PC software on server for Budget

http://moneydance.com

Emoney or Wealthvision is missing. They don't have true app's though. Nice list though.

https://www.youneedabudget.com/learn

JBL AC26 Ultra Compact 2-way Loudspeaker with 2 x 6.5” LF

If you're willing to go digging around pro catalogs and aesthetics aren't a big deal, I'd seriously look into the JBL AC26:
http://www.jblpro.com/www/products/i...ct-series/ac26

They will blow pretty much anything else away out there in terms of raw performance for the price and the 92 dB SPL/1W/1m sensitivity with 117 dB max should be close enough to THX reference for government work out to ~10' listening position with your typical home A/V receiver. You should be able to get them for a bit over $800/ea with an offline quote from somebody like John Schuermann (drop him a PM here).


http://www.avsforum.com/forum/89-speakers/2340049-best-lcr-under-2000-a.html

7 behaviors that stood out in the best managers

Facebook’s HR chief conducted a company-wide study to find its best managers — and 7 behaviors stood out

At Facebook, employees know that they don't need to become managers in order to be successful.

"The most important thing is that we choose managers who want to be managers," Lori Goler, Facebook's VP of people, told Business Insider.

Facebook is a strength-based organization, she said, and that means that leadership finds what employees excel at and place them in those roles. In order to determine what makes a manager excel at Facebook, a few years ago Goler and her team conducted a company-wide analysis of its roughly 12,000 employees to find which teams reported the highest levels of satisfaction and engagement.

They then reached out to these teams and asked them what it was about their bosses that made their work experience so rewarding. Seven behaviors stood out.

1. They care about their team members.

The first point ties back to finding managers who actually want to be managers rather than those who feel like they need to be managers in order to progress in their careers.

"It sounds basic, but it's harder than it sounds in an organization that's scaling quickly" to find these people, Goler said. Those who have that passion for leading a team are able to make personal connections with their employees and actually want to see them succeed.

2. They provide opportunities for growth.

Facebook's HR team found that its employees who reported the highest levels of satisfaction with their boss felt like they were given opportunities to constantly learn and develop their skills.

3. They set clear expectations and goals.

Employees have two formal performance reviews each year, and feedback, whether positive or negative, should never be a surprise. All employees need to constantly know what is expected of them, as both individuals and members of a team, or else their manager has failed.

4. They give frequent, actionable feedback.

Goler said that giving regular feedback is so fundamental to Facebook's culture that it becomes second nature to the best managers.

"And it's a two-way street," she said. The best bosses inform their teams of the feedback they've been getting from individual members as well as their own superiors. They're able to create an atmosphere where their employees aren't afraid to speak up when they believe there's a better way of doing things.

When a team achieves this level of trust and transparency, they can adapt quickly and become more productive and effective.

5. They provide helpful resources.

The best managers don't micro-manage, but they're aware of where each of their employees is at so that they can remove any roadblocks that may be hindering progress and provide the insight or assistance to get a project done.

6. They hold their team accountable for success.

In order for employees to feel motivated, they need to know that their boss will adjust their responsibilities accordingly depending on their performance.

7. They recognize outstanding work.

And finally, the most engaged employees reported that they work in an environment where impactful results are celebrated.

Ofrece Canadá residencia si tienes estas profesiones

Ciudad de México.-  El gobierno de Canadá está en proceso de reformar su sistema de inmigración para ofrecer “entrada express” lo cual podría facilitar el acceso y permanencia de los inmigrantes a este país.

Lo anterior se está efectuando con el único objetivo de que personas de cualquier parte de el mundo llenen alguno de los puestos de trabajo que se ofrecen en el territorio canadiense.

Según información del sitio de internet cbtelevision.com.mx, el gobierno canadiense dice que la “entrada express” hará lo que el Programa de Trabajadores Extranjeros Temporales no puede: se asegurará de que los inmigrantes cualificados son capaces de establecerse en Canadá de forma permanente para ayudar a satisfacer las necesidades de mano de obra del país.

El ministro de Inmigración, Chris Alexander explicó que este programa de “residencia express” se encuentra vigente desde el pasado 1 de enero de 2015 y continúa activo para recibir nuevos inmigrantes calificados.

