Superyachts. Ferraris. Mouth-melting wine. Caviar. You might think you’re impressing your date with your bank balance but you could also be wrong.

Why? Well, despite the stereotype goes that women prefer guys with dinero, it turns out a more humble first date may be more attractive.

How so? Allow sexologist, relationship expert and host of the podcast “Sex & Life” Nikki Goldstein to explain.

“We all know people out there who might be a bit cashed up and know that if they flaunt it a bit they can get the girls. These guys spend a lot of time trying to win these girls over with gifts and expensive experiences but there is a common issue of low self-esteem under that, so there is this period of proving themselves and their worth before they have sex.”

However, “If a guy is more focussed on just straight forward dating and hooking up, he might have a better chance at sex,” she adds, “Nothing to prove as such. I think the intention of sex sometimes is more direct and clear rather than game playing that might come with a bit more money.”

We then spoke to Chris Manak, one of Melbourne’s leading dating coaches, to get his take.

“People are attracted to those who are slightly above them on the social [not neccessarily financial] hierarchy. So if a guy meets a girl and just starts throwing money at her; what does that say on a subconscious level?”

“Even though he may have more money, he values her more than he values himself,” Chris adds, suggesting that taking your date on lavish excursions may position you in their mind as more of as a stuffy “husband” type figure than a lover.

The honesty involved in taking your date on a more humble date (and being upfront about who you are) could also be another reason for this ‘sexy poor’ (think Leonardo di Caprio in Titanic) trope. As Chris told us, “The more honest you are in a relationship; the more successful it’s going to be.”

However, having money is not always a disadvantage. In fact, when it comes to choosing a long term partner, Chris also told us, people tend to value these more – for want of a less stereotypical word – provider like attributes.

Likewise, if you are hanging it all on your looks and charm but actually have a secret gambling problem, your date might overlook it in the short term but is unlikely to want to hitch themselves to the rickety SportsBet wagon that is your life.

“Initially shes going to overlook some shortcomings, especially if she’s quite attracted to the guy… but if that became a long term thing it would be a problem.”

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• ‘Paperclipping’: Is The Most Infuriating New Dating Trend That’s Also Irresistible

The post The Big Advantage Men Who Earn Less Have In The Dating Game appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

The hits keep coming as the 76th Venice Film Festival continues to roll on. This time it’s none other than Australia’s favourite son, Joel Edgerton, who took to the red carpet for the screening of The King, a film by David Michod.The film – in which Joel co-stars with Timothée Chalamet – received a royal eight-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival last night, and appears to be on track for great success.Joel hit the red carpet wearing one of the coolest suit colours any man can have in his wardrobe, showing why the green linen suit has become a must-have warm weather staple in recent years.Joel’s suit features wide notch lapels and is paired with a crew neck t-shirt and tan workboots. The suit looks to be something you could pick up quite easily from Holland’s Suitsupply during their Summer season.

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• Jude Law Proves You Don’t Need A Shirt On The Red Carpet
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The post Joel Edgerton Rocks A Suit Colour Every Man Needs In Their Wardrobe appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

This story was originally published on Stockhead.

Private capital investment in Australia is now seeing a healthy amount of activity in the Series A stage, where a number of venture capital (VC) firms have established traction in the market.

Later stage B and C rounds — where investment amounts rise into the seven or eight figures — are generally still the domain of larger overseas funds.

Before all that though, company founders need to raise seed capital to get their idea off the ground.

And that’s the focus area for Investible, the Sydney-based angel investment fund that has created a scalable model for backing early-stage startups.

Speaking with Stockhead, the fund’s chief investment officer Hugh Bickerstaff neatly encapsulated the startup investment cycle:

“Later stage investing is usually more the science, and early stage is more the art”.

With that concept in mind, Bickerstaff went into more detail on common mistakes investors make when contributing capital at the early-stage level.

For starters, he said many investors in the space lack a coherent strategy when it comes to portfolio construction.

It’s easy to get “seduced” by an idea that you like or a fantastic pitch, and deploy all your funds towards the next big thing. But the reality isn’t so simple.

“On a deal-by-deal basis, you’ve got to understand that it’s still very risky investing. And that’s partly because early-stage startups just don’t have the balance sheet to be able to ride out problems when they occur,” he said.

Numbers Game

“There’s a phrase we use which is — if you’ve got less than 30 early-stage investments, you’re still gambling,” Bickerstaff says.

