Budgeting
Budgeting on a Low Income When There Is Nothing Left Over
Percentage rules break at low incomes because essentials take most of the check. A budget built on due dates, avoided fees and claimed benefits works better.
7 min read
The library
166 plain-English reads on budgeting, saving, investing, debt, credit and taxes. Newest first unless you say otherwise.
EverythingBudgetingSavingInvestingDebt PayoffBankingCreditTaxesRetirementCollege SavingsPassive IncomeMoney FoundationsEveryday SpendingInsuranceSocial Security & MedicareHousing & RentingStudent LoansMoney MindsetSide IncomeCareer & SalaryFinancial IndependenceEstate PlanningFamily FinancesLife EventsSmall BusinessFraud & Consumer ProtectionHealthcare CostsTravel & RewardsCars & TransportInflation & the EconomyMoney ToolsGiving
Credit
Buy Now Pay Later and What It Does to Your Credit Score
Pay in four plans now show up in credit files and some scores. How reporting works, what a missed payment does and when the plan beats a card.
6 min read
Debt Payoff
Debt to Income Ratio Explained and the Numbers Lenders Use
Lenders divide monthly debt payments by gross income to decide what else you can borrow. How to compute yours, which payments count and how to lower it.
6 min read
Saving
How to Rebuild Your Emergency Fund After You Have Used It
Using the fund is the fund working. Rebuilding it is a separate plan with its own order, and it should start before the next paycheck lands.
6 min read
RetirementGuide
How Much to Save for Retirement Based on Your Actual Income
The fifteen percent rule fits some incomes and fails others. How to size your savings rate from your target, your start date and Social Security.
7 min read
InvestingGuide
How to Start Investing When You Are Starting From Zero
Starting to invest is four decisions: which account, which fund, how much and how often. The order that avoids the usual mistakes from the first deposit.
11 min read
Money Foundations
A Fifteen Minute Weekly Money Review That Catches Problems
Most money problems are cheap in week one and expensive by the end of the quarter. A short weekly routine, what it checks and why fifteen minutes is enough.
6 min read
Insurance
Should You File a Small Insurance Claim or Pay It Yourself
A small claim can cost more in future premiums than it pays. How claims are recorded, how surcharges work and a simple rule for when to file.
6 min read
Housing & Renting
Should You Pay Off Your Mortgage Early or Invest Instead
Prepaying a mortgage earns its rate with no risk and ties the money up. How the rate, taxes and liquidity decide where each spare dollar goes.
7 min read
Social Security & Medicare
Choosing a Medicare Drug Plan Under the Part D Spending Cap
Part D now caps what you pay out of pocket each year, which changes which plan is cheapest. How to compare plans on your prescriptions, not the premium.
6 min read
TaxesGuide
The No Tax on Tips Deduction and Who Qualifies for It
Tipped workers can deduct qualified tips up to $25,000 if the job is on the IRS list. What counts, the phase out and why payroll tax still applies.
7 min read
Money MindsetGuide
Money Psychology and the Biases That Cost You the Most
The costly money mistakes are rarely about knowledge. The biases behind them, what each costs in dollars and the defaults that work around them.
10 min read
New guides, straight to your inbox.
One short email each week: a money move worth making, a number worth checking, and a trap worth dodging.