Brainless Boneheads: West Virginia Teacher Uses Duct Tape on Child’s Mouth

Welcome to WKML's weekly Brainless Boneheads! Today we feature two amazing stories about a post Spring Break arrest and how not to discipline a child.

Every Friday, Don Chase & Sarah find some of the wildest, craziest stories out there to help kick off your weekend with a smile.

- Brainless Boneheads is a regular Friday feature from Don Chase & Sarah. Read more Brainless Boneheads here.

So, we all know that kids will be kids. As a school teacher, is it fair to assume that you have professional guidance on how to handle any student that gets out of hand? Out of Preston County, West Virginia, a teacher is in hot water for how she handled a disruptive child. Two words: duct tape. Yes, this is the second time in the last 30 days that a teacher has taped a students mouth shut with 300 miles per hour tape, better known as duct tape. This teacher took it a bit further by also taping the child's hands as well. Local police were called and now the teacher is facing child abuse charges.

As I said in the previous story, kids will be kids. From The Yellowhammer State of Alabama comes the story of an arrest involving spring break. Alonzo Prim Jr. was recently arrested by Orange Beach, Alabama police. Why you ask? In Alabama, you can drive your vehicle on the beach. At some point, Alonzo decided to ram his truck into a beach sign. Written on the sign were the words “Zero Tolerance, Underage Drinking and Drugs." Not only did Alonzo crash into the sign once, but he rammed the sign multiple times. When police arrived, he resisted arrest. By the way, the sign Alonzo crashed into cost taxpayers $19,000.

There are simple habits of millionaires, according to experts, that you can do now to help transform your finances. If you've been in the hole financially, then the idea of becoming a millionaire might seem out of reach. But, you can certainly learn from millionaires, and they can help you reach your financial goals. You really don't have anything to lose by adopting these easy, simple habits of millionaires, so get ready to learn about what behaviors to change and cashing in.

Before we get to those simple habits of millionaires that you can do now, let's look at some facts about millionaires. According to the Global Wealth Report 2023 by Credit Suisse, there were around 59.4 million millionaires in the world in 2022, a number that was down by about 3.5 million over the course of the year. What's really wild is that most adults in the world were making less than $10,000 a year in 2022, according to the report, coming in at around 53% of all adults in the world. Adults making between $10,000 and $100,000 increased the most, so far, this century, as they more than tripled from 503 million in 2000 to 1.8 billion in 2022. Their average annual income was about $33,573, which accounts for around 40% of the global average wealth.

So, what about billionaires? According to Forbes.com, "There are now more billionaires than ever: 2,781 in all, 141 more than last year and 26 more than the record set in 2021." They added, "They're richer than ever, worth $14.2 trillion in aggregate, up by $2 trillion from 2023 and $1.1 trillion above the previous record, also set in 2021." The No. 1 richest person in the world surprised me, and it may surprise you, too. According to Forbes, it's Bernard Arnault & family, with a net worth of $233 Billion. They're in France, and their industry is fashion and retail. "Bernard Arnault oversees the LVMH empire of 75 fashion and cosmetics brands, including Louis Vuitton and Sephora." I had no idea that when I shopped at Sephora, I was helping out the richest man in the world. Coming in at No. 2 is Elon Musk, who's worth around $195 billion. He lives in the United States. "Elon Musk cofounded six companies, including electric car maker Tesla, rocket producer SpaceX and tunneling startup Boring Company," Forbes states. Finally, No. 3 on the tally is Jeff Bezos, who's net worth is $194 billion. He founded e-commerce website Amazon in 1994. Now, let's get into some simple habits of millionaires that you can do now, according to financial experts interviewed by CNBC.com, Finance.yahoo.com and more.

Cars lose their value quickly. That's why buying a used car is usually much less expensive than a new car. The second that car is off the lot, it's considered used and drops in value thousands, even with just another mile on the car. That said, according to CNBC.com, wealthy people buy, don't lease, their cars and keep them long-term. That way, they can save money between car purchases.

According to RamseySolutions.com, "Millionaires spend most of their lives sacrificing temporary pleasures for long-term success. They have no problem buying an older used car, living in a modest neighborhood, and wearing inexpensive clothes. They don’t care about keeping up with the Joneses." So, instead of picking up all the hot, expensive new stuff, wait it out.

If you're a newbie to financial planning, listen to some podcasts on the subject or find a helpful book. Finance.yahoo.com says, "knowing how to become a millionaire isn't innate, even for most wealthy people." Research from certified financial planner and CPA Tom Corley shows that "63 percent of wealthy people listen to audio books during their commute to work versus 5 percent of poor people," says Finance.yahoo.com.

In the same Finance.yahoo.com story, Corley says that networking is huge when it comes to becoming a millionaire. "On his Rich Habits blog, Corley revealed 79 percent of wealthy individuals network at least five hours per month, compared with only 16 percent of poor people," they explain. So, get out there, and meet new people who could make up your network.

Millionaires are frugal. They don't splurge like you might expect. According to RamseySolutions.com's The National Study of Millionaires, nearly half of millionaires in their poll said they save at least 16% of their monthly income. They often use it for an emergency fund or liquid cash.

CNBC.com's Select asked Faron Daugs, certified financial planner, founder and CEO at Harrison Wallace Financial Group, "about the financial habits his wealthiest clients all share that could apply to the average person." One big thing he mentioned was building up emergency funds and then investing. "Daugs says his clients have organized investment plans, whether its in stocks, bonds or exchange-traded funds (ETFs)," CNBC explains. He also recommends having a "monthly or bi-monthly automatic transfer of cash from your checking account into an investment account."

According to Fool.com, the wealthy "invest in stocks, real estate, and their own businesses." They add that, "Millionaires put their money into appreciating assets (assets that can grow in value)." Also, "people with net worths of $1 million or higher tend to have more of their money" in stocks and mutual funds; real estate; and business interests.

Whatever your financial situation, look at the bright side. Look for opportunities for working with what you have and growing your nest egg. Reach out to experts in the financial field if you're really stumped and see how they can make your financial dreams come true.

Wherever you are on your financial journey, don't give up. It can be temping to just throw everything to the wind, but if you take a more level-headed approach, you'll have a better chance of coming out successful. Good luck on your financial journey.