La “entrada express” podría ser ofrecida a los inmigrantes cualificados que hayan presentado una solicitud a través del programa federal de trabajadores calificados (FSWP), el programa federal de operaciones calificados (PTSA), el de experiencia canadiense (CEC), y una parte del programa nominado provincial.

Canadá está reclutando activamente a inmigrantes calificados para el programa federal de trabajador calificado en las siguientes 50 profesiones, las cuales dice el gobierno, reflejan las últimas necesidades del mercado laboral.

A continuación se muestra la lista de profesiones solicitadas:

Altos gerentes financieros, de comunicaciones y otros servicios empresariales.

Altos gerentes comerciales, de radiodifusión y otros servicios, no clasificados bajo otros epígrafes.

Directores financieros.

Directores de recursos humanos.

Gerentes de compras

Seguros, bienes raíces y gerentes de intermediación financiera.

Gerentes de servicios de salud.

Encargados de la construcción.

Gerentes de construcción de casas y de renovación.

Gerentes de producción en recursos naturales y pesca.

Gerentes de manufactura.

Auditores y contadores financieros.

Analistas financieros y de inversión.

Agentes de valores, agencias de valores de inversión.

Otros agentes financieros.

Ocupaciones profesionales en publicidad, marketing y relaciones públicas.

Supervisores, trabajadores de las finanzas y de seguros.

Administradores de propiedades.

Geocientíficos y oceanógrafos.

Ingenieros civiles.

Ingenieros mecánicos.

Ingenieros eléctricos y electricistas.

Ingenieros del petróleo.

Analistas y consultores en Sistemas de información.

Analistas de bases de datos y administradores de datos.

Ingenieros de software y diseñadores.

Programadores informáticos y desarrolladores de medios interactivos.

Tecnólogos y técnicos en ingeniería mecánica.

Estimadores de construcción.

Tecnólogos y técnicos de ingeniería eléctrica y electrónica.

Técnicos y mecánicos de instrumentos industriales.

Inspectores de salud pública y medio ambiente y salud y seguridad ocupacional.

Técnicos de red informática.

Coordinadores y supervisores en enfermería.

Enfermeras registradas y enfermeras psiquiátricas registradas.

Médicos especialistas.

Médicos generales y médicos de familia.

Dietistas y nutricionistas.

Audiólogos y patólogos del habla-lenguaje.

Terapeutas ocupacionales.

Terapeutas respiratorios y técnicos cardiopulmonares.

Tecnólogos en radiación médica.

Ecografistas médicos.

Auxiliares de enfermería.

Ocupaciones paramédicas.

Catedráticos y profesores universitarios.

Psicólogos.

Educadores y asistentes de la primera infancia.

Traductores, terminólogos e intérpretes.

REQUISITOS

Debe quedar claro que, según lo expuesto en el portal del gobierno de Canadá www.canadainternational.gc.ca, para recibir a los inmigrantes económicos en el país del norte estos deberán aplicar a : Programa de Profesionales Calificados (Federal Skilled Worker Program); Programa de Oficios calificados (Federal Skilled Trades Program), y Clase con Experiencia Canadiense (Canadian Experience Class).

De la misma forma, las provincias y los territorios de Canadá también podrán reclutar candidatos bajo el sistema “Entrada Express” para cubrir una parte de sus programas de nominación provincial y responder a las necesidades locales del mercado laboral.

Este sistema consiste en dos pasos:

Paso 1) Los candidatos potenciales deberán ingresar un perfil “Entrada Express” en línea donde proporcionarán información sobre sus habilidades, experiencia laboral, conocimiento del idioma (inglés y/o francés), educación y otros detalles. Aquellos que cumplan con los criterios para alguno de los programas de inmigración económica federales considerados en el sistema “Entrada Express” serán colocados en una reserva de candidatos.

Los aspitantes serán clasificados en comparación a otros en la reserva de acuerdo a un nuevo Sistema Comprensivo de Clasificación, el cual tomará en cuenta los factores que han demostrado llevar a una inmigración exitosa una vez en Canadá.

