros. </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">holds up.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></p><h2><strong>Initial impressions</strong></h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HCZ7LPW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_061719_super-mario-bros-u-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07HCZ7LPW&amp;linkId=3d88e0e09503ccd3ae67c5f032134940" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a><p class="source"><span>Amazon</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Just like many Mario games that came before it, <em><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HCZ7LPW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_061719_super-mario-bros-u-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07HCZ7LPW&amp;linkId=3d88e0e09503ccd3ae67c5f032134940" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Super Mario Bros. U</a> </em>is a side-scrolling platformer game so you run or jump over platforms and obstacles to get through each level. I</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">t's much more bright and colorful, and definitely looks more modern than its predecessors though. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">The colors and animation can make it look a little cartoonish, but we'd actually expect nothing less from a Mario game and it captures the historic brand's aesthetic perfectly.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Setting up the game is easy. Once you fire it up, you'll be able to select your preferred character and the number of players that are playing - which can go up to four. Then you'll get an introduction to the story with a short video. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It's pretty much the same story - Mario and the gang are enjoying a meal at Peach's castle, Bowser shows up and throws everyone but Peach away, and you have to make your way back towards Peach's castle to save her from Bowser. A bit antiquated of a concept? Sure, but that's Mario for you.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Once the video is done, you'll start actually playing the game, and again, it's a familiar experience. You'll be able to navigate your way through different levels on a map, then simply select the level to play. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Levels are detailed, colorful, and fun. Everything you know and love about Mario is present here - you'll collect power-ups in the form of mushrooms, acorns, and other items, and stomp your way through the enemies that try and stop you in your path. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While an iteration of the game first debuted on the Wii U, it really feels much more at home on the Switch. 2D Mario games have always felt better in a portable form, and while you might prefer to play on your large TV when you're at home, the fact that you can take Mario anywhere with you really completes the package. </span></p><h2><strong>What's new in Mario?</strong></h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HCZ7LPW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_061719_super-mario-bros-u-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07HCZ7LPW&amp;linkId=3d88e0e09503ccd3ae67c5f032134940" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a><p class="source"><span>Amazon</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HCZ7LPW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_061719_super-mario-bros-u-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07HCZ7LPW&amp;linkId=3d88e0e09503ccd3ae67c5f032134940" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe</a></em> may be a take on the classic Mario games that many of us know and love, but there are still plenty of new things to discover here too. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For starters, the game features a few new playable characters, like Toadette, who's basically a way to play the game in "easy" mode. Toadette has some cool powers, is easier to control, and gets 3-Up Moons instead of one. There's also Nabbit, who's a </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">really</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> easy character to play as he's invincible to enemies, making him a good choice for kids or those who just want an easy ride. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As mentioned, there's some cool new powers in the game too. There's a crown exclusive to Toadette that turns her into Peachette, and a new Flying Squirrel suit that lets you fly around the level instead of running. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite the new characters, powers, levels, and updated look, <em><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HCZ7LPW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_061719_super-mario-bros-u-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07HCZ7LPW&amp;linkId=3d88e0e09503ccd3ae67c5f032134940" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe</a></em></span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> still looks and feels like what you'd expect from Nintendo. And that's the most important thing here - not what's new, but that the game still feels like a classic Mario game. </span></p><h2><strong>Overall gameplay</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></h2><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HCZ7LPW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_061719_super-mario-bros-u-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07HCZ7LPW&amp;linkId=3d88e0e09503ccd3ae67c5f032134940" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a><p class="source"><span>Amazon</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If you've played Mario games before, you'll immediately feel at home during gameplay. The game regularly uses familiar Mario concepts, like swimming through underwater levels and making your way through ghost-filled mansions. There are also new elements to the game like different enemies, obstacles, and, of course, new levels.