Blog
Plain-English guides on personal finance, work and everyday math.
How Much Should You Put in Your 401(k)?
2026 401(k) contribution limits, why the employer match comes first, and how much different savings rates could grow to by retirement.
How to Pay Off Credit Card Debt Faster
What minimum payments really cost, the avalanche and snowball methods, and when a balance transfer or consolidation loan makes sense.
How to Estimate Your Take-Home Pay in 2026
What comes out of a US paycheck, how federal income tax and FICA are calculated with 2026 figures, and worked examples.
How to Solve Proportions (Direct and Inverse)
How to set up a proportion, solve it with cross-multiplication, and tell direct from inverse proportions, with everyday examples.
How Many Calories Do I Need a Day?
How daily calorie needs are estimated, what BMR and TDEE mean, and how to set a realistic target to lose or gain weight.
How Compound Interest Works
What compound interest is, how it differs from simple interest, and why starting early matters more than how much you put in.
How Far Along Am I? How Pregnancy Weeks and Due Dates Are Calculated
Why pregnancy is counted from your last period, how Naegele’s rule estimates the due date, and what happens in each trimester.
APR vs. Interest Rate: What’s the Difference?
The interest rate sets your payment; the APR shows the true yearly cost of a loan including fees. Here is how to use each one.
Should You Pay Off Your Mortgage Early?
How extra mortgage payments save interest, the strategies that work best, and when investing or other priorities make more sense.
How Much House Can You Afford? The 28/36 Rule
How lenders and buyers use the 28/36 rule to size a mortgage, with a worked example and the costs the rule leaves out.
Fixed vs. Adjustable-Rate Mortgage: How to Choose
How fixed-rate and adjustable-rate mortgages work, what the ARM numbers mean, and the questions that point to the right one for you.
How Sales Tax Works in the US
Why the price at the register is higher than the price tag, how state and local rates combine, and how to calculate sales tax both ways.
How Much to Tip: A Practical Guide
Customary tip amounts in the US for restaurants, delivery, rides, hotels and personal services, plus easy ways to do the math.
The 50/30/20 Budget Rule Explained
How to split your take-home pay between needs, wants and savings, with an example and adjustments for when the numbers do not fit.
Salary to Hourly: How to Convert, and How Overtime Works
How to turn an annual salary into an hourly rate, compare job offers fairly, and understand who qualifies for overtime pay.