Paso 2) Ciudadanía e Inmigración de Canadá (CIC) convocará a solicitar la residencia permanente únicamente a aquellos candidatos mejor clasificados y a aquellos con ofertas de empleo válidas o que hayan obtenido una nominación por parte de alguna provincia/territorio.

Los candidatos tendrán 60 días para presentar en línea su solicitud de residencia permanente. Una vez recibida, CIC procesará la mayor parte de las solicitudes en seis meses o menos.

Para más información y/o registrarse y recibir noticias por correo electrónico, favor de dirigirse a: www.canada.ca/ExpressEntry. Además encontrará datos complementaria en twitter en www.twitter.com/CitlmmCanada.

Las preguntas frecuentes del programa para empleados inmigrantes, que se encuentran en inglés y francés están en los siguientes enlaces: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/notices/2014-12-01.asp;

http://www.cic.gc.ca/francais/ministere/media/avis/2014-12-01.asp, pueden resolver muchas de las dudas respecto a este programa.

Para información adicional se puede comunicar a la Embajada de Canadá en México – Sección de Asuntos Públicos mediante el correo: gloria.antonettielectrónico o gloria.antonetti@international.gc.ca

best app to download youtube videos to watch offline?

The legendary file manager Goodreader has that ability built in. Essentially, when you play the a YouTube video in Safari, you can tap a bookmarklet and it will import the video into the app. It works for all HTML5 videos,including YouTube ones.

YouTube Red allows you to do that, among other things. If you watch a lot of YouTube, it's worth the money

I use amerigo for all my downloading needs on my iPad mini.

I use Workflow to do this without JB.
https://www.reddit.com/r/workflow/comments/2p0vga/workflow_download_youtube_videos/

verifying and chasing VPN blocks.

Netflix doesn't waste valuable employee time with the dumb task of listing, verifying and chasing VPN blocks. It outsources this to a commercial off-the-shelf product, which isn't even that expensive.

https://www.maxmind.com/en/geoip2-anonymous-ip-database

As you can read from the product description, many other answers in this post are inaccurate as tor exit nodes and data center blocks (where you would typically host your own VPS) are included in their listings as well.

It could be that they use another offering and not this specific one, but I know that this one is quite popular in the digital rights world.

MaxMind is pretty accurate and also very quick to add newly detected blocks to their list. It is a question of time before many VPN providers will just give up because it will become too expensive to keep buying US-registered MaxMind-unlisted IPv4 blocks. IPv6 should allow that cat-and-mouse game to continue for a while longer but I'm sure that more refined technology is being developed to detect VPN's beyond just the IP address (it can be done).

However, there will ALWAYS be ways to circumvent these listings for the truly determined and tech savvy. But it won't be the "easy 1-click setup" kind of circumvention anymore. And I guess Netflix can live with that. They probably also realize they can't weed out all non-US users, 90-95% should be considered sufficient. The smartest truly determined and tech savvy will not brag about it on Reddit and will never share how they circumvent the system anyway.

Whatbox

Whatbox is a great service and a great value. 3TB for $40 a month in the US is a good deal.

They don't mess around with "fake" marketing numbers either. They always quote what you can actually use. Stand up company.

 

You should look at their beta plans, which are located here: https://whatbox.ca/plans/beta

They are faster, offer more storage for the price, and are extremely stable, in my opinion. Mine's restarted twice in the month I've had it.

I do agree that their other plans are a little overpriced, but their service and reliability are top notch. You get what you pay for.

By the way, the beta plan I'm on is $22 a month for 1.8 TiB of storage, 4.5 TiB of upload, 1 Gbps up, and for what it's worth the beta servers are the most powerful seedbox servers I've seen.

Also...

 i'm looking at offers like SB 4 & SSD 300 from seedhost or Vampire Box from seedboxes.cc, two very reputable competitors for their speed,

Health Insurance 101

Health Insurance (avoid dental)

There appears to be a multitude of posts on /r/personalfinance about how individuals had unexpected bills because of a problem with their medical insurance or their medical practitioner. This post will cover the basics of health insurance, as is relevant for most consumers.

