Hispanics tend to over-index when it comes to smartphone usage, with levels well above the national average. Alas, there’s another area of smartphone usage where they’re also well above the national average, and it’s putting them in danger.

More than three-quarters of Hispanics, 83 percent, said they use their smartphones while they’re driving, according to a study from AT&T, well above the national average of 71 percent across all demographics.

About half of Hispanics said they use social media sites and apps on their smartphones while they drive, while 28 percent take selfies or photos and 68 percent send text messages. READ MORE AT MEDIALIFE MAGAZINE

It’s common knowledge that networking is a necessary skill in business. But there is a lot of mystique and ambiguity in how to go from a handshake to a cultivated, valuable, professional connection.

The key is this: People need to feel like they are genuinely important and valued by you before they will view you as important and valuable to them.

The difference between the guy they shook hands with at the event and later forgot about and the girl they shook hands with at that same event who later became a great business connection is one thing: genuine care and support. READ MORE AT FORTUNE

The Partnership for a New American Economy and the Latino Donor Collaborative’s new report, “Better Business: How Hispanic Entrepreneurs Are Beating Expectations and Bolstering the U.S. Economy,” shows how the number of Hispanic entrepreneurs in America has grown exponentially over the past two decades, powering the economy during the recent recession. Hispanic immigrants in particular are now more likely to be entrepreneurs than the average member of the U.S. population overall.

Key findings of the report include: READ MORE AT NEW AMERICAN ECONOMY

Networking is one of the most important areas small-business owners should focus on in the 21st century.

My definition of networking is actively making professional relationships, developing and maintaining those relationships, and leveraging them for the benefit of all parties.

But before you can develop a relationship, you first have to meet the other person and establish a basis for future contact.
Networking opportunities are everywhere you turn, but especially at Chamber of Commerce events or any venue likely to be attended by business and community leaders. READ MORE AT BUSINESS JOURNALS

U.S. Hispanics are more prone to smartphone distracted driving than the general population, according to AT&T* It Can Wait research. 83% of Hispanics admit to using their smartphones behind the wheel. That compares with 71% of Americans as a whole.

Half of U.S. Hispanics admit they use their smartphones to social network while driving. More than a quarter (28%) snap selfies or take photos. And nearly 7 in 10 (68%) text.

In response, AT&T created a campaign in Spanish, Puede Esperar. It includes: READ MORE AT PR NEWSWIRE

Building a valuable network is all about establishing fruitful connections that can provide you with valuable career advice and problem-solving tips—and vice versa.

However, like all good relationships, they need due care and attention. So where to start?

Trim the tree
The main reason people struggle to generate fruitful connections is they simply have too many. READ MORE AT FORTUNE

If self-driving cars were available for purchase today, the most likely buyers would be young, liberal, and Hispanic, according to a Fortune-Morning Consult poll.

The online national poll of 2,001 registered voters, which was conducted last month by Washington, D.C.-based polling firm Morning Consult, pitched questions aimed at assessing awareness and interest in self-driving cars. The poll asked consumers about how much they had seen, read, or heard about self-driving cars—and if they would ride in or buy one.

For instance, Hispanics are far more willing and interested in owning a car that could drive on its own, according to poll data. About 41% of Hispanic respondents said they would consider buying a self-driving car compared to just 25% of white and 29% of African American respondents. READ MORE AT FORTUNE

"I had my goals clear when I came to this country," said Cruz, who moved to North Jersey from the Dominican Republic five years ago and works as an area manager at a parking company. "I always had my dream to buy my own house."

Last year, that dream became a reality for Cruz when he purchased a two-family home in Garfield, where he now lives with his wife, daughter and parents. As Cruz put it, it was an investment; instead of spending his income on rent, which he did for years, he put his money in ownership.

Rise as others fall

Home buyers like Cruz helped drive the Hispanic homeownership rate last year, when for the first time in 10 years the rate rose while overall homeownership rates decreased. That’s according to the 2015 State of Hispanic Homeownership Report conducted by the Hispanic Wealth Project and National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals. READ MORE AT NORTHJERSEY.COM

It is only natural to be fearful when searching for a job, especially if you are a new graduate. But fear will take you nowhere. As in all aspects of life, fear is not a good element in making a decision.

Even those who need to change jobs are petrified by fear: fear of leaving a comfortable job, fear of starting over and fear of being rejected. Most of these apprehensions are borne out of the overall fear of the unknown.
You must conquer all these worries so you can be fearless in your job seeking. Here are the right tips that will make you strong and courageous in finding the right job that will make you and your pockets happy.

1. Focus on what you can do for the company and not on yourself
One of the best ways of conquering your fear of the unknown is not to be concerned about yourself. When going for a job interview, focus on the needs of the company and how you can fulfill those needs. You will notice that your mind will be more concentrated on the company and not on your fearful emotions. READ MORE AT JOBS AND HIRE

A recent study suggests Hispanics are almost half as likely to seek help for mental illness than any other group.

Experts said in a community like Tucson, where Hispanics are a significant part of the population, that low number is concerning.

KOLD News 13 spoke with one local who's been battling mental health issues for decades. He said the decision to get help was the best he's ever made.

"Once you get to this spot, you never want to turn back," said 48-year-old Ralph Romero.

Romero said he attempted suicide 14 times in 43 years. The first came when he was only 5 years old.

He said it took him decades to get help for thing like depression and anxiety.

"We're embarrassed about it - the stigma," Romero said. "It followed us, we didn't want anyone to know we're sick." READ MORE AT TUCSON NEWS NOW

In the world of venture capital, Latino-owned businesses are rarer than billion dollar unicorns.

