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Roth IRA Tracker: How to Max Out Your Roth IRA and Actually See Your Progress
She'd Been Contributing to Her Roth IRA for 4 Years and Had No Idea How Much Was In ItDanielle opened her Roth IRA at 27, set up a $200/month automatic contribution, and promptly forgot about it. Four years later she'd contributed $9,600 — but the annual limit was $6,500 in those years. She'd left $16,400 in tax-free contribution room on the table. At 7% average return, that's ~$125,000 in tax-free...
Personal Capital vs. Google Sheets: Which Is Better for Tracking Your Net Worth?
Personal Capital Rebranded to Empower and Quietly Got More Aggressive About Selling You ThingsWhat started as a clean, free net worth tracker has gradually become a lead generation funnel for Empower's wealth management services — persistent advisor calls, nudges to move assets under their management, and a product that feels increasingly designed to upsell rather than inform. That's not a conspiracy theory. It's a business model. Free tools don't stay...
Debt Snowball vs. Debt Avalanche: The Definitive Guide (With Real Math)
The Internet Has Been Arguing About This for 20 Years. Here's What the Data Actually Says.Team Avalanche: "The snowball is mathematically inferior. You're leaving money on the table." Team Snowball: "The avalanche sounds great until month 14 when you haven't paid off a single account and you quit." Both sides are partially right. And both sides are missing the point.This isn't a debate with a universal winner. It's a decision...
How to Analyze a Rental Property Before You Buy (So You Don't Regret It Later)
The $12,000 Mistake That Didn't Have to HappenMy friend Marcus bought a duplex in 2022. He ran the numbers on a napkin — mortgage payment, estimated rent, rough math. Looked good. He bought it. Six months later: $6,000 roof repair, higher vacancy than expected, bleeding $400/month. Not because the deal was inherently bad — because he never actually analyzed it. He didn't account for vacancy, CapEx reserves, or his real...
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