Guides
Plain-language articles on FIRE, investing, mortgages, taxes, and net worth - written to support our free calculators. 44 guides and growing.
FIRE & Retirement
What Is FIRE? Financial Independence, Retire Early Explained
Learn what FIRE means, how the 4% rule works, and how to estimate your FI number before using a FIRE calculator.
How to Calculate Your FI Number: The Formula Behind Financial Independence
Step-by-step guide to calculating your financial independence number, annual expenses, withdrawal rates, inflation, and how variants like Lean and Coast FIRE change the target.
The 4% Rule Explained: Safe Withdrawal Rate for Retirement
What the 4% rule means, where it came from, its limits in today's markets, and how to use safe withdrawal rates in FIRE and retirement planning.
Coast FIRE Explained: Stop Saving Early and Let Compounding Finish the Job
Learn what Coast FIRE means, how to calculate your coast number, and when you can stop aggressive saving while still reaching traditional retirement.
Lean FIRE Explained: Retire Early on a Minimal Budget
What Lean FIRE means, typical spending levels, tradeoffs of a frugal early retirement, and how to calculate your lean FI number.
Barista FIRE Explained: Part-Time Work and a Smaller Portfolio
How Barista FIRE works, why part-time income lowers your FI number, and when semi-retirement beats full early retirement.
How to Compare FIRE Strategies: Lean vs. Coast vs. Barista vs. Full FIRE
A side-by-side guide to FIRE variants, timelines, portfolio targets, lifestyle tradeoffs, and how to choose the right path for your goals.
Retirement Planning Guide: Portfolio Withdrawals, Longevity, and When You Can Stop Working
How to plan for traditional retirement, withdrawal rates, portfolio longevity, Social Security timing, and using a retirement calculator to stress-test your plan.
Kids & Money
What Is Money? A Simple Guide for Kids
Learn what money is, how people earn it, and the three main things you can do with it: save, spend, and give.
Needs vs. Wants: How to Tell the Difference
Learn the difference between things you need and things you want, and why it helps you make smarter spending choices.
Saving for a Goal: How to Reach Something You Want
Step-by-step guide for kids on picking a savings goal, tracking progress, and staying motivated until you get there.
Allowance Basics: Save, Spend, and Give
How allowance works, popular jar systems, and how to build good money habits when you get paid each week.
Grocery Price Hunt: A Store Game for Families
A 15-minute supermarket game to teach unit prices, comparing brands, and smart shopping with kids.
Restaurant Budget Night: Menu Math at Home
A pretend restaurant night at home. Kids order from a menu, add tax and tip, and stay within a budget.
Compound Interest for Teens: Why Starting Young Matters
A teen-friendly explanation of compound interest, how savings accounts and investing differ, and why time beats timing.
Your First Job: Paychecks, Taxes, and What to Do With the Money
What to expect from a first job or side gig: gross vs. net pay, basic taxes, and how to split your earnings.
Budgeting Basics for Teens
How to track money in and money out, build a simple teen budget, and avoid running out before the month ends.
Thrift Flip Challenge: Buy Low, Sell Smart
A teen project: buy something secondhand, improve or resell it, and track profit or loss like a mini business.
Bills & Budget Bingo: Learn Fixed vs. Variable Costs
A bingo-style game for teens: spot bill types, guess amounts, and build a practice monthly budget.
Teaching Kids About Money: A Guide for Parents
Practical ways parents can teach kids about earning, saving, spending, and giving, with age-appropriate activities and free tools.
Kids Savings Accounts: What Parents Should Know Before Opening One
When to open a savings account for your child, custodial vs. joint accounts, youth banking features, and how to teach saving alongside the account.
Investment Accounts for Kids: Custodial Brokerages and How to Start
How parents open custodial brokerage accounts for kids, what UGMA and UTMA mean, simple index-fund investing, taxes, and when investing beats savings.
College Savings for Kids: 529 Plans and Other Options for Parents
How parents can save for college with 529 plans, Coverdell accounts, and custodial savings. Tax benefits, financial aid basics, and when to start.
Roth IRA for Kids: How Parents Can Open One and Why It Works
Open a custodial Roth IRA for a child with earned income. Contribution rules, what counts as income, tax filing basics, and why starting in the teens pays off.