Only about 1% of all Latino-owned businesses created between 2007 and 2012 in the U.S. received venture capital or angel investments, according to a report by the Stanford Graduate School of Business that surveyed roughly 1,800 businesses.

One big reason: Very few Latino-owned firms are even walking through the doors of venture capital firms to begin with.

Of all the firms that received VC funding, 87% had white founders, according to report from CB Insights. Asian-owned firms ranked a distant second, at 12%, while Black-owned companies represented a tiny 1% sliver. CB Insights said it did not break out a figure for Latino-owned firms. READ MORE AT ABC 7 FORT MYERS NAPLES PORT CHARLOTTE

Imagine you are presenting to 1,000 people. The lights come up, and as you leave the stage you are confronted with a dozen or so people from the audience.

Hands thrust out, many asking direct questions about your content. Others are more subtle, and just pass you their cards or say they loved your speech.

You’ve likely attended a speech like this, eager to get a word in with the presenter. But it’s easy to forget that people are busy, especially those who are more high profile (and giving speeches to thousands of people) or have been in the business for some time. They’re constantly bombarded with requests to meet or give advice, but occasionally someone cuts through. How?

To help you work a room and achieve more than just a handful of business cards, follow these pointers: READ MORE AT FORTUNE

In a country built by immigrants, numbers represent the strength and ability to move forward both culturally and economically. Such is the case for Latinos, a growing force in the United States currently representing 18 percent of the overall population — a number expected to grow to 30 percent by 2060.

The economic impact Latinos have in the country as a group is growing at a steady rate, and according to Nielsen, a global information measurement firm, Latinos are "the most influential segment since the baby boomers," representing a $1.5 trillion consumer market.

The economic impact extends beyond the Latino consumer to the Latino entrepreneur. The State of Latino Entrepreneurship 2015 Report, created by the Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative. READ MORE AT CNBC

If Republican front-runner Donald Trump succeeds in building his border wall, it may choke off the fastest growing source of new businesses in California.

Research released last week by UC Riverside found that businesses owned by Hispanics are being created at a significantly faster pace than all businesses in the United States, California and the inland Southern California region.

In fact, Hispanics are proving to be the one major demographic group that is bucking a trend of diminished business formation following the Great Recession. READ MORE AT TIMES OF SAN DIEGO

If you were to ask most people who are successful in business or as entrepreneurs one thing they couldn’t have skipped on their way to the top, they’re likely to say networking. It’s through networking that you build those connections that will prove to be invaluable to you throughout your life. Whether you’re networking yourself or a product, it’s not something that’s avoidable, as mostly every successful person will tell you.

In fact, in many instances, the ability to network is one of the defining factors that separates successful entrepreneurs from those individuals who don’t find success on the path to creating their own business. READ MORE AT HUFFINGTON POST

When we talk about shows that are popular among Hispanic viewers, we tend to think of telenovelas and soccer, and for good reason. Those are the top-rated programs on Spanish-language TV.

But Hispanics also watch English-language programming, something that’s sometimes forgotten among advertisers targeting Hispanics.

While the English-language broadcast and cable networks don’t get the same-sized audiences as Univision and Telemundo, they do draw in a decent crowd of Hispanic viewers.

Interestingly, Hispanics share many of the same top shows with the general English-language audience, according to data provided by Nielsen. Among both, the NFL dominates. READ MORE AT MEDIALIFE MAGAZINE

We're all familiar with prominent Latinos who have broken barriers to become national and international household names - from Rita Moreno and Gloria Estefan to JLo and Pitbull. Or think Sonia Sotomayor or Pulitzer prize-winner Junot Díaz.

Here's a small list of Latinos who are breaking barriers in their professions and leaving their mark as they shake things up. They range from ranging from multi-millionaire techies to VJs and Vine stars. They're in different stages of their trajectories, and they're all fascinating. READ MORE AT NBC NEWS

Networking is one of the most important areas small-business owners should focus on in the 21st century.

My definition of networking is actively making professional relationships, developing and maintaining those relationships, and leveraging them for the benefit of all parties.

But before you can develop a relationship, you first have to meet the other person and establish a basis for future contact.

Networking opportunities are everywhere you turn, but especially at Chamber of Commerce events or any venue likely to be attended by business and community leaders. READ MORE AT BIZJOURNALS

Hispanic and Latino people in the U.S. have a high risk of heart pumping problems that can lead to heart failure, but most who have these disorders don't know it, a recent study suggests.

Researchers examined heart ultrasounds for more than 1,800 Hispanic/latino adults in four U.S. cities and found about half of them had cardiac dysfunction that put them at increased risk for heart failure, a chronic disease that happens when the heart can't pump enough blood to keep the body healthy.

But fewer than 1 in 20 of these patients with cardiac dysfunction knew they had a problem, the authors report in the journal Circulation: Heart Failure. READ MORE AT FOX NEWS LATINO

Public schools are increasingly filled with black and Hispanic students, but the children identified as “gifted” in those schools are overwhelmingly white and Asian.

The numbers are startling. Black third graders are half as likely as whites to be included in programs for the gifted, and the deficit is nearly as large for Hispanics, according to work by two Vanderbilt researchers, Jason Grissom and Christopher Redding.

New evidence indicates that schools have contributed to these disparities by underestimating the potential of black and Hispanic children. But that can change: When one large school district in Florida altered how it screened children, the number of black and Hispanic children identified as gifted doubled. READ MORE AT NEW YORK TIMES