As a case in point, Investible’s website lists a diverse portfolio of 40 companies the fund has invested in.

“You need a portfolio that’s big enough. At that point, the numbers are starting to stack up in your favour that you’ll find a handful of companies which generate super returns to make up for the write-offs,” he said.

“The thing about early-stage investing is that valuations are low, so potential returns can be really high but you’ve got to do it on a portfolio basis.”

When speaking with potential early-stage investors, Bickerstaff instructs them to take their annual investment figure and divide it by three or four.

“You’re going to be investing over a three or four year period, and you don’t want to make all your investments straight away,” he explained.

“Then divide that by 10, because you want around 10 investments each year to build your portfolio towards 30 or 40. So that’s the kind of thinking that should drive your individual cheque size.”

Bickerstaff said Investible, which raised a $20m investment fund last year, reviews “around 1,200 opportunities per quarter”.

That gets screened to 300 after face-to-face meetings, then to 60 following the firm’s due diligence process, before around 30 get put to the fund’s investment committee.

From a starting point of 1,200, the number of companies that make the cut for an actual investment is just six.

Experience Is Key

Bickerstaff said another common problem in the space is a lack of effective networking advice, guidance and support once the initial investments have been made.

“I see it all the time with investors in the space with a corporate background, and a long career history of making good business decisions and managing risk,” he said.

Climbing the ladder at a large company requires skills in areas such as data analysis and project management.

“That’s the nature of corporate life and that’s what good executives do,” Bickerstaff says. The only problem is, they don’t apply for startups.

“Analysis and controlling events to a positive outcome is very difficult in early-stage investing, because there’s no data and there’s nothing to analyse.”

Instead, it’s really about making an assessment of the company founder and backing their judgment.

And to do that, Bickerstaff says there’s nothing like personal experience in building and scaling a business, and getting general exposure to the startup ecosystem.

He also looks for evidence of more qualitative traits such as resilience, passion for the product and the ability to lead and attract talented workers to share their vision.

“There’s a whole different set of criteria that you’re looking for at that early stage,” he concluded.

Stockhead covers emerging ASX companies and investment opportunities. Get daily stock updates Stockhead.

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The post Australian CIO Reveals The Most Common Mistakes Early-Stage Investors Make appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Experiences, not money. A life lived, not worked. Friends, not colleagues. People like to slam materialism but there are some sublime moments cash can buy.Chief among them? The Private Suite, otherwise known as “the ultimate VIP experience,” which affords rich and famous travellers private terminal access, their own private suite, private TSA screening and a personal runway chauffer at LAX.

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A post shared by The Private Suite (@theprivatesuite) on May 15, 2019 at 6:01am PDT

In other words: you get to enter LAX through a private gate, await your flight in a private suite stocked with travel essentials and amenities, bypass the long TSA lines, get driven onto the airfield directly to your flight and clear customs and immigration quickly and privately.Not bad.Thing is, it costs a bomb. Specifically, AU$6,650 for an annual membership, then AU$3,990 for each domestic one way VIP experience you book, or AU$4,435 for each international one way VIP experience you book (these experiences can also be bought by non-members for AU$4,500 and AU$5,925 respectively).Members get three complementary companions, while non-members get two. Additionally, members also get pre-ordered complimentary meals, complimentary valet and eco-friendly vehicle cleaning, complimentary in-suite manicures, massages and haircuts, an on-call concierge doctor, complimentary use of a video conference room and more.

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@laurenperez is clearly the expert of effortless, anxiety-free travel in this snap. We must say that she looks right at home in her suite! . . . . . #LAX #LosAngeles #luxurytravel #travel #beautifuldestinations #welltraveled #traveldiaries #jetset #jetsetter #wanderlust #travelmore #luxe #jetsetlife #travelig #igtravel #jetsetter #jetset #travelpro #viptravel #travelconcierge #luxuryholidays #travelluxury #luxuryescapes #luxuryaccomodation

A post shared by The Private Suite (@theprivatesuite) on Aug 30, 2019 at 8:45am PDT

Owned and operated by Gavin de Becker and Joshua Gausman, The Private Suite at LAX is the first-of-its-kind in the US.As News.com.au reports, “The ultra-modern complex look[s] like a luxe motel complex, fitted out with alcohol, mini-Nutella jars, lolly dispensers, coffee machines, slippers, headphones, perfume, sleeping masks, a toy menu and play area for the kids, neck pillows, beer, spirits and a lot of wine.”

