How to Set Up a Dirt-Cheap Business Line

My sister-in-law's starting a home-based business, for which she'll undoubtedly need a dedicated phone line. My recommendation: MagicJack, which provides a local phone number, unlimited local and long-distance calling, voice mail, caller ID, and other handy features, all for $40. Actually, that's the price for the MagicJack hardware and a year's worth of service; after that, you'll pay just $20 per year.

The hardware is nothing more than a pager-sized gizmo you plug into any USB port. Then you connect any old telephone (corded, cordless, etc.) into the MagicJack's standard RJ-11 jack. You'll need broadband Internet, of course (the service relies on voice-over-IP technology), and you'll have to leave your computer running 24/7. But when you consider what you'd normally pay for even a basic phone line, that hardly seems like an imposition. I've tried the MagicJack, and I think it's an ideal solution for anyone needing a dedicated small-biz line.