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HCZ7LPW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_061719_super-mario-bros-u-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07HCZ7LPW&amp;linkId=3d88e0e09503ccd3ae67c5f032134940" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe</em></a> may be a simple platformer game, but levels still feel long, expansive, and feature-rich. Each time you play through a level, you'll discover something new - whether it be the first time you play through, or the fifth time when you're trying to collect all the Star Coins and unlock secret sections. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And speaking of, for the completionists out there, there's a ton to do after the main story. There are full-on secret levels that you may never even see while playing the main story, and those secret levels unlock more secret levels. You might finish the game in five hours or so, but there are additional dozens of hours of gameplay available, if you want it.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One of the coolest things about<em> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HCZ7LPW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_061719_super-mario-bros-u-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07HCZ7LPW&amp;linkId=3d88e0e09503ccd3ae67c5f032134940" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe</a></em></span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> is that it's even more fun playing with friends. As mentioned, you can play with up to four players, and even with multiple players in a level, it still doesn't feel overly cramped or difficult. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It's a game that beginners can get into too - I played with my partner for hours, and as a decided non-gamer, she still had a ton of fun largely due to the fact that you have unlimited lives if you're willing to go back a few levels when you run out.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The game is easy to get used to and a blast to play. There's something new to experience in every level, and the game is better for it. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></p><h2><strong>What we didn't like</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></h2><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There's very little that we didn't like about<em> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HCZ7LPW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_061719_super-mario-bros-u-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07HCZ7LPW&amp;linkId=3d88e0e09503ccd3ae67c5f032134940" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe</a></em></span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span></em></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While there are a few new things in the game like characters and obstacles, having even more new power-ups might have been interesting - though it's hard to be upset with Nintendo for that considering how versatile the game is already. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Perhaps the only real downside is that video games are still a little pricey (this goes for <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HCZ7LPW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_061719_super-mario-bros-u-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07HCZ7LPW&amp;linkId=3d88e0e09503ccd3ae67c5f032134940" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$45 on Amazon</a>) - but there are plenty of places you'll be able to find a used copy. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></p><h2><strong>The bottom line</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HCZ7LPW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_061719_super-mario-bros-u-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07HCZ7LPW&amp;linkId=3d88e0e09503ccd3ae67c5f032134940" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a><p class="source"><span>Amazon</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HCZ7LPW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_061719_super-mario-bros-u-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07HCZ7LPW&amp;linkId=3d88e0e09503ccd3ae67c5f032134940" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe</em></a> is close to the perfect Mario game for the Switch. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There are a ton of levels, the game is beautifully designed, it's portable, and it's generally a fun experience whether you play solo or with friends. It may not be everyone's favorite Mario game, but we think it's a game that everyone from total newbies to hardcore completionists can enjoy. