Saving and Budgeting
How Big Should Your Emergency Fund Be?
Three months or six? The right number depends on how fragile your income is, and the right place is almost never an average savings account.
Free money calculators that show their working, with plainly written guides on saving, spending, earning a little more and running a household budget. No sign-up, no hype, and your numbers never leave your browser.
The rules, rates and limits behind our calculators and guides come from Internal Revenue Service, Social Security Administration, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and 3 other public bodies. Every page links to the publication it uses.
Saving and Budgeting
Three months or six? The right number depends on how fragile your income is, and the right place is almost never an average savings account.
Saving and Budgeting
Starting ten years earlier can beat doubling your contributions. And a 1% fee can take a bigger bite than you might guess.
Smart Spending
Longer car loans shrink the payment and grow the total. Worked examples show the real cost by term, what you can negotiate and when to buy cheaper.
Smart Spending
Set a fixed payment, pick the right order and know when a balance transfer helps. Worked examples show why the payment size beats the method.
Money at Home
A lender tells you the most it will lend. This guide shows you how to work out the payment you can actually carry, and why the two numbers are often far apart.
Money at Home
Buying beats renting only after enough years to earn back closing costs, selling costs and the money an owner never gets back. Here's how to find your break-even year.
Building a buffer, tracking spending and making a budget you will actually keep.
Getting more from every purchase, from groceries to subscriptions to big-ticket buys.
Side income, pay rises and small ventures that add up without eating your evenings.
Bills, energy, insurance and the household admin that quietly decides your monthly number.