money

Understanding How to Calculate Your Life Insurance Needs [Finances]

Buying life insurance can be a pretty confusing affair, what with all the different options and plans available. Finance blog Get Rich Slowly helps sort it all out and explains what to look for in a policy. Photo by Amanda Govaert . Certified Financial Planner Sanford Ellowitz says that the key is determining the kind of cashflow your family would need in order to pay the bills and reach other goals in your absense. Start by figuring out how much you're worth, and how much money you have flowing in and out each month. Next, consider what your future obligations will be, like paying for your kid's college and seeding a retirement fund. After that, you can decide what type of life insurance is best. Term life insurance is the cheapest, but it's exactly what it says it is. If you get a term policy for 20 years and find that you need coverage after that, you're out of luck. You'll have to apply again, when you're older and maybe not as healthy. Also, if you outlive the term of your policy, you don't get anything back. Betting against your own longevity to save money may seem like a good idea now, but you might end up kicking yourself - or worse - down the line. Hit up the post to learn about other types of life insurance and get pointers on what to look for while shopping around. Once you've got an estimate of how much life insurance you'll need, check out the previously mentioned life insurance calculator to see how your figures compare. We'd love to know what tips

Hourly Rate Calculator Helps You Determine What to Charge [Career]

Whether you're branching out into freelancing or just taking on some side jobs for extra cash, make sure you get paid what you're worth with Freelance Switcher's hourly rate calculator. This web-based tool takes a really thorough approach to determine an hourly rate that's appropriate for your living expenses. First, you pinpoint your annual business costs, including how much you spend on everything from computers to paper clips. Next, you'll calculate your personal costs like housing and daily expenses. Step three helps you figure out how many hours you can actually bill clients and factors in things like vacation days, sick days, and holidays. The final step asks you to estimate how much profit you hope to make each year. Once you've plugged in all the numbers, the calculator generates the hourly rate you need to break even as well as what your ideal rate is to reach your profit goal. Of course, what you ultimately charge your clients will depend on several other factors, like what kind of experience you have, what the market will bear, and so on. However, this tool is a great launchpad for figuring out how to charge people what you're worth while making sure you're covering your financial bases. Once you've got a plan in place, be sure to check out our post on how to freelance without quitting your day job for more great tips. Thanks, J! Hourly Rate Calculator [Freelance Switch]

Gadget and Gear Deals of the Day [Dealhacker]

We've got discounted laptops, HDTVs, all-in-one printers, and some free MP3s for the not-unless-it's-free Dealhacker fans out there. Computer Gear! 15.6" Lenovo IdeaPad Y550 Laptop for $569 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $998) 15.6" Lenovo G550 Laptop for $449 + $9.99 shipping (Regular Price: $669) 12" Lenovo IdeaPad S12 Netbook for $399 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $449) OCZ Vertex OCZSSD2-1VTX60G 2.5" 60GB SSD for $179 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $230 - use this form ) 25" I-inc iH-252HPB Widescreen LCD Monitor for $189.99 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $253) 22" ViewSonic VLED221wm Widescreen LED Monitor for $289.95 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $422) 500GB Fantom GD500EU GreenDrive External Hard Drive for $39.95 (Regular Price: $78 - use this form ) Dell Vostro 220 2.6GHz Desktop and 20" LCD for $389 with $35 shipping (Regular Price: $606) 20" HP TouchSmart 300-1020 All in One Desktop for $849.99 with free shipping (Regular Price: $900) Dell Studio 2.5GHz Desktop for $449 (Regular Price: $699) Dell Studio XPS 8100 Core i7 Desktop for $999 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $1,267) 17.3" Dell Inspiron Core i5 Laptop for $979 with free shipping (Regular Price: $1,128) 17.3" Dell Studio Core i7 Laptop for $1,099 with $12.95 shipping (Regular Price: $1,299) 17.3" Toshiba Satellite L555D Laptop for $579.95 + Free Shipping (Regular Price: $617) 16" Toshiba Satellite A505 Laptop for $599.99 plus $14.99 shipping ...

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‘Survivor’’s Tom Westman Was Out Before He Was In!

"Survivor: Palau" fan favorite and winner Tom Westman didn't fare as well on "Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains." A member of the "Heroes" team, which has lost four out of five Immunity Challenges this season, he was sacrificed at this week's Tribal Council. Tom was eliminated with five out of seven votes cast against him, despite the fact that James Clement had blown out his knee during the Reward Challenge and is playing the game injured. ET : You managed to stay one week longer than the tribe wanted, thanks to the Immunity Idol. Did you really have any hope this week that the tribe would vote for someone else to leave? Tom Westman : I did. I was fighting. That noose kept getting thrown around my neck and I kept slipping out of it. I hoped I was going to pull something off. I needed JT to make that swing and come over. In the end, he was in that alliance, letting Amanda call all the shots. These are alliances that were made before we even got on the helicopter, so I was fighting an uphill battle. ET : How did you get on the wrong side of the vote even before the game started? Tom Westman : A ...

Amy Sedaris On Toilet Paper, Creative Panty Storage [Clips]

Today on Martha , Amy Sedaris announced she's gunning for Martha's job with her upcoming book on "crafts for poor people." To start, Amy gives directions for creating a "hobo's fire" with toilet paper and sneaks in a pot reference. More

Spielberg Considers New Robot Overlords [Robopocalypse]

Color us a lot more excited about the "robot World War Z" movie , as Robopocalypse has not only picked up Cloverfield, Buffy and Lost screenwriter Drew Goddard to script, but may be about to lure Steven Spielberg as director. More

Put Your Headphones On in the Open Thread [Open Thread]

Another long week under your belt and you deserve a little reward. Grab a warm cup of coffee or tea, turn up your favorite relaxing tunes on your headphones, and step inside. Our weekly open thread starts now. More

5-0 In A 5.0: A History Of Ford Police Vehicles [Police Cars]

The 2012 Ford Police Interceptor unveiled today is the latest in a long line of Ford squad cars. Here's why the sight of even a civilian Crown Vic now induces Pavlovian application of brakes in all motorists. More

Enjoy Fresh Bread with One Minute of Prep [Food Hacks]

If you've been trying to incorporate more oven-fresh and less store-bought into your diet, this simple bread recipe will have you eat fresh bread every day. More