Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with rate

Fair Market Value for a Custom iPhone App?

saraswati — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:18:35 -0800

What's the going rate for custom iPhone application development? I've been asked to do an iPhone app for a local business. I'm capable technically, but I have no idea what the market rate for this kind of thing is. If you've done this/had this done for you, or know of someone in either position, what is a fair price tag?

It's a reasonably basic app, no OpenGL or anything crazy.

Need formula to calculate a lease rate factor from a %.

thinktwice — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:05:45 -0800

Need formula to calculate a lease rate factor from a %. I'm not quite sure why I can't get a straight answer on this. So here goes.
Equipment lease have some variables.
Term in months/yrs i.e. 24, 26, 48, 60, 72
Advance payments 0,1,2 (mostly first month or first and last)
end of lease term option $1 Purchase Option, FMV, 10 PUT etc...
Rate factor (usually expressed as a 4-6 digit decimal)

For the purposes of discussion of this specific problem we will be using a 36 month lease, $1 Purchase option, 2 advance payment lease, and 11% rate. Equipment price will be $10,000 as when we get the monthly payment the rate factor can easily be obtained by moving the decimal 4 places to the left. i.e. $300.00 gives a rate factor of .0300.

Using a FinLease calculator from ParanzaSoft we get a monthly payment of $318.91 or rate factor of .0319

Using the FinKit calculator from the same company we get a payment of $321.57 or .0322 factor.

Whatever calculation FinKit is using seems to more closely model the bank's actual rate sheet.

I am wondering why there are such large discrepancies, even within the same software company's different products, and if there is more straightforward method using Excel. (read not with a HP17b - if so is there a HP 17b emulation method in Excel or, more importantly, for OS X)

I would interested in the following formulas
$1 purchase option, FMV @ 10% and 20% residuals.

I have asked several people about this and get wildly differing responses. No wonder we have a financial crisis on our hands.

How much should I charge for consulting work?

hellodonna — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:11:04 -0800

I will be doing some consulting work. Basically I will be strategizing with a very small company on optimizing their presence on the web and helping them with social networking. Here's my problem-- I have no idea what to charge for my time. I will spend two hours driving to them and probably an hour or two consulting. What do you think I should charge? I don't want to be too low but I am also scared that I might be too high. What do you think would be a good rate? I am located in the Philadelphia area if that makes any difference.

Close the card or take the hit?

dforemsky — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:10:36 -0800

Should I reject a credit card's rate increase if I cannot pay off the balance right away? I received a letter from a credit card company (Chase) saying that my interest rate would increase to a variable rate of prime + x%, but I could opt out of the increase if I were to close the card.

The letter also stated that I could continue to pay the balance off over time at the current rate, but I could not use the card any more.

I have no problem with closing the card, but I cannot afford to pay off the entire balance right now and would like to take advantage of paying the balance off over time, while keeping the current interest rate. I am, however, afraid that if we close the card, in six months the company will come back and say that they need the entire balance immediately.

Has anybody else done this - closed a card and kept paying it off over time? Has the bank ever asked for the entire balance due at one time? Am I better off taking the interest rate hit and leaving the card open?

I'm not worried about the FICO hit for closing the card, and I know it's bad to carry balances, but this one snuck up on me.

Women's Heart Rate Monitor Recommendation

angiewriter — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 15:32:13 -0800

I have searched through previous posts, but have not found specific info on women's heart rate monitors, specifically those worn on the wrist and that include a chest strap. I perform cardio on both a bike and an elliptical at the gym 6 days a week (4 days on the bike and 2 days on the elliptical). Because my wrist is 6.75" around, I need a heart rate monitor as small as possible. I don't care what color it is, but I do care that it measures heart rate *and* calories burned. I also want the chest strap for this monitor to be the kind that has batteries that can be replaced by the user. I don't need lots of bells and whistles; I just want some simple measurements and something that fits my small wrist. This last part may be nearly impossible, but I'd love it if this monitor costs less than $100. And yes, I realize that you get what you pay for, but the limited research I have done so far suggests that at least one model (the Polar F4) is well within my price range.

I currently use the "heart rate monitors" on the equipment I use at the gym, but I do realize that they're not as precise or consistent as a personal monitor, and because heart rate matters a great deal to me during my workouts, I'm willing to cough up the money for something that will give me the precision I need.

Thanks hivemind!!