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"></span></p><p><strong>Pros: </strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">Great design, tons of levels to explore, new characters and power-ups, easy to get used to</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></p><p><strong>Cons: </strong>Having e<span style="font-weight: 400;">ven more new things like additional power-ups would be cool</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></p><h3><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HCZ7LPW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_061719_super-mario-bros-u-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07HCZ7LPW&amp;linkId=3d88e0e09503ccd3ae67c5f032134940" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Buy <em>Super Smash Bros. U Deluxe</em> on Amazon for $44.99 (originally $59.99)</a></h3><p class="tagline"><p><a href="http://e.businessinsider.com/join/ci/insider-picks">Subscribe to our newsletter.</a><br><br>Find all the best offers at our <a href="https://coupons.businessinsider.com/">Coupons page</a>.<br><br>Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/insiderpicks">Insider Picks</a> team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com.</br></br></br></br></p></p>

I think the $45 Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe is almost the perfect Mario game - here's what playing it on the Nintendo Switch is like

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Museum of the Moving Image</span></p><p class="caption">Screenshot from a 2008 advertisement supporting Republican presidential candidate John McCain.</p></div><p></p></div></div>A study by Stanford University researchers that <a href="http://poq.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2015/12/17/poq.nfv046.full?keytype=ref&amp;ijkey=Ztw6T58bq92d5VI#xref-fn-19-1">analyzed more than 100 ads from the 2008 US presidential election</a> has found that Sen. John McCain's (R-Arizona) campaign used images of then-Senator Barack Obama (D-Illinois) that made his skin appear darker than usual.</p><p>The study, published in the academic journal Public Opinion Quarterly in December, suggests that the images could have been intended to tap into possible racial biases of some viewers.</p><p>"Ads that portray black candidates with a darker complexion might prime negative stereotypes about blacks, damaging the candidate's election prospects in a way that has nothing to do with political fitness for office and is difficult to detect," the researchers wrote in the study.</p><p>The study's relevance, more than eight years after Obama was first elected to the White House, comes <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/gop-debate-recap-fox-business-trump-cruz-2016-1">as the 2016 US presidential primary race heats up</a>.</p><p>In the GOP field, where real-estate mogul and current front-runner, Donald Trump has consistently led in the polls, the candidate's controversial approach to matters of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-ad-fact-check-wall-morocco-2016-1">immigration</a>, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-muslim-immigrants-2015-12">homeland security</a>, and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-black-lives-matter-2015-9">civil rights</a> has relied on similar methods for attacking minority groups.</p><p>Trump's <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trumps-epic-statement-on-mexico-2015-7">description of some Mexican immigrants as "rapists" and "drug dealers"</a> and his suggestions that Muslims should be temporarily <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-muslim-immigration-2015-12">banned from the US</a> have effectively triggered similar, negative biases against people of color.</p><p>In 2008, the depictions of Obama's skin tone varied throughout the campaign season, but he appeared especially dark-skinned in Republican attack ads that aired closer to election day, <a href="http://poq.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2015/12/17/poq.nfv046.full?keytype=ref&amp;ijkey=Ztw6T58bq92d5VI#xref-fn-19-1">according to the Stanford study</a>.</p><p>Meanwhile, McCain's skin appeared gradually lighter over time in the same ads.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>AP</span></p><p class="caption">Former Republican Vice Presidential candidate Gov. Sarah Palin (R-Alaska) and former GOP presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona).</p></div><p></p></div></div>The disparity in skin tone is not necessarily a result of deliberate manipulation by the McCain campaign. The researchers noted that "more shadowed" images of Obama may have been selected to match the sinister tone of the attack ads.</p><p>The darker-looking images could have also been a result of video compression in the uploading process, according to a <a href="http://www.factcheck.org/2008/03/did-clinton-darken-obamas-skin/">Factcheck.org analysis of an anti-Obama ad produced by Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign</a>.</p><p>According to the study, Obama's skin appeared the darkest in ads connecting him to crime, including ones that attempted to link the candidate to Bill Ayers, the former leader of the radical left-wing organization Weather Underground:</p><p></p><h3>Another ad sought to tie Obama to alleged misconduct committed by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, known by the acronym ACORN:</h3><p></p><h3>Other GOP attack ads in question paint Obama as disrespectful ...</h3><p></p><h3>... and irresponsible ...