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It’s like a fast-pass for airport queues. Skip the customs line and then relax with us while you’re traveling this Labor Day weekend. . . . . . #LAX #LosAngeles #luxurytravel #travel #beautifuldestinations #welltraveled #traveldiaries #jetset #jetsetter #wanderlust #travelmore #luxe #jetsetlife #travelig #igtravel #jetsetter #jetset #travelpro

A post shared by The Private Suite (@theprivatesuite) on Aug 29, 2019 at 7:04am PDT

The only problem? We’re unlikely to ever see anything like this in Australia. Why? Put it this way: while Sydney’s Kingsford Smith Airport finally got a hotel worth talking about and a new beauty cabin in May this year, due to the whole Tall Poppy Syndrome Ben Simmons exposed recently, a whole new airport experience – catering just for those with money to burn – seems a way off.

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The post 'The Private Suite': A Level Of Luxury Australian Travellers Will Probably Never See appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Would you saunter topless onto the red carpet in Venice for the 76th Venice International Film Festival? No? You must not be Jude Law.

Not content with wearing nothing but a napkin in HBO’s upcoming series “The New Pope” (the follow up to the 2016 Paolo Sorrentino-directed papal drama, “The Young Pope”) Jude Law stepped out on the red carpet in Venice overnight triumphant in his return.

Rather than succumb to the subdued black-tie style of most red carpet film events, Jude took matters into his hands with a classic black ‘suit’ twist, wearing a relaxed linen ensemble with an unstructured panache perfect for warmer days.

Even better was his lack of shirt, instead choosing to wear a scoop neck tee and pairing this with a chic scarf. The finishing touch was his oversized Saint Laurent sunglasses.

His co-star John Malkovitch turned up the volume with a more formal take on the relaxed linen suit, pairing it with the Colonel Sanders string bow tie. A daring and elegant effort from Mr Malcovich.

The new series “The New Pope”, also directed by the venerable Italian film director Paolo Sorrentino, is tipped to be a “glorious follow up” to “The Young Pope” featuring a seductively camp Malcovich and – if the budgie smuggling antics in the trailer are anything to go by – an equally salacious Jude Law.

Here’s hoping he busts out some more outfits like this between now and the 2020 series release.

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The post Jude Law Proves You Don't Need A Shirt On The Red Carpet appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Facebook is considering removing the Like Counter on posts to protect users’ mental health. But – before you chuck The Zuck in with Gandhi and Mandela – there’s more to this story than meets the News Feed.

First: context. Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, started “hiding the likes” in multiple countries (including Australia) in July this year. This was met with much public acclaim, much publicity, and a couple of crying influencers.

So far so 2019.

Now, as TechCrunch this morning reported, Facebook is considering doing the same, supposedly, “to protect users’ from envy and dissuade them from self-censorship.”

How does this work? Well, like Instagram, when you post a photo or status update to the News Feed Facebook will only show a few names of mutual friends who’ve Liked it instead of the total number (although the owner of the post will still be able to see exactly who liked it, by clicking into it).

The problem is, this move may not be as altruistic as it seems – as Facebook has “gradually been relegated to a place for sharing showy life events like marriages or new jobs while Instagram and Snapchat take over for day-to-day sharing” (TechCrunch) this move may actually just be an attempt to obscure Facebook’s decline in popularity, and slow the exodus to other apps.

Also, as TechCrunch reports, “If it does decide to go ahead with a test, Facebook would likely do so gradually and pull back if it significantly hurts usage or ad revenue.”

This and the various other scandals (Cambridge Analytica, anyone) in mind, Zuckerburg still has a long way to go before reaching Gandhi status…

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The post Facebook Considers Removing 'Like Counts' To Protect Users' Mental Health appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]If you're living in 2019 and don't own a pair of these sneakers then you ought to take a good hard look at yourself. The classic white leather 'luxe' men's sneaker is without a doubt the hottest and easiest to wear fashion accessory for men. Why? If worn correctly...

↬ Click here to view the full article/gallery on D'Marge

The post Score The Best Italian Made ‘Luxury’ Sneakers You’ll Find For Under $250 appeared first on D'MARGE.

We all want to be shredded, but it’s easier said than done. Especially when you spend your formative years being warned of the dangers of lifting too much too quickly.