Info sources for refi rates

msalt — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 12:56:46 -0800

What are the best ways to find and compare mortgage refi rates and fees? (web sites, or?) Rates are low, my credit score is very high, and I'm planning to stay here indefinitely (at least 5 years), but I don't want to pay a mortgage broker. Google is pretty worthless -- their pick hits are commercial sites of dubious credibility or value. EG bankrate.com lists only 1 mortgage source in Portland OR, which is ridiculous.

Looking for a 30 yr fixed with no prepayment penalty for about half the property's value, just lowest fees and rate. Contacted my existing mortgage lender (the notorious Countrywide, who bought my mortgage) but their fees seemed high -- $3300 plus 1.75 points ($4500) to get a 5% loan, plus another $1836 for some vague "prepaid" fee.

Is a lower interest rate worth the closing costs?

MtDewd — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:28:58 -0800

Interest rates are down, so my mortgage broker contacted me to see if I want to refinance. I'm under the impression that every time you refinance, you lose value in the house, so is this a good idea? I'm only 16 months into a mortgage @6.75%(fixed, 30-year) and am being told I could get one @ 5.625%(also fixed, 30-year), saving $150/month. Closing costs are around $3000. This sounds good over the long run, but is it really?

What's the money angle? Who is making money here, and who isn't?

Bonus question: my wife thought if we were refinancing anyway, why not get another $10K to fix up the bathroom (and only saving $100/month). Is this a worse idea?

How much should I charge for video editing?

burhan — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:03:53 -0800

How much should I charge to create a promo video for a friend? I've been ask to edit footage to create a short promo video for a friend of mine who is a professional performer. She has all the video she wants me to use, and is content to have me use my Mac to produce a final product. Our market in Calgary is such that video production companies are not taking 'small' jobs from people as the demand from oil and gas, as well as other markets have

I am not a professional by any means, but am extremely proficient in video editing. The footage has already been shot, so it looks like some straightforward work.

I expect the video to be about 10min long when done, and will require going through 3 hours of her footage.

Obviously, the general rule of thumb (1hr per min of video) may not apply, as I didn't generate the video and as such have no idea what there is, and since it's not 'my vision'.

What is a fair rate to charge given I am not a professional?

With thanks!

Librarians, help me out!

bad grammar — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 13:14:28 -0800

What is a normal rate for losing books from a school or public library? I've had trouble finding information about this because libraries seem reluctant to admit it. I work in a school library where the budget, and my own employment, are precarious. I have to justify a non-return rate of about 25-30%. In short, a quarter of the students who check out books never return them. I have not had much success with various inducements and threats with this 25% (conduct rewards, billing letters).

Given that the school takes economically disadvantaged and troubled students, I suppose that I'm lucky they haven't walked off with the entire library.

But if I could show to my supervisor that losses of this sort are normal (e.g. in public libraries in poor areas), I might feel happier about my job. I'm new as a librarian and not fully trained (I'm working on my MLS.)

How can I lower my interest rates on my credit card and mortgage?

Anonymous — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 17:54:17 -0800

How can I lower my interest rates on my credit card and mortgage? Greeting and salutations fellow MeFites,

Is it likely, possible, or wise to try to persuade my creditors (credit cards and mortgage company) to lower my interest rates by just asking them nicely. I hope this questions doesn't sound too naive or foolish, so please save the lecturing:)

First some background. I have a pretty decent amount of debt. Roughly about 23K in debt, all with 16% apr and up, on 5 different cards...(I know, I know!) My mortgage is 209K with a 5.99% 30 year fixed. I rent out one side to a tenant and live in the other side. My income has ranged from 65- 45K in the last three years. This year, however doesn't looks so good. And with all of this economic turmoil it doesn't look better for the near term. Or the far term for that matter!

I work in the commercial construction field and needless to say, things have been drying up as of late. Work is pretty slow, but It has given me the opportunity to peruse training in another line of work that will hopefully turn out to be more lucrative in the long run. However, in the short term, I have not been this broke in years! I pretty much have used up any saving that I had this year because of lack of work and the remodeling my house/duplex.

How likely is it that my credit card companies will lower my interest rates If I just ask. I have only been more than 30 days late on 1 credit card in the last 7 years, and that was three years ago. Not that it matters, but it wasn't that I couldn't pay it I just made a mistake on an automatic payment option. I have missed the occasional due date now and then, but the payment is never more that a few days past due.

Any advice on how I should go about to do this with my credit card companies? Has anyone convinced their CC companies to work with them without being bankrupt or something? If so, what tactics have worked for you?