</h3><p></p><p>In another portion of the study, researchers showed participants images that depicted Obama with a lighter or darker-than-usual skin tone. The images were manipulated accordingly for the purposes of the study.</p><p>The researchers found participants were quicker to think of negative black stereotypes - such as laziness and criminal behavior, for example - after seeing the darker-skinned version.</p><p>The findings give new ammunition to critics who claim the Republican Party may use implicit racial appeals to attract some voters.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Public Opinion Quarterly</span></p><p class="caption">Manipulated images of Barack Obama that were used by researchers in the study.</p></div><p></p></div></div>"When you blacken somebody's skin, you're doing it for only one reason. It's to make them look darker and more sinister," First Amendment attorney Daniel Barr <a href="http://www.azfamily.com/story/30857320/obamas-skin-darkened-in-attack-ads-research-finds">told Arizona's KTVK-3 TV</a>.</p><p>The tactic may not be limited to the GOP, either. The study also references an attack ad from <a href="http://www.factcheck.org/2008/03/did-clinton-darken-obamas-skin/">Hillary Clinton's 2008 Democratic primary campaign</a> that allegedly depicted Obama with darker and wider-than-usual facial features.</p><p>You can view hundreds of campaign advertisements from both parties at Stanford University's <a href="http://pcl.stanford.edu/campaigns/2008/">Political Communication Lab</a>.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/power-rankings-donald-trump-ted-cruz-president-politics-hillary-clinton-2015-12">POWER RANKINGS: Who has the best chance of becoming the next president</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="NqbWdveToGrVKr96N6Ti_VsROGHoPLSF" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

Study finds attack ads from the 2008 presidential campaign appeared to show Obama with darker-than-usual skin - these are the ads

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>Conservative activist James O'Keefe released another undercover sting video on Monday that he claimed proved Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton illegally <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEQvsK5w-jY&amp;feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">coordinated with an outside organization</a>.<p>But what O'Keefe considered illegal activity is most likely not, election law experts told Business Insider.</p><p>The sting video posted by O'Keefe and produced by his organization, Project Veritas, showed Democratic operative Bob Creamer claiming Clinton personally wanted activists dressed up as Donald Duck outside of Trump events to promote that he had not released his tax returns.</p><p>The group Creamer tasked with carrying out the work was Americans United for Change, a liberal non-profit.</p><p>Creamer, who was contracted by the Democratic National Committee over the summer,&#xa0;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/james-okeefe-video-dnc-trump-rallies-2016-10" target="_blank">ceased his involvement with the DNC after a prior sting</a><span>&#xa0;video posted by O'Keefe last week showed other operatives under Creamer's purview discussing the inciting of protesters at Republican nominee Donald Trump's rallies.</span></p><p>"In the end, it was the candidate, Hillary Clinton, the future president of the United States, who wanted ducks on the ground," Creamer said in the video posted on Monday. "So by God we would get ducks on the ground."</p><p>The Democratic operative&#xa0;also asked the reporter not to repeat to "anybody" and that Clinton "really wanted this duck figure doing this stuff."</p><p>Later in the video, Creamer&#xa0;said Clinton's deputy communications director Christina Reynolds called him to discuss deployment of the ducks.</p><p>"Christina Reynolds calls, saying, 'I have good news and bad news,'" he said. "'The good news is the candidate would like to have a mascot following around ... Trump. But the bad news is she wants it to be Donald Duck.'"</p><p>"My answer is, 'Christina, if the future president wants ducks, we will put ducks on the ground,'" he added.</p><p>O'Keefe claimed that those conversations showed that the Clinton campaign had violated the Federal Election Commission's rules regarding coordinated communications. He said that Americans United for Change paying someone to wear the Donald Duck outfit at events, and paying for the costume, count as violations of campaign law, since his video alleged that Clinton said she wanted to see the duck mascot.</p><p>Only certain communications are considered coordinated, according to&#xa0;the FEC. On its website, it lists four such examples related to a presidential race:</p><ul><li>A public communication that expressly advocates the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate.</li><li>A communication that is an "electioneering communication" as defined in 11 CFR 100.29 (i.e. a broadcast communication that mentions a federal candidate and is distributed to the relevant electorate 30 days before the primary election or 60 days before the general election).</li><li>A public communication that republishes, disseminates or distributes in whole or in part campaign materials prepared by a candidate or a candidate's campaign committee.