Personal finance, explained.
In-depth, evergreen guides on budgeting, investing, debt, taxes, and retirement — paired with the Money Guy Mutants calculators to put the ideas into practice. New guide every Sunday.
How much car can you afford? A complete guide to car affordability
Car prices, loan terms, and interest costs have all stretched at once. Here's how to figure out what you can actually afford, using the 20/4/10 rule, real 2026 cost data, and the full cost of ownership rather than just the monthly payment.
The 50/30/20 budget rule: how it works and when to adjust it
The 50/30/20 rule splits your take-home pay into needs, wants, and savings. Here's how to calculate your numbers, where the rule breaks down, and what to do instead.
The Health Savings Account Guide: Triple Tax Advantage, 2026 Limits, and Retirement Strategy
How HSAs work in 2026 — contribution limits, eligibility rules, the triple tax advantage, and why the account doubles as one of the best retirement vehicles available.
The Complete Guide to Roth IRAs: Limits, Rules, and the Backdoor Strategy
How Roth IRAs actually work — 2026 contribution and income limits, the 5-year rules, early withdrawal exceptions, and the backdoor Roth strategy for high earners.
Index Fund Investing: The Complete Beginner's Guide
Index funds let you own the entire market for a fraction of the cost of a stock picker or actively managed fund. Here's how they work, which ones to consider, and how to actually get started.
The Complete Guide to Your 401(k): Contributions, Match, and Withdrawal Rules
How 401(k) plans actually work — 2026 contribution limits, employer match and vesting, Roth vs. traditional, and the withdrawal rules that determine what you keep.
Rent vs. Buy: A Framework for Deciding Where to Put Your Money
How to weigh renting against buying using the price-to-rent ratio, the 5% rule, and your realistic time horizon — not just gut feeling about mortgage rates.
Emergency Fund 101: How Much to Save and Where to Keep It
How to figure out the right emergency fund size for your situation, what order to tackle it in alongside debt, and where to actually keep the cash so it's safe, liquid, and still earning something.
Capital Gains Tax on Stocks: Rates, Rules, and How to Reduce What You Owe
How capital gains tax works when you sell stock, the 2026 rate brackets, and legal ways to reduce or defer what you owe — from holding periods to tax-loss harvesting.
Coast FIRE Explained: How to Know When You Can Stop Saving for Retirement
Coast FIRE is the point where your current investments will grow into a full retirement on their own — here's the formula, worked examples, and how it differs from FIRE, Lean FIRE, and Barista FIRE.
Debt Avalanche vs. Snowball: Which Payoff Strategy Actually Wins
The debt avalanche saves more in interest and the debt snowball is easier to stick with — here's how each method works, the real math behind them, and how to pick the one that gets you to zero.