Investing & Savings
Savings Rate: What It Is, How to Calculate It, and Why It Matters
Learn how to calculate your savings rate, benchmark against FIRE targets, and see how raising your rate shortens the path to financial independence.
Compound Interest Explained: How Your Money Grows Over Time
Learn how compound interest works, why time and contribution rate matter more than return chasing, and how to project long-term investment growth.
Investment Growth Guide: Portfolio Projections, Contributions, and Long-Term Returns
How to project investment growth over decades, balance contributions vs. returns, set realistic assumptions, and use an investment growth calculator for retirement and FIRE planning.
Roth vs. Traditional 401(k) and IRA: Which Account Type Wins?
Compare Roth and traditional retirement accounts, tax timing, contribution limits, employer matches, and how to choose based on your current and expected future tax bracket.
Emergency Fund Guide: How Much to Save and Where to Keep It
How much emergency fund you need, the 3–6 month rule, where to store cash, and how an emergency fund fits into FIRE and debt payoff planning.
Housing & Mortgages
Rent vs. Buy: How to Decide If You Should Buy a Home
Compare renting vs. buying a home with break-even analysis, opportunity cost, closing costs, and maintenance, and when each option makes financial sense.
How Much House Can You Afford? Income, Debt, and Down Payment Rules
Rules of thumb and real math for home affordability, the 28/36 rule, DTI limits, down payment impact, and how to stress-test payments before you buy.
Home Down Payment Guide: How Much You Need and Loan Options
Down payment requirements for conventional, FHA, and VA loans, PMI, closing costs, gift funds, and strategies to save for your first home purchase.
How Mortgage Payments Work: Principal, Interest & Amortization
Understand monthly mortgage payments, amortization schedules, PMI, escrow, and strategies to pay off your loan faster with less total interest.
When to Refinance Your Mortgage: Break-Even, Rate Shopping, and Common Mistakes
Learn when refinancing makes financial sense, how to calculate the break-even point, and what closing costs and rate differences really mean for your wallet.
Mortgage Payoff Strategies: Extra Payments, Biweekly Plans, and Interest Savings
How extra mortgage payments work, biweekly vs. monthly schedules, lump-sum paydowns, and when paying off your mortgage early beats investing.
What Is a Mortgage Recast? Lower Payments Without Refinancing
How mortgage recasting works, when it beats refinancing, typical fees, and how a lump-sum principal payment reduces your monthly bill.
Taxes
How 2026 Federal Income Tax Works: Brackets, FICA & Take-Home Pay
Understand 2026 federal tax brackets, standard deductions, FICA, and how marginal vs. effective rates affect your take-home pay, then estimate your own return.
Self-Employment Taxes Explained: 1099 Income, SE Tax, and Quarterly Payments
How self-employment tax works for freelancers and 1099 workers, FICA equivalents, deductible portions, quarterly estimated payments, and how it affects take-home pay.
Standard vs. Itemized Deductions: Which Should You Take in 2026?
When to take the standard deduction vs. itemizing, mortgage interest, SALT cap, charitable giving, and how the choice affects your federal tax bill.
Capital Gains Tax Basics: Short-Term vs. Long-Term Rates in 2026
How capital gains taxes work on stocks, crypto, and home sales, short-term vs. long-term rates, the 0% bracket, loss harvesting, and tax-efficient investing.
State Income Tax Basics: Rates, No-Tax States, and Remote Work
How state income taxes work alongside federal taxes, flat vs. progressive states, no-income-tax states, reciprocity, and what remote workers need to know.
Net Worth
How to Calculate Net Worth: Assets, Liabilities & Tracking
Step-by-step guide to calculating net worth, what to include in assets and liabilities, how often to track it, and how net worth fits into financial planning.
Net Worth and Financial Independence: How They Connect
Why net worth tracking matters for FIRE planning, what counts toward your FI number, common mistakes, and how to use net worth as a progress metric.
Net Worth Benchmarks by Age: Are You on Track?
Average and median net worth by age group, FIRE-oriented savings targets, and how to interpret benchmarks without comparing yourself to misleading averages.