</li><li>A public communication made 120 days before a Presidential primary election through the general election and:</li><ul><li>Refers to a clearly identified Presidential or Vice Presidential candidate and is publicly distributed in a jurisdiction before the clearly identified federal candidate's election in that jurisdiction.</li><li>Refers to a party, is coordinated with a Presidential or Vice Presidential candidate, and is publicly distributed in that candidate's jurisdiction.</li><li>Refers to a political party, is coordinated with a political party, and is publicly distributed during the Presidential election cycle.</li></ul></ul><p>Two election law experts told Business Insider that the rules against this type of coordination generally only apply to paid media advertisements - for example, TV, newspaper, or internet ads.</p><p>"The word coordination in the English language means something very different than what it means to the Federal Election Commission," Rick Hasen, a professor at the University of California at Irvine who specializes in campaign finance regulation and election law.</p><p>Hasen, who said he did not see the video, and could not speak specifically to it, other than what was described to him, added that the laws are "<span>generally for media advertising, which this doesn't sound like [the video] necessarily is."</span></p><p>Brendan Fischer, associate counsel at the<span>&#xa0;Campaign Legal Center, agreed</span>&#xa0;that FEC rules typically apply&#xa0;to media advertising. The example he gave was of a campaign asking a Super PAC to run an ad in a certain media market. That, he said, would be in violation of the FEC regulations.</p><p>"Groups can talk to one another," he said. "That's not covered by the coordination rules."</p><p>In a statement to Business Insider, the Clinton campaign highlighted how a recent report showed O'Keefe's own venture, Project Veritas, was funded by Trump's charitable foundation.</p><p>"Wow," said Zac Petkanas, a Hillary for America spokesman. "The latest so-called blockbuster video from this discredited right wing activist who was funded by Donald Trump's sham foundation uncovers a legal ploy to highlight that the Republican nominee hasn't released his tax returns. By the way, did we mention that Donald Trump still hasn't released his tax returns?"</p><p>A <a href="https://thinkprogress.org/trump-funded-james-okeefe-53015c2f44b6#.wah6ixwcx" target="_blank">recent story in the liberal blog ThinkProgress</a>, which drew on&#xa0;a Washington Post database, revealed that Trump's foundation gave $10,000 to Project Veritas on May 13, 2015.</p><p>Project Veritas is a non-profit that is in the same 501 C-4 classification as Americans United for Change. Last week, O'Keefe was invited by the Trump campaign to be a guest at the final presidential debate, and was later available in the spin room following the Las Vegas event.</p><p>In addition, O'Keefe has previously gotten into hot water for his practices. In 2010, he <a href="http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2010/05/james_okeefe_and_friends_plead.html" target="_blank">pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor</a> for posing as a phone repairman to enter New Orleans office of Mary Landrieu, then a Louisiana senator. In 2013, he settled a suit for $100,000 after editing a recording with an Acorn employee who later lost his job.</p><p><a href="http://www.salon.com/2016/10/18/james-okeefe-releases-another-project-veritas-video-claiming-hillary-clinton-campaign-is-bird-dogging/" target="_blank">Past O'Keefe footage</a> has also been found to contain <a href="http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2011/03/10/does-raw-video-of-npr-expose-reveal-questionable-editing-tactics/" target="_blank">manipulative editing</a> to show an intended narrative, as the conservative website TheBlaze wrote.</p><p>Late Monday night, the Trump campaign said what&#xa0;the video showed was "disqualifying" for Clinton's candidacy.</p><p>"In a totally disqualifying act that is a violent threat to our democracy, Hillary Clinton directly involved herself in inciting violence directed at Trump supporters," said spokesman Jason Miller. "[T]he Trump Campaign demands a full and immediate investigation into the acts of violence that the Clinton campaign and the DNC have incited on American voters."</p><p><div></div></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/philippines-president-rodrigo-duterte-china-putin-russia-xi-jinping-us-2016-10">'America has lost': The Philippines president just announced that he's allying with China, wants to talk to Putin</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="Y0cmF2NjE6_StYcf6K-LQHEfKHYuNtio" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

Experts: Actions of Democratic operatives in latest undercover James O'Keefe video likely not violation of law