While those risks remain in place, as PhD holder and fitness coach Brad Schoenfeld just pointed out, you can also stunt your progress by lifting too light.

Setting out to investigate the minimum weight percentage threshold below which growth is compromised, fitness scientists Brad J Schoenfeld, Thiago Lasevicius, Carlos Ugrinowitsch and Hamilton Roschel studied “the effects of different intensities of resistance training with equated volume load on muscle strength and hypertrophy,” publishing their findings in the European Journal of Sport Science.

 

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A post shared by Brad Schoenfeld, PhD (@bradschoenfeldphd) on Aug 31, 2019 at 9:11am PDT

On Sunday, Brad Schoenfeld posted the results of the study to Instagram, writing:

“It is now well-established that lifting relatively light weights can substantially increase muscle development. However, the question arises as to whether there is minimum threshold below which growth is compromised. Our study set out to determine if such a threshold exists.”

What did they find?

“A load equating to 20% 1RM [is] suboptimal for eliciting a hypertrophic response compared to loads >40%.”

He then added a caveat, saying: “[As] we equated volume load between conditions… the lowest load condition performed a lot more repetitions to reach failure, [so] we thus had to add more sets to the heavier load conditions to equate the total work performed.”

In other words: “although somewhat speculative, it is likely that hypertrophy would have been more similar across conditions if the sets were equated as opposed to volume load.”

Another point of note, he says, is that subjects were untrained; “thus, we cannot necessarily generalize findings to those with extensive resistance training experience.” ⁣
⁣
Those qualifiers aside, the study made an important finding: “evidence indicates that yes, you can go too light when the goal is muscle-building, and the approximate amount is estimated to be ~20% 1RM.”

This means that if you want to build muscle, you shouldn’t go below 20% of your one-repetition maximum for any given exercise (1RM = 100%). So if the maximum you can bench is 100kg, you shouldn’t (generally speaking) be lifting less than 20kg.

And with that, let the Tuesday bulk begin…

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The post Fitness Scientists Reveal How To Tell If You're Lifting 'Too Light' In The Gym appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Ever thought you deserved a gold medal for how much you spend on flights and hotels? The American Express Platinum Card is one shade better.

Apply for the American Express Platinum Card, be approved and meet the spend criteria to receive 150,000 Bonus Membership Rewards Points.

All you need to do is apply online by the 27th of January 2021, get approved and spend $3,000 on your new Card within the first 3 months.

Not to mention: an additional 50,000 Bonus Membership Rewards Points in Year 2 await upon fee renewal.

Considering those points can then be transferred to up to 10 major frequent flyer programs, this could bring your Amalfi Coast jaunt one step closer (or one class higher).

Key benefits of the American Express Platinum Card include:

• Receive up to 200,000 Membership Rewards Points when you apply, are approved and spend at least $3,000 in the first three months from card approval date.
• Up to 44 cash flow days and no pre-set spending limit.
• $450 Travel Credit each year.
• Access to 1,200+ Airport Lounges in more than 130 countries.
• The right to bring one guest into Priority Pass Lounges at no extra cost.
• Complimentary Priority Pass membership for one of your Additional Platinum Card Members.
• Being fast-tracked up the tiers of hotel loyalty programs.
• Savings of up to 20% on First and Business class flight bookings.
• Complimentary travel insurance when you book and pay for travel with your Platinum Card.

*Offer available to new Card Members only.

How do the rewards work? You will earn 2.25 Membership Rewards points for every dollar you spend on your card, except at government bodies in Australia (where you will earn 1 Membership Rewards point per dollar you spend).

You can also earn more points by adding up to four Additional Platinum Cards to your Account for friends or family, at no extra cost.

Plus, there’s no cap on your earn rate, so you’ll continue to earn up to 2.25 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent no matter how much you spend per year.

These points can be transferred to 9 major Airline Reward Partner programs including Qantas Frequent Flyer, Emirates Skywards and Air New Zealand Airpoints.

That first class flight might be closer than you think.

The American Express Platinum Card also provides you with Fine Hotels and Resorts benefits at more than 1,000 5-star properties worldwide, which can include daily breakfast for two people, room upgrades, early check-ins and late check outs.

Finally, joining the program gives you access to Platinum Concierge – a (digital) personal assistant whose raison d’être is to arrange incredible travel and dining experiences that will make your sojourns all the more unforgettable.

Keen? Apply now and start enjoying the benefits.

Apply Now (offer no longer available)

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