Remember, like many other topics discussed in /r/personalfinance, your choices for healthcare are personal. The health insurance policy that's best for one individual may not be the best for someone else.

Also, I am far from being an expert in healthcare and it is likely that I made a mistake in this long post. I apologize in advance for any mistakes and would appreciate them being corrected.

Contents

• Health Insurance Vocabulary
• An Illustrative Example
• Negotiated Rates
• Fully-covered Services
• Types of Insurance Policies
• Comparing Insurance Policies
• Lowering the Cost of Healthcare
• Preparing for Medical Treatment
• Dental Insurance
• Afterword

Health Insurance Vocabulary

When looking at a health insurance policy, there are four numbers you really want to look at when you're comparing health insurance plans: The policy's premium, deductible, co-insurance, and out-of-pocket maximum.

The premium is the cost of the insurance coverage. It can be billed weekly, monthly, or however often the insurance company/your employer decides.

The deductible is the amount that you pay out-of-pocket for medical services each year before insurance starts paying anything.

Co-insurance is the percentage of medical costs that you pay after meeting the deductible.

A co-pay is a fixed amount that you pay for a service. You usually only pay co-pays for services not subject to the deductible.

The out-of-pocket maximum is the maximum you pay for medical expenses in the calendar year. Once the out-of-pocket maximum has been met, the insurance company will pay 100% of medical costs for the remainder of the year.

An Illustrative Example

Bob pays $500/month has an insurance policy with the following characteristics: A $2,000 deductible, 20% co-insurance, and an out-of-pocket max of $5,000.

In January, Bob got sick and had to visit the doctor. Because he hadn't yet met the deductible, Bob had to pay for $150 for the visit out of his own pocket.

Current Status:

Deductible: $150/$2,000

Out-of-pocket Maximum: $150/$5,000

In June, Bob had a heart attack and went to the emergency room. The bill for the hospitalization and the diagnostic exams came out to $2,850. From the bill of $2,850, Bob is required to pay $1,850 towards the deductible (he paid $150 for his earlier sick visit) and $200 (20% of the next $1,000) as co-insurance. Bob has now met his deductible and has paid $2,200 towards his out-of-pocket maximum. Bob's insurance company has paid $800 of Bob's medical expenses.

Current Status:

Deductible: $2,000/$2,000

Out-of-pocket Maximum: $2,200/$5,000

In August, Bob needed emergency surgery and spent a week recovering in the hospital. The bill for the surgeon and hospital stay is roughly $30,000. Because Bob met his deductible, he is only required to pay the 20% co-insurance of $6,000. But Bob already paid $2,200 towards his out-of-pocket maximum of $5,000. So Bob only needs to pay $2,800 to meet his out-of-pocket maximum, and the insurance company pays the remaining $27,200. Bob is not having a good year.

Current Status:

Deductible: $2,000/$2,000

Out-of-pocket Maximum: $5,000/$5,000

Disaster strikes again. In October, Bob breaks his leg and racks up another $10,000 in medical bills. Because Bob met his out-of-pocket maximum, he doesn't have to pay anything. Bob's health insurance pays the full $10,000.

Current Status:

Deductible: $2,000/$2,000

Out-of-pocket Maximum: $5,000/$5,000

Over the course of the year, Bob spent $6,000 for his health insurance and $5,000 on medical expenses for a total of $11,000. Bob's insurance company spent $38,000 ($800 + $27,200 + $10,000) on Bob's medical expenses. Bob's wallet is hurting, but at least he has something left in it.

Under the Affordable Care Act, medical insurance providers cannot put an annual or lifetime cap on how much they'll pay for expenses for essential health benefits. Essential health benefits include emergency services, hospitalization, maternity and newborn care, prescription drugs, and more.

Negotiated Rates

In the above example, having health insurance was financially an excellent move for Bob. For $11,000, he avoided paying $43,000 worth of medical bills. But most people don't have medical bills that exceed their out-of-pocket maximum. For those individuals, health insurance provides a secondary benefit called "negotiated rates".