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Sam Shead/Business Insider <keyword id="6354868" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="UK">UK</keyword></span></p><p class="caption">Evi Technologies founder William Tunstall-Pedoe sits  in his home in front of a piece of art designed by an AI called AARON.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>"Sorry, I knew this was going to happen," says British entrepreneur William Tunstall-Pedoe shortly after I start interviewing him at his home in Cambridge.</p><p>We've just been interrupted by Alexa - the AI-powered personal assistant that sits inside Amazon's Echo device, which <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/amazon-echo-release-in-uk-germany-2016-9" target="_blank">launched in the UK</a> in September.</p><p>Alexa burst into life after she heard me say her name while asking the <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/evi-founder-invests-in-ai-startups-after-26-million-amazon-acquisition-2016-8?r=US&amp;IR=T" target="_blank">entrepreneur turned angel investor</a> about his role in her development.</p><p>The 47-year-old - who sold his voice recognition company Evi Technologies to Amazon in 2012 for what was <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2013/04/17/sources-say-amazon-acquired-siri-like-evi-app-for-26m-is-a-smartphone-coming/" target="_blank">reported to be around $26 million (£21 million)</a> - has five Echo devices scattered across his quirky home, which spans several narrow floors, contains artwork that was dreamt up by a computer, and happens to be where Peter Fluck and Rodger Law first made the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/gallery/2014/aug/03/comedy-puppetry" target="_blank">puppets seen in British satirical TV show "Spitting Image</a>."</p><p>One of the Echo devices in Tunstall-Pedoe's house has been programmed to wake up when he says "Alexa," while the other two respond to "Amazon" and "Echo."</p><p>When I tell Tunstall-Pedoe that I haven't actually witnessed Alexa in action - partly because the Echo device wasn't on sale in the UK when I spoke to him - he seems shocked and instantly starts demoing the voice recognition technology to me.</p><p>"Amazon," he says to a device in the corner of the room. No response. "Amazon!" he repeats louder and more assertively. "What are you?"</p><p>Around a second or so later, the Amazon-built machine responds: "I'm an Amazon Echo."</p><p>But in a bid to show off the range of the Echo device, he then tries to communicate with another device on a floor below: "Alexa, what are you?"</p><p>"Sorry, I can't find the answer to your question," calls out an American-sounding woman from an Echo device downstairs.</p><p>"Alexa, what are you?" repeats Tunstall-Pedoe, who left Amazon in February.</p><p>"I'm an Amazon Echo," Alexa quickly responds. "Ok," says Tunstall-Pedoe, seemingly satisfied. "Doing it from a distance is a real challenge. There's all sorts of proprietary technology in it [Echo] that allows you to just talk to the device across the room and it works. That's really hard. It's one of the things that Amazon's done very, very well."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Amazon</span></p><p class="caption">The Amazon Echo speaker.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Tunstall-Pedoe has been interested in computers and intelligence since an early age. Born into a family of medical professionals in Dulwich, the entrepreneur went to the High School of Dundee in Scotland, where he spent some of his time developing software for his teacher's IT company. "I had a substantial income from software when I was 13," says Tunstall-Pedoe. "My high school had a technical college next to it. And they had a big mainframe. I used to go in there before school and write software and I got addicted I guess."</p><p>Following in his father's and grandfather's footsteps, Tunstall-Pedoe earned himself a place at the University of Cambridge where he graduated with a first class degree in computer science in 1991. "That was largely me pulling my socks up in the final year," he admits. "I worked very, very hard in the last three months."</p><p>After university, Tunstall-Pedoe went on to work for the likes of Acorn Computers and the Isaac Newton Institute. He also did what he describes as "some more niche AI things" off his own back. "I wrote a commercial chess playing program for example and I wrote what remains the only software that can solve and explain cryptic crossword clues. I also wrote a product called Amgram Genius which uses AI techniques to create weird and wonderful anagrams of any subject. That work was really hot."</p><h2>Evi was Tunstall-Pedoe's biggest success</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Evi Technologies</span></p><p class="caption">The Evi app.</p></div><p></p></div></div>But it was the Evi app that proved to be Tunstall-Pedoe's most successful venture. "I wanted to tackle a really big problem and the biggest problem I could find then was search," says Tunstall-Pedoe. "Bizarrely that vision has stayed absolutely the same for the entire history of the business.</p><p>"The way we've applied it and the products we've applied it to have changed but if you look at Echo, and Alexa, that is precisely that vision coming true. For me, that's one of the most remarkable things about this adventure. The vision has been exactly the same, and it's coming true. It's coming true at scale."</p><p>Evi was essentially an AI-powered app that allowed people to search for things and find answers either by typing a question into a search box or asking a question out loud.</p><p>The origins of Evi can be traced back to September 2005 when Tunstall-Pedoe founded a company called True Knowledge, which was a search engine designed to help people find the information they needed in a more natural way.