Plain-English breakdowns of the things nobody taught you.
Long-form guides, written for the person who's about to fill out a 401(k) form for the first time and isn't sure what any of the words mean. Updated for the current IRS year.
Money Order of Operations
A nine-step roadmap for what to do with each dollar — cover deductibles, match, debt, emergency fund, Roth, 15%, goals, debt, wealth — in order.
Read the roadmapFor your first real paycheck.
Day-one decisions for someone new to the workforce. The stuff nobody taught you in school.
Shortcuts you reach for before the math.
Mental models that turn money questions into something you can answer in your head — Rule of 72, real returns, the cost of waiting.
Cover what could derail you.
Before stacking money, make sure one bad week can't undo everything — the right coverage, and the account that doubles as a stealth retirement vehicle.
Guide to Insurance
What insurance young adults actually need — health, renters, auto, disability, term life — and what to skip (whole life, warranties).
Read the guide → Guide · 11 min readGuide to HSA
Health Savings Accounts in plain English — triple tax advantage, HDHP eligibility, 2026 limits, and why an HSA is a stealth retirement account.
Read the guide →Where the money actually goes.
The strategy you're already using, and the funds inside the account.
Guide to Dollar Cost Averaging
Plain-English guide to DCA — what it is, when it beats lump sum, and why it's the strategy almost everyone is already using without thinking about it.
Read the guide → Guide · 12 min readGuide to Investment Vehicles
Stocks, bonds, mutual funds, ETFs, index funds, target-date funds — and the details (expense ratio, diversification, fees) that decide outcomes.
Read the guide →For the people and purposes beyond you.
Education for the next generation. Giving as a line item, not a leftover.
Guide to 529 Plan
529 plans in plain English — how they work, 2026 limits, the SECURE 2.0 Roth IRA rollover, and what to do with leftover 529 money.
Read the guide → Guide · 10 min readGuide to Giving
How to set a sustainable giving rate, automate it, and use the tax tools that make every dollar go further — donor-advised funds, QCDs, appreciated stock.
Read the guide →The accounts that quietly do the heavy lifting.
Workplace plans, IRAs, and the Roth-vs-Traditional tax-timing decision you make inside them.
Guide to 401(k)
A plain-English guide to 401(k) plans: traditional vs. Roth, contribution limits, employer matching, withdrawals, and what to do when you change jobs.
Read the guide → Guide · 10 min readGuide to IRA
Traditional, Roth, SEP, SIMPLE, and Rollover IRAs in plain English — what each is for, who can contribute, and how taxes play out over decades.
Read the guide → Guide · 9 min readGuide to Roth vs. Traditional
The Roth vs. Traditional decision in plain English — when each wins, why tax bracket matters, and why Roth often beats the math on paper.
Read the guide →When the paycheck stops.
Social Security — when to claim, how it's taxed, how it fits the plan.
Glossary of terms
One-sentence definitions for every term used across the guides and calculators — accounts, tax timing, investing, debt, retirement.
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