Also, Is it likely, or even at all possible that I get my mortgage company to lower my interest rates WITHOUT having to refinance my loan. I have never been late with a payment with my mortgage since I bought my duplex two years ago. As I have said, I have a 30 year fixed at 5.99.

Now having said that, I imagine that my credit score isn't great because of my debt load. Any ideas about how to go about getting my interest rates lowered on. I'm not above begging, btw. What ever works!

Thanks,

Anonymous. AKA, Ol' Debtty Bastard

p.s. I dont know if this info will help but, my mortgage pmt is 1791.00 and all of my card totally to about 580.00 a month.

How much to charge for a t-shirt design?

apetpsychic — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 14:21:10 -0800

I've been asked to design a t-shirt for a well-known band on a major label, but I don't know what the going rate is for the work. I saw this question, but I'm not fresh out of school, and that's a question about bulk work, which this will not be. I'm open to charging a flat-rate or my hourly, but am unclear which is appropriate in this situation. Assuming a flat-rate is appropriate...I know there are some variables involved, but here are the pertinent infos as I see it:

• the band is on a major label
• they seem to appeal to 14 - 20 year olds (people who actually buys band t-shirts)
• I saw at least 8 of their shirts for sale online through those generic online apparel stores, so it will probably enter the wild
• the shirt is for a tour where they'll probably sell a bunch every night (should I quote based on initial print run numbers? I'd rather not use a percentage of sales, because I don't think I'd get those numbers without much hassle)
• I anticipate, and really don't care about, losing rights to the design, but want to compensate for that loss appropriately

Anything I'm not considering?

Thanks for your help!

Will work for money

greta simone — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 09:05:45 -0800

How much should I charge for pet-, house-, and baby-sitting? I'm a grad student trying to make some extra cash in the evenings and weekends while still being able to maintain a flexible schedule. I have lots of experience baby-sitting/nannying, as well as house- and pet-sitting for neighbors and friends. As a nanny I usually ask between $10-15 an hour, depending, but I have no idea what to charge for pet- and house-sitting, as they have often been done in exchange for goods or favors. What is the going rate, if you use my baby-sitting rate as a baseline (which I am amenable to raising, if it is deemed necessary)?

PS. This doesn't need to factor in a lot of traveling, as I live in a small college town, and will not take clients outside of said town (due to fuel costs and lack of time).

P.P.S. If you have any tips on how to best manage advertising myself (outside of flyers, craigslist, and local papers), or any other tips in managing this kind of work, those would be appreciated too!

How much do PHP developers in NYC get paid?

defreckled — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 14:26:43 -0800

What's the going rate for a PHP developer in NYC? I'm not actually defreckled but am borrowing this account.

I work as a PHP developer in NYC with a couple of years experience. A contract agency wants to pay me $50/hour on a contract (1099) basis and my friends think I'm being ripped off. What is the going rate for developers in this area? How much do people get paid full time?

What hourly rate should I quote to be an on-site web-development / graphics guy contractor?

Anonymous — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 10:01:47 -0800

What hourly rate should I quote to be an on-site web-development / graphics guy contractor? I have been running my own free-lance business for a year now after leaving the corporate job role after seventeen years. I decided to re-enter the workforce and received an offer from a company I would love to work for, but... the COO wants me to work as an independent hourly on-site contractor. I don't have a problem with that at all, but I'm having a hard time coming up with an hourly rate to quote.

Some key facts:

My last "real job" salary was $68,000.

My standard contractor rate has been $75 per hour. I estimate the time to complete a project and bill for the entire project.

This looks like it will be a long-term (at least a year, probably more) position.

As a contractor, I would receive no benefits of any sort.

It would, generally, be 40 hours a week for a standard work week, but there will be times when more is expected and needed.

The web work is both design (Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.) and development (PHP, XHTML, SQL, etc.).

There will also be the occasional random graphic task such as postcard design and so on.

Finally, they really, really like and want me. They didn't bat an eye when finding out about my previous salaries.

Any thoughts? Suggestions?

What sort of heart rate monitor should I buy?

Jack Alucard — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 15:19:06 -0800

Could someone please give me advice on buying a heart rate monitor? I’m thinking of buying a heart rate monitor. I used one on an exercise bike once, where there was a clip which attached to the ear and the bike then displayed the heart rate. Is there a standalone version of that sort of technology?