</p><p>In 2011, True Knowledge began working on a new AI called Evi, which it released in a smartphone app. The Evi AI was launched publicly in January 2012 to massive acclaim, <a href="http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120612006738/en/Growing-Rapidly-True-Knowledge-Announces-Change-Evi" target="_blank">gaining over 1 million users</a> within four months of launch. In May 2012, <a href="http://www.cambridgenetwork.co.uk/news/new-name-for-true-knowledge-company-expands/" target="_blank">True Knowledge was officially rebranded as Evi</a> to reflect the focus on the ongoing development of the Evi AI.</p><p>"We had an office on the ground floor of Poseidon House in Castle Park but we moved out and then when Amazon was looking for a place to have their dev centre, they actually ended up taking the entire building," says Tunstall-Pedoe. "So we ended up moving back into it."</p><p>He continues: "We had multiple offices [during True Knowledge and Evi's life time]. We had a much more prominent office on Hills Road for a long time, which was very, very visible. It was right next to a main road and the outside of the building was decorated with questions and answers and True Knowledge. People were very confused by this building. They thought it was some kind of religious establishment."</p><p>Tunstall-Pedoe raised several million pounds for his startup from investors including the likes of Octopus Ventures and a fund set up by ARM founder Hermann Hauser (the exact amount was never disclosed). He <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2013/04/17/sources-say-amazon-acquired-siri-like-evi-app-for-26m-is-a-smartphone-coming/" target="_blank">sold his business to Amazon</a> in October 2012 when it had around 30 staff and Evi is now part of the Amazon group of companies. "I can tell you that Amazon has invested very, very heavily in the team subsequently," says Tunstall-Pedoe.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>William Tunstall-Pedoe</span></p><p class="caption">William Tunstall-Pedoe founded True Knowledge in 2005 and renamed it to Evi in 2012.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h2>Other Silicon Valley firms were interested in Evi</h2><p>Amazon wasn't the only company bidding for Evi, according to Tunstall-Pedoe. "We had another couple of acquisition offers," he says, adding that there was also further funding on the table from investors. "So we could have taken the financing and continued on or we could have gone for one of the other two.</p><p>"One of the acquirers would have moved us over to the Bay Area and they would have shed half of the team in the process. Amazon wanted to invest in the UK, so keep the team where it was and grow it in Cambridge. That made them a much more attractive acquisition from our perspective.</p><p>Tunstall-Pedoe admits that he didn't know exactly what Amazon had planned for Evi at the time of the acquisition. "The project was highly secret," he says. "Obviously we understood the full vision after we were acquired but it wasn't necessarily fully disclosed as part of the discussions. There was a lot of secrecy on the project [Echo]. "We managed to keep it a secret" says Tunstall-Pedoe. "All of that concern about confidentiality was quite important."</p><p>Following Evi's acquisition, the company's technology, platform, and team became an integral part of Alexa, according to Tunstall-Pedoe, who held a senior product role at Amazon in the team that designed, built, and launched Alexa and the Amazon Echo product for more than three years.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>William Tunstall-Pedoe</span></p><p class="caption">The True Knowledge/Evi team.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h2>Amazon staff are forbidden from revealing company secrets</h2><p>Tunstall-Pedoe is heavily restricted on what he can say about Evi, Alexa, and his time at Amazon. As one of several large technology companies currently in the so-called AI race, Amazon is keen to keep a lot of its intellectual property under wraps and it makes sure that all of its <a href="http://www.geekwire.com/2016/amazon-employment-2nd-quarter/" target="_blank">268,900 current employees</a> (as of April 2016) know what they can and can't say.</p><p>Tunstall-Pedoe can't say, for example, exactly how Evi's technology was integrated into Alexa or how big the Evi team inside Amazon has grown to.</p><p>But Amazon is pumping millions of pounds into the Evi operation, according to the latest Companies House filings. Abbreviated <a href="https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/document-api-images-prod/docs/dO90v5I5zdJKWCPeFCf8X_EJokjjc0evkc-E4Pe0mls/application-pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=ASIAILSGKIRUIWEAAKQA&amp;Expires=1477934023&amp;Signature=fsUXK2H4o%2BcDS%2Fbvfknzb8WpMFE%3D&amp;x-amz-security-token=FQoDYXdzEGEaDPurVTEnssp5rwYi7CKcA0F82NrYfinuHllKnYVl%2Bl0qI2bKXWqz38nUxyqJwUilNrc0Rd6tsh0vKzMMToN7YeTKHaikTI3059ewyxcrc3KMWxxRtEncL9Fij4JHxq%2FVruedCQm%2FabDn5efKY3dq4N9ZHYhmnlY9z2qOUgQkyGAV9ItWcmFlUHeBxRZ0YQdrvbjQBYqSNP7JumNsoWYRo%2B1PIsj8Z5vQA5CpPPBEHhSbLd%2FIC1F8mHPSD9cHWKCF6AAzTPhHGGYvi2uMVCNaudbMKi2yqp52761CIDilkhqn6ETHgAYspxcqQtOXuHtagFGroVl26NnlyRlLZt5LG%2BTLTVRUaK38ob%2BC4wOuH61aKdgshYDR%2FYXRAceZ%2FYb3Q8VHvLDGb9jiwVDxgS752yGlUqy%2FW2nIyDyVHCr2Yy06jq2aFJrI0IUCC7h06Nc%2FOUM5%2FRHH%2FbENYFScO%2FjxSALSGOGlToyis4Jo502s77CH2b%2F98P9qlwOevA0jEZsT2D5Rf95bkXjdh6DT%2BSFCrjUhdpNNyW%2Byw0pBr5sXCLHrpfHBK%2FfqeqQLSUsordDdwAU%3D" target="_blank">accounts filed with Companies House</a> on July 14 show that Evi had £4.8 million in fixed assets and £9 million in current assets as at 31 December 2015. That's up from £3.5 million and £8 million respectively for 2014.