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How to be a billionaire
billionare
In other words, there are now 2,325 billionaires in the world who together have over $7 trillion, but most of them just have a couple billion each. - photo by istockphoto.com/PeskyMonkey
Linsy Hunsaker
Deseret News National
Updated: Oct 7, 2014, 9:00 AM
Published: Oct 6, 2014, 1:15 PM

Since last year, the world’s billionaire population has grown by 7.1 percent, according to the“Wealth-X and UBS Billionaire Census 2014.”

In other words, there are now 2,325 billionaires in the world who together have over $7 trillion, but most of them just have a couple billion each. Above we’ve provided Wealth-X’s video that visualizes the state of the world’s billionaires.

So what raises your chances of eating a slice of the billion-dollar pie? Here we’ve compiled six things that most billionaires have in common, according to Wealth-X and UBS’ data. (Of course, correlation does not necessarily mean causation.

Control your birth

Almost a quarter of the world’s billionaires are in the U.S., but Liechtenstein’s population is the most billionaire-dense and none of them are foreign-born. Only 300 billionaires are female and they’re more likely to have inherited their wealth, but 60 percent of male billionaires are completely self-made.

Wait your turn

The “typical billionaire” — if a billionaire could be considered typical — is 63 years old and has just over $3 billion, but they didn’t make their first million until they were almost 50.

Go to college

While most billionaires have a college degree — 65 percent — over 40 percent of those with a college education just have a bachelor’s degree. The University of Pennsylvania educated the highest number of today’s billionaires — 25.

Invest in finance and big business

Of the total, 19.3 percent of billionaires made their money through the finance and banking industry, and 12.1 percent through “industrial conglomerates.” However, 7.6 percent have their money in real estate and 4.9 percent in apparel and luxury. And most have their hands in multiple cookie jars.

Get married

Most billionaires are married — 86.1 percent — and have kids. Only 3.1 percent have never been married. And most billionaires have a pretty broad social group.

Find a hobby

Billionaires like sports and are generous. According to the data, 68.3 percent are involved in sports, 51.9 percent philanthropic endeavors, 23.4 percent outdoorsy activities and 23.1 percent the arts.
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
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A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
Herb Scribner
Deseret News
Published: Aug 13, 2018, 1:39 PM
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.