33 plain-English reads on budgeting, saving, investing, debt, credit and taxes. Newest first unless you say otherwise.
Earning above IRS income limits restricts direct Roth IRA contributions. Here are the 2026 phase-out bands, how to execute a backdoor Roth, and how to avoid the pro-rata tax trap.
The 4% rule originated in a 1994 historical study of 30-year retirements. Here is what it actually proved, what critics get right, and how dynamic guardrails work.
A $12,000 loss can offset a $9,000 gain and $3,000 of ordinary income. The wash-sale rule decides whether the tax value survives.
Deductible going in, untaxed while invested and untaxed for qualified medical costs, with a 2026 limit and an eligibility test people skip.
A 6% yield can compound to less than a 1.5% yield at the same total return. Work through cash income, annual tax and the final sale.
A 529 suits education; an ordinary UTMA is an irrevocable gift. Compare control, tax and FAFSA treatment on the same $40,000 balance.
A REIT must distribute at least 90% of taxable income, not 90% of rent. Compare listed funds, locked-up products and taxable-account drag.
$500 monthly needs $150,000 at a 4% withdrawal rate or $187,500 at a 3.2% dividend yield. Neither figure includes tax or guarantees the income.
At an assumed 4% yield, $500 monthly takes $150,000 before tax. Compare nine income sources by capital, work and the risk behind the payment.
Once a year, or when a holding drifts five points from target. More often costs tax and attention, and buys almost nothing over thirty years.
Four options, and the default of leaving it is rarely the best one. The fee comparison that decides it, and the rollover mistake that triggers a tax bill.
"110 minus your age" is a starting point that ignores the two things that actually matter: when you need the money, and what you did last time it fell 30%.
One short email each week: a money move worth making, a number worth checking, and a trap worth dodging.