When you visit a medical practitioner or hospital, they can bill any amount they want (although some are limited by local laws). For some practitioners, the insurance company negotiates how much they'll pay them for that service. For example, a doctor may charge $200 for a sick visit. But the insurance company negotiates that they'll only pay $75 for a sick visit. The $200 bill sent by the doctor to the insurance company is called the pre-negotiated rate. The $75 bill in this instance is called the negotiated rate. An insured patient at an in-network practice will not need to pay more than the negotiated rate.

The medical practices that have a negotiated rate with your insurance company are considered to be in-network. The medical practitioners that did not agree to the discounted rates are considered to be out-of-network. An out-of-network medical provider can charge you the pre-negotiated rate. Taking the above example, the insurance company may only pay $75 for a $200 out-of-network sick visit, leaving the patient responsible for the $125 balance.

Additionally, insurance companies also may have different deductibles, co-insurance, and out-of-pocket maximums for in-network vs out-of-network visits. For example, the deductible may be $3,000 for in-network visits and $4,000 for out-of-network visits. It is usually most efficient financially to only use in-network providers.

Fully-covered Services

All ACA-compliant insurance policies fully cover well visits and preventative care at in-network providers. These include medical care like immunizations and checkups. That means that someone going for a regular check up does not have to pay anything for the visit, independent of whether or not the deductible was met.

For example, Alice has a health insurance policy with a $1,000 deductible. Alice is healthy and wants to stay that way, so she schedules a flu shot at her doctor's office. Even though it's January and Alice hasn't paid anything towards her deductible, her insurance policy completely covers the flu shot and Alice does not have to pay any part of the cost.

Types of Insurance Policies

(From the wiki: https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/wiki/health_insurance)

• HMO (Health Maintenance Organization): HMO insurance plans generally have cheaper premiums than the other types of plans. The drawback is that they are also usually the most restrictive when it comes to selecting health care providers. Most HMO insurance plans also require a referral from your primary care physician (PCP) to see a specialist.
• EPO (Exclusive Provider Organization): EPO insurance plans, like HMO, usually will only cover non-emergency medical costs from providers that are in-network. Referrals are not usually required in order to see specialists.
• POS (Point of Service): POS insurance plans will usually cover medical costs both in- and out-of-network, though you will typically pay less at in-network providers. Referrals from a primary care provider may be required to see specialists.
• PPO (Preferred Provider Organization): PPO insurance plans, like POS, cover medical costs both in- and out-of-network, with cheaper costs when staying in-network. A referral is usually not required to see specialists.

HMO and PPO plans are the most common. Most health insurance plans can be compared by looking at the participating (in-network) providers, whether a referral from your physician is needed to see a specialist, the deductible and/or co-pays, and the out-of-pocket maximum.

Most of these options can be improved at the expense of increasing the premium. With all else being equal, a plan with a lower deductible will have a higher premium. Similarly, a plan with a lower out-of-pocket maximum or a larger provider network may also have a higher premium.

Comparing Insurance Policies

When considering insurance policies, you’ll want to verify that your doctors are all in-network and that you’ll be able to easily visit an in-network practice in the event of an emergency. If you can’t use your health insurance to lower your medical bills, it doesn’t make a difference how low the premium is.

When comparing healthcare policies, I’ve found it worth examining the minimum, expected, and maximum cost for each policy. The minimum cost would be for the premiums and any regular prescriptions and medical visits necessary. The maximum cost would be the sum of the premiums and out-of-pocket maximums. The expected cost would be the average amount you expect to spend on healthcare over a year, including the premiums and the cost of several sick visits.

The expected cost of an insurance policy can be affected by many factors. The larger your family, the more sick visits you'll likely have during the year. The expected illnesses and complications for a 25-year old are very different than those of a 55-year old. Another factor to consider is that if a family member has a chronic condition, your calculation for the expected cost could be very different. Likewise if you (or your wife) is pregnant and has been having minor complications, you can expect that you'll have many more doctor's visits than normal, and you'll need to evaluate the chance of the baby spending time in the NICU.

The expected cost of your health expenses is where health insurance becomes extremely personal.

