Question 1

How is APR calculated?

Accepted Answer

APR (Annual Percentage Rate) = ((Interest + Fees) / Principal) / Loan Term in Years × 100. It includes the interest rate plus any up-front fees, spread across the life of the loan, so APR is always equal to or higher than the base interest rate.

Question 2

What is compound interest?

Accepted Answer

Compound interest is interest that earns interest. Each period, interest is added to the principal, and the next period's interest is calculated on the new, larger balance. Formula: A = P(1 + r/n)^(nt).

Question 3

What is BMI and how is it calculated?

Accepted Answer

Body Mass Index (BMI) = weight (kg) / height (m)². In pounds and inches: BMI = (weight × 703) / height². The WHO defines normal weight as 18.5-24.9, overweight as 25-29.9, and obese as 30+.

Question 4

How many calories should I eat per day?

Accepted Answer

Most adults need 1,600-2,400 calories per day for weight maintenance, depending on sex, age, weight, and activity level. Subtract about 500 calories per day for roughly 1 lb/week weight loss.

Question 5

How is GPA calculated?

Accepted Answer

GPA = sum of (grade points × credit hours) / total credit hours. On a 4.0 scale: A = 4.0, B = 3.0, C = 2.0, D = 1.0, F = 0. Weighted GPAs add 0.5-1.0 for AP or honors courses.

Question 6

What is a good debt-to-income ratio?

Accepted Answer

A DTI under 36% is generally considered good, and most mortgage lenders cap DTI at 43% for qualified loans. Under 20% indicates strong financial health; above 43% makes borrowing difficult.

Question 7

How much house can I afford?

Accepted Answer

The 28/36 rule: spend no more than 28% of gross monthly income on housing and no more than 36% on total debt. For a $100K income, that's about $2,333/month for housing, roughly a $330,000 home at today's rates.

Question 8

How is a tip calculated?

Accepted Answer

Tip = bill × tip percentage. In the US, standard restaurant tipping is 15-20% of the pre-tax bill. Quick mental math: 10% = move the decimal one place left; 20% = double that.

Question 9

What is net present value (NPV)?

Accepted Answer

NPV is the current value of future cash flows, discounted to today's dollars. NPV = Σ (Cash Flow_t / (1 + r)^t) − initial investment. Positive NPV means the investment beats the discount rate; negative means it doesn't.

Question 10

How much concrete do I need?

Accepted Answer

Concrete volume = length × width × depth, all in feet, divided by 27 to convert to cubic yards. Example: a 10 × 12 × 0.5 ft slab = 60 cubic feet = 2.22 cubic yards. Order 5-10% extra for spillage.

Question 11

What is a healthy body-fat percentage?

Accepted Answer

For men, 10-20% body fat is generally considered healthy; 21-24% is acceptable; 25%+ is obese. For women, 18-28% is healthy; 29-31% is acceptable; 32%+ is obese. Athletes run leaner: male athletes 6-13%, female athletes 14-20%.

Question 12

How do you calculate a percentage?

Accepted Answer

Percentage = (part / whole) × 100. To find X% of a number, multiply the number by X/100. Example: 20% of 150 = 150 × 0.20 = 30.

Question 13

How is mortgage interest calculated?

Accepted Answer

Mortgage interest is calculated monthly on the remaining balance. Formula: monthly interest = (balance × annual rate) / 12. Early payments are mostly interest; late payments are mostly principal, following an amortization schedule.

Question 14

What is TDEE?

Accepted Answer

TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is the total calories your body burns in a day, including resting metabolism, digestion, activity, and exercise. TDEE = BMR × activity multiplier (1.2 sedentary to 1.9 very active).

Question 15

How do you calculate ROI?

Accepted Answer

ROI = (Gain − Cost) / Cost × 100. For a $1,000 investment that returns $1,250, ROI = ($250/$1,000) × 100 = 25%. Annualized ROI adjusts for time: ((1 + total ROI)^(1/years) − 1) × 100.

Question 16

How much protein should I eat per day?

Accepted Answer

For most adults, 0.7-1.0 grams of protein per pound of body weight (1.6-2.2 g/kg) is ideal for muscle maintenance and fat loss. Sedentary adults need only 0.36 g/lb (RDA minimum). Active adults, older adults, and people losing weight need more.

Question 17

How do you calculate your macros?

Accepted Answer

Macros = calories split between protein (4 cal/g), carbs (4 cal/g), and fat (9 cal/g). A common split is 40% carbs / 30% protein / 30% fat. On 2,000 calories: 200 g carbs, 150 g protein, 67 g fat.

Question 18

How much paint do I need?

Accepted Answer

One gallon covers about 350 square feet with one coat. To paint a room: measure wall square footage (perimeter × height), subtract doors/windows, multiply by number of coats, divide by 350.

Question 19

How is a Roth IRA taxed?

Accepted Answer

Roth IRA contributions are made with after-tax dollars, so they're not deductible. All qualified withdrawals in retirement, including earnings, are 100% tax-free. Contributions can be withdrawn any time without tax or penalty.

Question 20

How do you calculate solar payback?

Accepted Answer

Solar payback = (system cost − incentives) / annual electricity savings. For a $20,000 system with a $6,000 tax credit saving $1,800/year, payback = $14,000 / $1,800 = 7.8 years.

Question 21

How much does it cost to charge an EV?

Accepted Answer

At the US average residential rate of $0.16/kWh, charging a typical EV (0.3 kWh/mile, 60 kWh battery) costs about $9.60 for a full charge, or about 5 cents per mile. That's roughly 1/3 the cost of gas at $3.50/gallon and 30 mpg.

Question 22

What is break-even analysis?

Accepted Answer

Break-even analysis finds the sales volume at which total revenue equals total costs, the point where a business starts making a profit. Break-even units = Fixed Costs / (Price − Variable Cost per unit).

Question 23

How do you pay off credit card debt faster?

Accepted Answer

Three proven strategies: (1) pay more than the minimum, even $50 extra/month cuts years off; (2) target highest-APR cards first (avalanche method); (3) consolidate to a 0% balance transfer card to pause interest. Avoid new charges during payoff.

Question 24

What is a good credit utilization ratio?

Accepted Answer

Credit utilization = current balances / total credit limits. For the best FICO scores, keep utilization below 30% overall, and ideally under 10%. A $10,000 total limit means carrying less than $1,000 in reported balances.

Question 25

How do you calculate the Sharpe ratio?

Accepted Answer

Sharpe ratio = (Portfolio Return − Risk-Free Rate) / Portfolio Standard Deviation. It measures return per unit of risk. Above 1 is good, above 2 is very good, above 3 is exceptional.

Quick answers.

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