If so, how does that type of hear rate monitor compare to ordinary heart rate monitors with a chest strap? I’ve read somewhere that there are strapless hear rate monitors which don't attach to the ear. Are they as accurate as those heart rate monitors that do have a chest strap?

Thanks for any advice you can give me on the above.

How do I ethically/morally justify getting paid the higher rate?

Anonymous — Thu, 01 May 2008 07:55:01 -0800

I'm having a bit of an ethical dilemma about a work/pay situation. An acquaintance and I were hired as consultants by The Company for a 7 day project which required a 2 person team doing 2 different tasks. Task A was less technical than Task B and thus received a lower pay rate than B (with a lower overtime rate also). I normally get hired to do Task B outside the context of The Company so naturally when I got hired I assumed that I was getting hired for Task B (with the higher rate of pay). And since Task B is not my acquaintance's area of expertise I figured that it was a no-brainer regarding which one of us was getting hired for which Task.

The confusion came about when my coworker thought that since The Company didn't specify which one of us was to do Task A vs B, that we should split the pay 50/50. The Company (unprofessionally in my opinion) says that they are willing to split the pay any way we agree on. And unfortunately of course, there is nothing in writing. Well there is, but the only thing missing on the contract is specifying who was getting hired for which Task.

The 7 day project is over now and he has since realized that I did in fact do Task B and (even though he tried) he did not possess the technical skills necessary to complete Task B.

I think so far it's pretty clear that I should receive the pay rate associated with Task B and he says he's ok with that and I wouldn't be hurting his feelings by doing so. My dilemma comes because of 2 reasons:

1) For 3 out of the 7 days we both did the same thing. Working as a team doing things that either one of us could easily do and not necessarily in a supervisor/subordinate position. The other 4 days were spent with me specializing in technical stuff on Task B.

and 2) the difference in the pay after all the days and over-time amounts to me getting about 150% more than him. (Re-looking over the rates just now I see that the 150% would happen with or without the over-time, the only difference being that with more hours the dollar amount is what increases).

So really the question is, am I under any moral or ethical requirement to give him a part of the pay I would get for Task B for the 3 days that we did the same duties, while keeping the higher rate for the 4 days during which I did the specialized duties? And what do I say? How do I phrase it?

If we split it that way the dollar amount is a difference of only $187.0 less for me and more for him. I'd make either $1013.0 or $1200.0 more than him otherwise if we split 50/50 I would make about $700.0 less and he $700 more than not splitting.

And lastly, as I said, we are acquaintances but I wouldn't say friends so as far as burning bridges and friendships and whatnot, it's really not a concern. I just want to make sure the end result is a fair one to both of us even if we don't like it.

askmfdilemma@gmail.com if needed.
Thanks in advance.

What's the fairest way to rank entries to a creative contest?

stokast — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 17:13:01 -0800

I ran a creative contest. 17 people submitted. 8 judges each chose their top three, in order of preference. What is the fairest way to rank each entry?

HRM With Interval Timer?

forallmankind — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 10:42:45 -0800

Shopping for a heart rate monitor which includes an interval timer - this is the cheapest Timex ($78), this is cheapest Suunto ($115) and this is the cheapest Polar ($140). Does anyone have experience of any of these, or have other recommendations to offer? The Timex has only 4 reviews on Amazon and 2 of them are bad (how much can you trust an Amazon review?) - average = 3*s. The Suunto has mixed reviews and averages 3.5*s. And the Polar has better reviews - averages 4*s. Also in it's favor, the Polar has the soft Wearlink strap. But there again, it's nearly twice the price of the Timex.

Any advice/ suggestions/ recommendations? This is for cycle training at home (unfortunately hrm cycle computers with interval timers are crazy expensive).

What does the creator of a curated travel experience charge?

Scram — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:04:09 -0800

What is a reasonable fee for organizing and hosting an Elderhostel/ Road Scholar program? My husband and I have been approached by the local branch of Road Scholar about curating a four day program for travelers based on original research (bus tours, writing and lectures) that we've developed. We've been asked to submit a bid for this service, and while we have some idea of what we'd like to get for ourselves and our staff, we don't have any sense of what industry standard is for what we'd be providing.

Comparable 4-day programs cost $1100-1400 per person (double occupancy, +$300 for singles) including meals and lodging. Our maximum number of travelers would be 50, but conceivably the program could run with half that many people.

