50+ free calculators, a personalized Financial Health Score, an AI Money Coach, and guides built for real life — not textbooks.
Answer 15 quick questions and get a personalized 0–850 Financial Health Score — like a credit score, but for your overall money life. See exactly where you stand and what to fix first.
Takes 2 minutes · No signup · Shareable results
50+ free calculators organized by what matters to you right now.
No MBA required. Plain-English guides for every money situation.
$1,000 invested today at a 10% average return grows to $6,727 in 20 years and $17,449 in 30 years — without adding another dollar. The hardest part isn't picking the right investment. It's the 20-minute setup most people never do: opening a brokerage account, choosing a single low-cost index fund, and setting up automatic monthly contributions. This guide walks you through every click.
Continue reading →Debt is the most common financial problem in America — and one of the most solvable. Whether you're carrying $3,000 in credit card balances or $150,000 in student loans, the math works the same way. This guide breaks down every payoff strategy with real numbers: the debt snowball (smallest balance first for motivation), the avalanche method (highest interest first for savings), consolidation, balance transfers, and when to consider negotiation.
Continue reading →Both accounts offer tax advantages for retirement, but the order you fund them can mean hundreds of thousands of dollars in real difference by the time you retire. A 401(k) gives you a tax break today and taxes withdrawals later. A Roth IRA taxes you now but lets everything grow and come out tax-free. The right priority depends on your current tax bracket, whether your employer matches, and when you plan to access the money. We break down the exact decision framework.
Continue reading →Real consequences explained — timelines, penalties, credit impact, and your options. No fluff.
Tax strategies, retirement plans, and financial moves specific to your career.
Custom budgets, tax strategies, savings targets, and investment plans for your income level.
A common benchmark is one year's salary saved by age 30 — so if you earn $55,000, aim for $55,000 across all savings and retirement accounts combined. That said, the more important number is your savings rate: if you're consistently saving 15–20% of your income, you're ahead of roughly 80% of your peers regardless of the total. Use our retirement savings calculator to see your personalized target based on your actual income and goals.
It depends on the interest rate. High-interest debt (credit cards at 20%+) should almost always be paid off first because no investment reliably returns more than that. But if your debt is low-interest (federal student loans at 5%, a mortgage at 3–4%), investing simultaneously makes mathematical sense since the stock market has averaged roughly 10% annually over long periods. The priority order most advisors recommend: employer 401(k) match → high-interest debt → Roth IRA → remaining debt → taxable investing. See our complete debt payoff guide for the full framework.
The traditional guideline says your total housing costs (mortgage, taxes, insurance, HOA) shouldn't exceed 28% of your gross monthly income. But the real number depends on your other debts, savings goals, and local costs. A household earning $85,000 per year shouldn't spend more than roughly $1,983/month on housing — but if you also have $500/month in student loan payments, that ceiling drops. Our home affordability calculator factors in your full financial picture, not just your income.
Start with a $1,000 "starter" emergency fund before tackling anything else — this covers most common emergencies and prevents you from adding new debt. Then build toward 3–6 months of essential expenses (rent, food, insurance, minimum payments). The most effective strategy is automating a fixed transfer the day after each paycheck so the money moves before you can spend it. Even $50 per paycheck adds up to $1,300 per year. Keep it in a high-yield savings account earning 4–5% APY — see our best rates comparison for current options.
If you expect your tax rate to be higher in retirement than it is today — which is true for most people early in their careers — a Roth IRA is usually better because you pay tax now at a lower rate and withdraw tax-free later. If you're in your peak earning years (32%+ tax bracket) and expect to drop into a lower bracket in retirement, a Traditional IRA's upfront deduction saves you more. For most people under 40 earning under $100,000, the Roth wins. Read our full Roth IRA vs. 401(k) comparison for the complete decision framework.
You don't need to pick stocks or understand options chains. The simplest approach that outperforms most professional fund managers: open a brokerage account at Fidelity, Schwab, or Vanguard (all free), buy a single total stock market index fund (like VTI or FSKAX), and set up automatic monthly contributions. This "set it and forget it" strategy gives you instant diversification across thousands of companies for near-zero fees. Our beginner's investing guide walks through every step, and our brokerage comparison helps you pick the right platform.
Yes — every calculator, quiz, guide, and tool on this site is 100% free with no signup required. We don't sell financial products, we don't take commissions from brokerages or lenders, and we don't put content behind a paywall. The site is supported by educational partnerships and advertising. Our methodology page explains exactly how our tools work and where our data comes from, and our about page explains why we built this.
News and analysis from the DWS News Desk. Federal policy, rates, retirement, credit — paraphrased from primary sources, tied to free tools.
NY Fed Q1 data shows 90-plus-day delinquencies at 13.1 percent. Total balances fell on the usual seasonal pattern — the distress signal is in the composition, not the headline.
April CPI rose 0.6 percent for the month — highest 12-month rate since May 2023. Core inflation tells a calmer story than the headline. How to read it without panicking.
Freddie Mac's weekly survey shows the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage at 6.37 percent for the week of May 7, up from 6.30 the prior week. Still well below year-ago levels.
Series I savings bonds issued May–October 2026 will earn a composite 4.26 percent. The 0.90 percent fixed rate is the more durable feature for long-term holders.
Four FOMC members dissented at the April 29 meeting, the most since 1992. The committee is internally split on whether to cut and on the easing bias itself.
The April 22 final rule narrows federal ECOA enforcement. Most consumer protections remain — state laws and core ECOA rights still apply. What borrowers should know.