Tuesday, June 30, 2009

The tire life rule of thumb

The tire life rule of thumb. Good tire maintenance will ensure safety as well as maximize the life of the tire. An auto rule of thumb says a tire's life will decrease by 10% for every ten percent it is under-inflated.
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Monday, June 29, 2009

The business retail cost rule of thumb

The business retail cost rule of thumb. There are several methods of determining the retail price of a product. A good rule of thumb says most products should sell for four to five times their manufacturing cost.
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Sunday, June 28, 2009

The college loan rule of thumb

The college loan rule of thumb. Most graduating college seniors will graduate with some education debt. The rule of thumb for recent college graduates says you should expect to pay about 10% to 12% of your monthly income toward baying back college loans.
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Saturday, June 27, 2009

The building rule of thumb

The building rule of thumb. All tall buildings and skyscrapers sway to some degree in order to keep them more stable during extreme weather conditions. As a rule of thumb, architects use a building's height in feet divided by 600 to determine the maximum sway of a building's tower.
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Friday, June 26, 2009

The 1/3 grass cutting rule of thumb

The 1/3 grass cutting rule of thumb. How often you mow your lawn depends on how fast its grass grows. The 1/3 grass cutting rule of thumb says never cut more than 1/3 of the grass blade off at a time. For example, for a lawn 3 inches high cut off no more than an inch.
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Thursday, June 25, 2009

The earthquake energy rule of thumb

The earthquake energy rule of thumb. The biggest recorded earthquake occurred on May 22, 1960 in Chile and measured 9.5 on the Richter scale. A seismology rule of thumb says for each one-point magnitude increase of an earthquake, about thirty-two times more energy is released.
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Wednesday, June 24, 2009

The competitive analysis rule of thumb

The competitive analysis rule of thumb. A good rule of thumb for competitive analysis says complete an analysis of two to three direct competitors, one indirect competitor, and one future competitor.
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Tuesday, June 23, 2009

The persuasion rule of thumb

The persuasion rule of thumb. Blaise Pascal was a French mathematician and philosopher who lived in the 17th century. Among his other quotes, a Pascal rule of thumb says "people are generally better persuaded by the reason that they discovered rather than by those that have come to the minds of others."
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Monday, June 22, 2009

The safe diving rule of thumb

The safe diving rule of thumb. "Feet first, first time" is the safe swim diving rule of thumb. This means before diving into water, go in feet first to find out how deep the water is.
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Sunday, June 21, 2009

The calorie rule of thumb

The calorie rule of thumb. It is important to know how many calories you need per day to gain or lose weight. A good nutrition rule of thumb calculates your recommended daily calorie requirements by multiplying your ideal weight in pounds by fifteen. For example, 1,800 calories per day is recommended at 130 pounds.
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Saturday, June 20, 2009

The home remodeling rule of thumb

The home remodeling rule of thumb. The following are some real estate rules of thumb for home remodeling: upgrade your kitchen first; focus on floors; select neutral colors; paint; hide the flaws; and keep all livability options open.
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Friday, June 19, 2009

The gardener’s rule of thumb

The gardener’s rule of thumb. Outdoor plants get their water from rain and from irrigation, namely garden hoses and sprinklers. To this end, a simple gardening rule of thumb says situate plants with the most need for water closer to your home and those with less need further away.
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Thursday, June 18, 2009

The photo thirds rule of thumb

The photo thirds rule of thumb. The rule of thirds is for taking better photos. This rule says divide the picture frame into nine equal parts, like an imaginary tick-tack-toe grid. Compose your images so that prominent elements align with the grid, with the most important ones falling on or near grid intersections.
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Wednesday, June 17, 2009

The learning rule of thumb

The learning rule of thumb. An expert is a person with a high degree of skill in or knowledge of a certain subject. An old rule of thumb on becoming an expert says the more you learn, the more you learn what you don't know.
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Tuesday, June 16, 2009

The lunch check rule of thumb

The lunch check rule of thumb. A business lunch is an informal opportunity to meet your clients or associates while having a meal. A business etiquette rule of thumb says the person requesting a lunch meeting should also pay for the lunch.
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Monday, June 15, 2009

The "Four Cs" rule of thumb

The "Four Cs" rule of thumb. The "Four Cs" rule of thumb for making a real estate loan states the following: Credit is the borrower’s likelihood to make regular on-time payments. Capacity is the borrower’s ability to pay based on their income and long-term debt. Collateral is the real estate that secures the loan. Capital is the down payment.
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Sunday, June 14, 2009

The teacher’s rule of thumb

The teacher’s rule of thumb. Most schoolteachers obtain at least a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college and pass either a state or local certification test. A less formal teaching rule of thumb says a genuine teacher is one who remains a student at heart.
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Saturday, June 13, 2009

The "factor of five" rule of thumb

The "factor of five" rule of thumb. There are several methods for determining the retail cost of a product. The "factor of five" rule of thumb says one-dollar of product cost should equal about five dollars of retail price.
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Friday, June 12, 2009

Rule of Thumb Daily Quote

The repeat sales rule of thumb. The cost of selling to new customers is usually much higher than selling to an existing customer. A good strategic business rule of thumb says acquire new customers at break even and make all your profit on repeat sales.
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Thursday, June 11, 2009

Business attrition rule of thumb

The business attrition rule of thumb. The majority of new business ventures do not make it past five years. A business rule of thumb says 40% of all new businesses die within the first year, and over 80% of start-ups fail within the first five years.
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Wednesday, June 10, 2009

The home seller’s rule of thumb

The home seller’s rule of thumb. A home seller’s top priority is to make their home appealing to potential buyers. To this end, a good real estate rule of thumb says a home seller showing a home should take out half the contents in the closets and storage areas to make the home look more spacious.
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Tuesday, June 9, 2009

The car fuel rule of thumb

The car fuel rule of thumb. Heavier vehicles usually get less gas mileage than lighter vehicles. A fuel consumption rule of thumb says most cars will burn about their weight in gasoline every year.
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Monday, June 8, 2009

The bad news rule of thumb

The bad news rule of thumb. There is never a good time for bad news. A public relations rule of thumb says if there is bad news to deliver, always release the bad news late in the day on Friday.
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Sunday, June 7, 2009

Lease versus buy

The lease versus buy rule of thumb. Some things appreciate while others depreciate. For example, homes usually appreciate while autos usually depreciate. A general financial rule of thumb says you should buy what appreciates and lease what depreciates.
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Saturday, June 6, 2009

Mediocrity rule of thumb

The mediocrity rule of thumb. Galileo, Newton and Einstein observed that our planet follows the same physical laws as our Universe. With respect to this, the scientific principle of mediocrity is a rule of thumb that says, we, and our particular location in time and space, are nothing special.
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Friday, June 5, 2009

The customer rule of thumb

The customer rule of thumb. A business is not a business without customers. A good rule of thumb states what is perhaps the most fundamental business rule of them all: the customer is always right.
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Thursday, June 4, 2009

The life insurance rule of thumb

The life insurance rule of thumb. There are several methods to determine the value of a life insurance policy. A good life insurance rule of thumb says you should purchase a life insurance policy valued at five times your annual income.
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Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Rule of Thumb Daily Quote

The credit balance rule of thumb. Financial planners recommend using credit cards for financing short-term purchases and for emergencies. A personal finance rule of thumb says you should carry two to six credit cards and keep the balance under 25% of the credit limit.
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Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Rule of Thumb Daily Quote

The summer rule of thumb. The summer season is the time for bright-colored clothing. A fashion rule of thumb says you should never wear light-beige or white slacks or skirts between Labor Day and Memorial Day.
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