</p><p>While Amazon has never publicly said exactly how it uses Evi's technology, there have been one or two hints that have slipped out in job descriptions and other reports.</p><p>"Within Amazon Alexa, the Evi team's mission is to answer any question in any language," reads <a href="https://www.amazon.jobs/en-gb/jobs/426303" target="_blank">a job description</a> on Amazon's website for an "Applied Scientist" role in Cambridge. "We develop technology that combines natural language understanding, acquiring large volumes of structured knowledge, and machine reasoning to allow our customers to get answers to their questions in the most natural way possible. We play a key role in the development of Alexa; Amazon's cloud based voice service which delights customers on products such as Echo and Fire TV."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Sam Shead/Business Insider UK</span></p><p class="caption">Evi's office, which Amazon now uses as an R&amp;D centre, is in Cambridge.</p></div><p></p></div></div><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Sam Shead/Business Insider UK</span></p><p class="caption">The R&amp;D centre is very discrete, with minimal branding.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h2>Echo can be used to play music, get traffic updates, and set alarms</h2><p>The £149 Amazon Echo device performs a variety of functions when you tell Alexa to do something or ask Alexa a question. It will, for example, play music from a certain decade or provide you with traffic updates.</p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/B01GAGVIE4/ref=cm_cr_dp_hist_one?ie=UTF8&amp;filterByStar=one_star&amp;reviewerType=all_reviews&amp;showViewpoints=0" target="_blank">Some Amazon reviewers</a> have said they use Echo for timers and alarms but not much else. Tunstall-Pedoe, however, insists Echo is "amazingly useful." When I ask him what he uses Echo for, he replies: "Loads of stuff," before going on to instruct the device to get the local weather for Cambridge.</p><p>"Right now in Cambridge, United Kingdom, it's 17 degrees with showers and partly cloudy skies," Alexa responds. "Today's forecast is rainy weather with a high of 19 degrees and a low of 13 degrees." He goes on to play "Call Me Maybe" by Canadian singer-songwriter Carly Rae Jepsen on Spotify and a "trance" music playlist on Pandora.</p><p>Concluding his demo, and showing off Alexa's intelligence, Tunstall-Pedoe asks: "Amazon, who was president of the US when Barack Obama was a teenager?" The device replies: "Ronald Reagen, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford were the US presidents when Barack Obama was a teenager." This is the very same question and answer that Evi used to show off in screenshots of the company's app.</p><p>In terms of who developed Evi's core technology, Tunstall-Pedoe doesn't hold back when it comes to taking the credit. "The technology is actually largely a result of me," he says. "There have been some additions to the technology since. And obviously there's been a huge amounts of work engineering it, creating a platform that massively scales very fast. But the actual core IP all came out my head. So the original patents are all mine."</p><p>He goes on to explain how Evi's abilities have been significantly expanded since the acquisition. "What I wrote took many seconds to do stuff and the knowledge base was very small and the knowledge base is much, much much, bigger and runs many orders of magnitude faster and that's credit to the team of engineers that joined me."</p><h2>The entrepreneur is now backing the next generation of founders</h2><h2><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Wikipedia / CC 3.0</span></p><p class="caption">The University of Cambridge.</p></div><p></p></div></div></h2><p>Since leaving Amazon, Tunstall-Pedoe <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/evi-founder-invests-in-ai-startups-after-26-million-amazon-acquisition-2016-8" target="_blank">has been angel investing</a>, backing a total of 21 companies, including Magic Pony Technology, which was <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/twitter-acquired-a-london-startup-called-magic-pony-2016-6" target="_blank">acquired by Twitter</a> earlier this year for a reported $150 million (£120 million).</p><p>On departing the ecommerce behemoth, Tunstall-Pedoe admits: "That was really difficult. I really love Amazon. It's a very good business. It's obviously very successful. A few milestones happened at the same time: 10th anniversary of the business was quite a big psychological one. September last year I realised I'd been doing this 120% for 10 years.</p><p>"The launch of the Echo Alexa had been a big success. The project is being heavily invested in. Jeff Bezos is on record recently saying there's more than a thousand people working in Alexa across all the sites.</p><p>"Do I want to do what I've been doing for another 10 years? Or do I want to do one or two other things for the rest of my career? It wasn't an easy decision but I decided it was the right time to move on."</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/sleep-8-hour-cycle-ancestors-myth-2016-11">We sleep much differently than our ancestors - here's why</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="lmNHZlNDE62K8PfH58_T7HwvnamGott-" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

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