Practical guides, how-tos and comparisons to get the most out of our free online tools.
Two of the three published US alimony guidelines are the same formula written twice: on 150,000 and 30,000 dollars of gross income both give 3,250 a month. What separates them is duration — 2.1 years or 10.5 — and that turns one marriage into 81,900 or 409,500.
Camille Laurent · 16 min read
Grid size, word count, direction mix and filler letters all decide whether a word search is a two-minute chore or a satisfying puzzle. Here are the working ratios.
Antonio Delgado · 4 min read
One rule, then five techniques in the order you should reach for them — from scanning to naked pairs and X-Wing. Plus the numbers behind the puzzle.
Antonio Delgado · 4 min read
A fair draw needs more than a random number: equal probability, no reuse of a biased method, and a result someone else can check. Here is how to run one.
Lena Hoffmann · 4 min read
A one-point difference in annual charges turns $75,063 into $57,435 on the same $10,000. The fee costs more than the sum invested — here is why compounding does that.
Camille Laurent · 4 min read
Divide your patio area by one paver's area, then add a waste factor for cuts and breakage — the reliable way to order the right number of pavers.
Marco Bianchi · 4 min read
A normal resting heart rate for adults is usually 60 to 100 beats per minute. Learn what affects it, why athletes run lower, and when a reading may be concerning.
Sofia Nunes · 3 min read
Income shares asks what two parents together would have spent, then splits it. On $5,000 and $3,000 with two children the schedule says $2,257.37, the shares are 62.5 and 37.5 percent, and after 90 overnights the order is $1,301.47 a month.
Camille Laurent · 13 min read
MET values let you estimate calories burned for any activity. Learn the formula — MET × 3.5 × kg ÷ 200 × minutes — and typical MET values for common exercises.
Aisha Karim · 3 min read
Understand an amortization schedule row by row: how each payment splits into principal and interest, and why early payments are mostly interest.
Camille Laurent · 3 min read
Skip the vague rules of thumb. The DIME method — Debt, Income, Mortgage, Education — gives you a defensible number for how much life cover your family actually needs.
Camille Laurent · 4 min read
Paying the minimum on $5,000 at 20 percent takes 40 years and costs $18,500 in interest. A fixed $200 a month clears it in under three years for $1,522. Here is the method.
Camille Laurent · 5 min read