The untimely deaths of fashion designer Kate Spade and celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain this week -- both from apparent suicides -- have rocked the entertainment world and left many people asking one key question: How can people who have so much -- money, fame, a bevy of accomplishments to their name -- commit suicide? Interestingly, I wrote separate entries in recent days that touch on these topics peripherally. Here they are in case you missed them: 2 effective ways to combat depression A sad truth about many people we know The first entry suggests helpful ways of keeping your mind off of whatever is dragging you down, like staying busy through mentally rigorous activities. The latter post attempts to dispel the notion that money and material possessions translate into indefinite happiness. Spade and Bourdain's deaths are the latest in a string of celebrity suicides in recent years. You may recall that Robin Williams, one of world's most celebrated actors, took...

People talk about winning the lottery as if it were the Holy Grail everyone is after. And, sure, having a lot of money can enhance your life in myriad ways. You can pay off your house and buy a much bigger one, purchase a luxurious car, do away with your college loan debt, buy expensive clothes and jewelry with no restraint, etc. Society tells us this is the ideal life. But is it really the kind of life we ALL yearn for? Not me. Instead, I just want to be comfortable financially, and that's well within everyone's reach by (1) saving up (2) scouring the internet and newspapers for great deals (3) staying within or below one's budget. I can only surmise that people who are rich feel immense pressure to display with their wealth. (Not to mention they likely get asked for money left and right by friends and relatives.) The issue is that I'm the farthest thing from a materialistic person, so if I found myself thrust into that situation, I would not feel compelled...

If you were to come up with one word to describe your ideal life, what would it be? If several come to mind, try to winnow them down to the one word that best captures what you would consider the perfect life. Words like "rich" and "wealthy" didn't even cross my mind, for I am the farthest thing from materialistic. I think the best things in life tend to be free -- love, knowledge, laughter, companionship. For me, no word encapsulates the ideal life quite like simple . A self-proclaimed minimalist, I try to reduce as much clutter in my life -- both mental and physical -- as I possibly can. I respect those who find great fulfillment in owning the biggest houses, roomiest cars, and shiniest baubles. But that's just not me. I am much easier to please, finding satisfaction in the simplest things -- like reading a great book, taking a relaxing walk around the park, or watching an interesting documentary on TV. You're probably wondering whether ...

Guess what's in style again? That's right -- shopping. CNN Money reports that retail sales rose 1.3% in April compared to the prior month -- the largest monthly gain in over a year and a promising sign that the U.S. economy is improving after a disappointing first quarter. But people aren't opening their wallets and swiping their credit cards for everything. Right now, beauty products, sporting goods, cars, and eating out at restaurants is the rage. Clothes and electronics, on the other hand, aren't as popular this spring. Investors fear that buyers just aren't excited about new clothing and accessories. Consumers also have a clear preference for shopping online, as evidenced by Amazon, whose stock hit a record high this week above $700 a share. Traditional big box stores like Macy's, whose stock tumbled 18% this week, are in dire straits. Some economists say that people shouldn't read into the bump in sales too much. They say the gains in April sa...

Most of us have a tendency to think about the things we don't have rather than the things we do. We often envy those who have something we lack rather than pity those who are far less fortunate than we are. I am guilty of this myself at times. For example, I live near a stretch of school zones that takes a good 30 minutes to get through during rush hour on a bad day. Sometimes my drive to work (and back home) takes an hour -- mind you, I'm driving a distance of a little over 8 miles. That's how ugly the traffic gets here. On these bad days-- it happened this morning, actually-- I feel the temptation to begrudge those who have a quick, easy commute. But then I stop and remind myself that there are many people in the world who would take that long commute in a heartbeat if it meant they could have a car to drive in -- or a home to drive to. Far too many people envy friends, relatives and neighbors with bigger houses, flashier jewelry, or more luxurious cars. What esca...

I'm currently reading a book titled "Brand Sense" by Martin Lindstrom. Once I finish the book, I will post an entry highlighting the many interesting insights I gleaned from the book. In the interim, though, I wanted to share one of the most interesting findings I've come across in the book thus far, and it relates to women and cars. Did you know that women respond more to the feel and texture of a car's interior than they do to its external features? I couldn't help but compare this to the manner in which women supposedly become attracted to a man. We've all heard it time and time again: That women are mostly attracted to what's inside -- they don't get as hung up on looks as men do. (Meanwhile, men do seem to make a bigger fuss about a car's exterior features -- from rims to the grille.) As it turns out, women place a great deal of importance on how the car smells (ah, nothing like that new car scent, right?), the feel of the upho...

Ladies, take a moment to read the four categories I've listed below. Would you say you're a: 1) A girly girl : You're almost as passionate about discussing shoes, makeup, and clothes as you are about buying them 2) Like one of the guys : You love watching and/or playing sports, and you know more about sports than many of your male buddies 3) On the nerdier side : A night isn't fun unless it's intellectually-stimulating. You'd be perfectly content spending it at home reading a gripping book. 4) A little of each : Depending on the day and your mood, you can be any of the above If you asked me which type of women men generally like being around the most for an extended period of time, it would probably be those who fall under #2. They say that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, but a woman who knows her sports or cars is irresistible to most guys. Men want their women to be feminine, so #1 can be important. However, you'll want to ...

According to a study recently published in the Journal of Marketing, the smell of cinnamon can actually have an effect on your purchasing behavior! Per researchers, when a warm scent like cinnamon or vanilla fills a store, it can make you subsciously feel as though you're in close quarters. This, in turn, can lead you to feel inadequate, prompting you to purchase more expensive products to counter the sense of inadequacy. Who would have thought that scent alone could drive consumers to spend more? I'd imagine that this study has immense implications for companies that sell big-ticket items like televisions, laptops and cell phones, jewelry, and cars. It's kind of scary when you think about the lengths retailers go to to influence our purchasing decisions. From scents and food samples to colorful signs and unusual store layouts, these companies are doing everything they can to appeal to any one of our five senses. Once any of these cues captures our attention -- in a g...

Many of us get so caught up striving for bigger, better things that we sometimes fail to appreciate what we already have in front of us. We yearn for bigger things with more bells and whistles -- the latest smartphone, a newer car, a snazzier watch -- when the stuff we currently have works well and may not even need replacing. The same goes for finding a new, better job. We mustn't fall into a pattern of simply wanting the next best thing because we've grown bored with what we already own. If the items have seen better days -- if wear and tear is in evidence -- then it makes perfect sense to make an upgrade. Otherwise, why make the switch? I'm all for aiming for better things and opportunities, but we needn't get carried away. I have a friend who changes jobs every two years because he gets bored that quickly. I also know several people who flip cars and houses every so often to feed their compulsion for change and newness. At the end of the day, they're our...