Bhinneka News Online: The U.S. is giving away 6 free lighthouses

Friday, 9 June 2023

The U.S. is giving away 6 free lighthouses

Friday, June 9, 2023

CNBC Make It Life helps you lead a healthier, richer and more fulfilling lifestyle.
By Aditi Shrikant

Here's what it's like to own a lighthouse

If you've ever wanted to own a lighthouse, now's your chance. The U.S. General Services Administration is offering up six of them, for free, in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania.

But there's a catch: the new owners will be responsible for the cost of upkeep and maintenance.

This is more challenging – and expensive – than you might think, says Richard Cucé, a current lighthouse owner.

In 2002, Cucé, bought the Hooper Island Lighthouse in the Chesapeake Bay for $192,000 at a government auction. When all renovations are completed, he will have spent about $1 million, he says.

And the costs don't stop there: Cucé estimates that he will spend between $50,000 and $100,000 a year on upkeep alone. This includes maintaining a boat to get to and from the lighthouse.

"It is truly a labor of love. I often wonder if the whole thing is a bad idea, but then I will have a good day that makes me think it will all be worthwhile," he says.

How to Talk to People: The No. 1 way to sound smarter when making small talk

If you want a new acquaintance to think you're smart, you might be tempted to name drop your accomplishments. This is the wrong approach, says Joanne Lipman, author of "NEXT! The Power of Reinvention in Life and Work."

The best way to come off as intelligent is to ask for advice, according to a series of studies by Harvard and Wharton researchers.

In one study, students were asked to solve brain teasers with a partner. Some were told they would be judged on the accuracy of their answers. Others were told they would be judged on the impression they made on their partner.

The students were then given three options for communicating with their partner:

Saying, "Hey, can you give me any advice?"
Saying, "Hey, I hope you did well."
Saying nothing at all.

Students rated on their accuracy eagerly asked for advice. Those rated on the impression they made were less than half as likely to ask for help; they were afraid they wouldn't look competent.

Yet when students were paired with a partner who was either neutral or asking them for advice, they had a higher opinion of the advice seeker. They figured that the person who asked for their advice must be quite clever — in part because it's flattering to be asked for help.

In other words, people tend to think, "They were smart to ask for my advice because I am smart."

Unlocked: 36-year-old bought an abandoned house for just $1 and fully renovated it

In February 2020, Maxine Sharples got the keys to her new home: a two-bedroom, 796-square-foot Victorian that she bought for £1 through a "homes for a pound" program created to revive a small run-down area in Liverpool, England. To qualify, she had to be a first-time homeowner and able to fix it up within a 12-month period.

More than two years of work and $74,000 later, Sharpless has a house that made headlines in the U.K. for its novel use of space.

Speed Read: Bill Gates' top books, TV shows and music for this summer

Every June, Bill Gates releases his highly-anticipated summer reading recommendations. This year, Gates decided that "there's more to life than reading."

In the latest installment of his annual tradition, the Microsoft co-founder added a Netflix show and a curated Spotify playlist to his recommendations.

Here's what the fourth-richest person in the world is reading, watching and listening to.

"Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow," a bestselling novel by Gabrielle Zevin
"Born in Blackness," by Howard French, a nonfiction history book that places Africa at the center of how the modern world developed
The Danish political drama "Borgen," available to stream on Netflix
A Spotify playlist with many of his favorite songs from artists ranging from Enrique Iglesias to Vampire Weekend