Articles
Each article runs about five minutes to read and links to a free tool you can use to apply the idea to your own numbers.
The same arithmetic that powers MMM's 'Shockingly Simple Math' — savings rate is the lever, returns are the assumption. Plain English, with the formula visible.
The standard advice is 3-6 months. Why the right number for your household is usually somewhere different — and what it depends on.
Both methods get you debt-free with the same monthly outflow. One saves more interest; the other is easier to stick with. Here's the actual difference, with the numbers.
Three numbers, one piece of mental math, and a definite answer. The quickest way to decide whether refinancing is worth running the full numbers on.
Same gross pay, two states, two very different paychecks. What changing states actually does to your monthly net — with the actual numbers from a real scenario.
What changes when you add a dependent, mark a second job, or fill in the extra-withholding box — translated from IRS form to dollars on your paycheck.
Why cutting your coffee budget rarely fixes a tight month — and which categories actually move the needle.
If month-end keeps feeling tight, three categories usually tell you why. Find them in under five minutes.
Small extras on a fixed-rate debt have outsized impact on the timeline. The math, in plain language.
Minimum payments are designed to maximize interest, not minimize months. Here's what your monthly payment is really doing.
Two numbers on every offer letter — and why the smaller one is the one your budget actually has to work with.
Federal tax, FICA, state withholding — what gets pulled out of your paycheck before you see it, and how to ballpark your monthly net.