Baker’s rule of thumb

Baker’s rule of thumb. Baked goods rely upon a preheated oven in order to bake properly. As an exception, a baking rule of thumb says any recipe that takes more than a full hour to bake completely can bake in a non-preheated oven.
More Rules of Thumb

Retirement withdraw rule of thumb

Retirement withdraw rule of thumb. As a general rule of thumb, a retiree can withdraw about 4% from his or her savings and investments per year and still keep the fund going indefinitely.
More Rules of Thumb

Coffee rule of thumb

Coffee rule of thumb. The average cup of coffee contains about 85 mg of caffeine. Some coffee brands are higher, some lower. The rule of thumb for coffee says the darker the roast, the lower the caffeine content.
More Rules of Thumb

College borrower’s rule of thumb

College borrower’s rule of thumb. The average federal student loan debt among graduating seniors is nearly $20,000. A good rule of thumb says college students should keep total education debt below what they expect to earn in their first year out of college.
More Rules of Thumb

The HR rule of thumb

The HR rule of thumb. "Hire slowly, fire quickly" is a good HR department hiring rule of thumb. On average, it costs a company about one-third of a new hire's annual salary to replace an employee.
More Rules of Thumb

Holiday budget rule of thumb

Holiday budget rule of thumb. The typical American consumer will spend between $700 and $1,000 during the holiday season. To hold the line on holiday spending, a personal finance rule of thumb says spend no more that 1.5% of your gross income on the holidays. This includes gifts, decorations, travel and wrapping paper.
More Rules of Thumb

PC repair versus purchase rule of thumb

PC repair versus purchase rule of thumb. Personal computers may be upgraded to extend their useful service for another year or so. A helpful rule of thumb in making this decision says upgrade if the cost of the upgrade is roughly half of the cost of getting a new system.
More Rules of Thumb

Retail price rule of thumb

Retail price rule of thumb. A business rule of thumb says if you are manufacturing a product there should be at least a ten-to-one markup ratio between the cost of making the product and the suggested retail price of the finished product.
More Rules of Thumb

Refinance rule of thumb

Refinance rule of thumb. A financial rule of thumb says go with a home equity loan if current interest rates are higher than your existing mortgage rate. If current interest rates are lower than your existing mortgage rate, refinance your mortgage and pay it off at the lower rate.
More Rules of Thumb

Apology rule of thumb

Apology rule of thumb. An apology is often the first step to better understanding in a damaged relationship. An old rule of thumb for apologies says a meaningful, effective apology should contain exactly one pronoun: I.
More Rules of Thumb

Adages

Adages. An adage is like a rule of thumb. Adages are interesting observations, practical or ethical guidelines, or pessimistic comments on life. For example, "anything that can go wrong will" or "demand creates its own supply."
More Rules of Thumb

Pulpit rule of thumb

Pulpit rule of thumb. For most, it generally takes from five to seven years to become a recognized preacher, priest, cleric or religious celebrant. An old rule of thumb says one hour of study for every minute at the pulpit.
More Rules of Thumb

Commuter’s rule of thumb

Commuter’s rule of thumb. A general rule of thumb for commuting says forty-five minutes is the about the longest duration most people will accept for a one-way job commute.
More Rules of Thumb

Espresso rule of thumb

Espresso rule of thumb. Espresso is brewed by forcing very hot water under high pressure through extremely fine ground coffee. A coffee rule of thumb says you make the best shot of espresso with seven grams of coffee in twenty to twenty-five seconds.
More Rules of Thumb

Healthy eating rule of thumb

Healthy eating rule of thumb. A good rule of thumb for healthy eating says a well balanced diet consists of 50% to 60% calories from carbohydrate, 15% to 20% protein and 25% to 30% fat.
More Rules of Thumb

Dating rule of thumb

Dating rule of thumb. There are dating rules that men should obey. The essential dating rule of thumb for guys says those in a serious relationship should call her at least once a day.
More Rules of Thumb

Tax versus subsidy rule of thumb

Tax versus subsidy rule of thumb. A government tax collects money from citizens, while a government subsidy provides money. An economics rule of thumb says whatever we tax we tend to get less of, whatever we subsidize we tend to get more of.
More Rules of Thumb

Armed forces rule of thumb

Armed forces rule of thumb. There are roughly three million people currently serving in the U.S. armed forces. A military rule of thumb says it takes ten military support personal to put one combat soldier into action.
More Rules of Thumb

PC depreciation rule of thumb

PC depreciation rule of thumb. The average desktop personal computer has a functional lifespan of roughly two to five years. A common PC rule of thumb says the value of a fully assembled PC decreases by 1% a week.
More Rules of Thumb

GDP rule of thumb

GDP rule of thumb. The gross domestic product (GDP) is the sum of all products and services sold. Employment levels change with the GDP. In the United States, an economic rule of thumb says for every percentage point change in GDP, there is a corresponding 0.4 point change in the unemployment rate.
More Rules of Thumb

Communicator’s rule of thumb

Communicator’s rule of thumb. There is an old saying, "It’s not what you say but how you say it." To this end, a good communication rule of thumb says think twice, talk once.
More Rules of Thumb

Business process rule of thumb

Business process rule of thumb. A business process is a coordinated set of tasks that produce a business result. A general business rule of thumb says it is usually cheaper, easier and more reliable to change a process than to change a person.
More Rules of Thumb

President’s rule of thumb

President’s rule of thumb. Twelve U.S. Presidents have served at least two full terms in office. A political rule of thumb says the power of a second-term president peaks the day after winning the second term election.
More Rules of Thumb

Political party rule of thumb

Political party rule of thumb. The majority of U.S. voters register with a political party. A general rule of thumb for political elections says 80% of voters will vote for the party with which they are registered, regardless of the candidates.
More Rules of Thumb

Property tax rule of thumb

Property tax rule of thumb. A real estate rule of thumb calculates a homeowner's annual property taxes at about 1% to 3% of the market value of their home. For example, the property taxes for a $200,000 home will be about $2,000 to $6,000 annually.
More Rules of Thumb

Rule of thumb origin

Rule of thumb origin. One variation has it that the phrase "rule of thumb" first appeared during the 1700s in England. A reported common law during this time called the “rule of thumb” dictated that a man could discipline his wife with a stick that was no thicker than his thumb.
More Rules of Thumb

80/20 work rule of thumb

80/20 work rule of thumb. Dr. Joseph Juran originated the use of the 80/20 rule in quality management research during the 1930s in what he called "vital few and trivial many." The 80/20 rule of thumb says roughly 20% of your efforts produce 80% of the results.
More Rules of Thumb