Lowering the Cost of Healthcare

Healthcare expenses can be quite high, with deductibles of several thousand dollars and out-of-pocket maximums over ten thousand dollars. Luckily, the IRS allows people to sometimes lower the actual cost of healthcare expenses by paying for them pre-tax.

Some employers grant access to a Healthcare Flexible Spending Account (HCFSA, sometimes called FSA), where money is taken out of the employee’s paycheck pre-tax. Then, as the healthcare expenses are incurred, the employee submits the receipts to the HCFSA program, which then reimburses the expenses from the pre-tax allotment. Some HCFSA programs also supply a debit card which can be used to pay for eligible expenses.

One of the biggest issues with HCFSAs is that the money allocated for them is “use-it or lose it”, meaning that only expenses incurred during the calendar year can be reimbursed from the HCFSAs. Any money left in HCFSA cannot be used in the following calendar year. While some companies allow carrying over up to $500, you’ll need to check your companies exact policy to determine what amount, if any, can be carried over to the following year.

For example, Joe allocated $2,000 for his HCFSA. Over the course of the year, Joe incurred $1,000 of medical expenses. Joe’s company’s HCFSA does not allow carrying over any funds in his HCFSA, so Joe loses the remaining $1,000 in the HCFSA.

Another option available is called a Health Savings Account (HSA). If someone has an insurance policy classified as a High-Deductible Health Plan (HDHP), they are allowed to open and fund an HSA. An HSA can be funded with pre-tax dollars, and unlike an FSA account, the balance is not forfeited at the end of the year. Any money left in the HSA at age 65 can be withdrawn without penalty, similar to a traditional 401(k).

Preparing for Medical Treatment

There are many stories of people being shocked with a bill for thousands of dollars. Below are the steps you can take to avoid owing (potentially) thousands of dollars.

1. Choose an in-network practitioner. Verify that they’re in-network by calling your insurance company or checking your insurance company’s online directory. Many people have been told by a secretary that the practice is in-network and then learned otherwise. If you go out-of-network, you’ll likely have to pay the full charge for the service and will likely need to submit the bill to the insurance company yourself for reimbursement.
2. If a referral or preauthorization is needed, make sure the paperwork is squared away. You may receive an EOB for the upcoming procedures. If you don’t receive an EOB, call your insurance company to verify that all necessary paperwork went through.
3. After each visit, you should receive an explanation of benefits (EOB) with an itemized list of what the doctor billed for. If there is an unexpected or fraudulent item, contact the doctor’s office to clarify why that line is included on your bill. Health providers are required to provide an itemized bill. If the charge is fraudulent, contact your insurance company.
4. If you go to an out-of-network practice, keep a copy of the statement from the doctor’s office, in case you need to submit the claim to your insurance company yourself. Even if the secretary says they’ll submit the claim to your insurance for you, they may not - and you’ll be the one who has to foot the bill.
5. Once you determine how much is owed from a medical visit, submit the expense to your HCFSA for reimbursement.

Dental Insurance

Dental insurance operates similarly to health insurance, with similar plan types, provider networks, deductibles, and co-pays. However, dental insurance policies can have an annual or lifetime maximum for services, as they are not legally required to offer unlimited benefits.

Afterword

Thanks for reading this massive wall of text (6 pages in the Google Doc I drafted it in). I hope you found it educational and understandable. If I omitted any important details, or worse, made a mistake, please let me and the other readers know!

Edit 1: Corrected math on annual premium, added section title for "Comparing Insurance Policies"

Edit 2: Expanded "Comparing Insurance Policies"

Edit 3: Added spacing in the example to make it more readable.

A word on dental insurance (that also applies to vision insurance.) "Insurance" is supposed to mean that the insurer pays for a large but statistically rare cost that you couldn't afford, like your house burns down or you cause a car accident. That almost never happens with dental costs. Most people have the same sort of dental costs. What's called "dental insurance" is really a payment plan for normal costs of cleanings, Xrays and maybe a filling here and there.

If you do have major dental costs, most dental insurance actually won't cover that, because most plans have low annual limits, and often have high co-pays. For a lot of people, dental insurance doesn't save you any money.