In addition to creating the overarching theme of the program we would be on call daily and into the evening for bus tours and lectures, develop hand outs, provide marketing copy and imagery, arrange itineraries and special visits, and select guest lecturers, films and musicians.

If anyone reading this has any insight into what an appropriate fee would be for such a program, and if it ought to begin with a base rate and slide up should it reach capacity, please advise. It would be nice to know if we're even in the ballpark before we start swinging, y'know?

converting dollars to cheese!

mustcatchmooseandsquirrel — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 09:13:32 -0800

I'm going to Europe for at least a year in September. When should I convert my dollars to euros? I know that if I were planning on staying in the US, converting money to different currencies would not be the best course of action. But what about in my specific situation?

I will probably be in France from at least September-June (longer if possible). There, I will only be making ~750 euros/month after taxes so I will want to use money that I have saved for this trip to supplement that. But! I'm worried that something awful will happen in the next six months and my US savings will be worth a more meager sum than they already are. (Am I on the wrong track here? Will the economic stimulus package fix everything?)

Would it be totally foolish to transfer my dollars to euros now? If so, when should I do it instead? (and how?)

Help me decide what to charge.

delladlux — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 09:01:49 -0800

Freelance filter: How much do I charge? I've not done this type of work freelance style before. I have a possible upcoming opportunity for an Austin based publishing company, in which they're seeking a project based multimedia production coordinator/project manager. I need to name a price they won't balk at but with out cheating myself too. Is there anyone in the industry in ATx who can tell me what the going rate is.

My last full time salaried gig in another city (without heaps of nubile college kids willing to do the work for less) was roughly 23/hr; but this particular opportunity will not necessarily be full time and no benefits.

Normal rate of return for a 10 year loan?

Anonymous — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 10:22:14 -0800

What is a fair rate of return on a ten-year loan from a family member that never expected to be paid back? 10 years ago I bought a house from my mother. She gave me a small gift of equity ($10k) in the house so I could afford the down payment. She never expected to get paid back, and her will was altered so I remain equitable to other family members.
Now the house is selling, and I expect to be able to pay my mother back. Googling for "10 year interest rates" is a confusing mess. I would like to find a normal rate of return on the loan, or an average rate that the same amount would net in a savings account.
US is the country, and the opinion of the rest of the family isn't a concern. Thanks in advance.

Is there a minimum amount of power required to sustain a given bandwidth?

odinsdream — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 08:38:58 -0800

What, if any, is the relationship between bandwidth and power? Is there any fundamental physics relationship between the bandwidth of data transfer (i.e., number of data per time) and the minimum power (i.e., watts) required to sustain such a rate over a given amount of time?

Obviously there are macro-scale power requirements for something like the internet, but that's not what my question is about. I'm wondering about the theoretical limit, if there is one. It seems like there would have to be some minimum amount of power required to move a bit of information from one place to another. Are there papers or research I can read on this topic?

How can I print a USPS media rate shipping label?

nitsuj — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 17:38:06 -0800

How can I print a USPS media rate shipping label? Using USPS.com, the cheapest I can ship a package via the click-and-print label creator on their website is Priority Mail, which is about $3 more than <1 lb media rate. why doesn't the usps allow me to print off a media rate shipping label from their website? i use swaptree. when i generate a shipping label through their website, it's at media rate via usps. so i know it's possible. why can't i do this? i'd use swaptree to print the label if i could, but they allow it when a trade has been accepted, and i need to ship non-swaptree stuff. This thread says that Paypal does the same thing, but I don't have paypal.

Am I missing something on the USPS site, or is there a third party service that will allow me to print media rate shipping labels?

Thanks!

Should I take betablockers?

stormygrey — Fri, 18 May 2007 07:58:22 -0800

What should I expect from betablockers? I have had a high heart rate since I was about 10. Nothing seems to be wrong with me, I am no more anxious than the next person, I take some asthma meds that my doc. seems to think might be causing the tachichardia.

Maybe I am a little anxious, but its nothing that hinders me. My doctor is worried that all this high rate will be detrimental to my heart in the long run. So now I have a prescription for betablockers. She said to see if "they made my life better" and it they didn't to quit taking them, especially if they made me tired or foggy. Now, I am not really interested in laying out a lot of money to "see if it makes my life better" when I personally do not notice my heart rate, but if its a "protect your heart thing" I am all for it.

I am healthy with bp that runs 106\67 the last couple of times in. We also discussed the asthma/betablocker issue and she seemed to think I would be ok.