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The 50/30/20 Rule Is Dead — Here's What to Use Instead
The 50/30/20 Rule Was Designed for a Different EraElizabeth Warren popularized the 50/30/20 rule in her 2005 book: 50% of after-tax income to needs, 30% to wants, 20% to savings and debt. It's clean. It's memorable. And for most people living in 2026, it doesn't work.Housing alone consumes 35–45% of take-home pay in most major cities. Student loan payments eat another 10–15%. Healthcare costs have risen faster than wages for...
The Best Roth IRA Tracker Spreadsheet (Free Template Inside)
Most Roth IRA Trackers Show You a Balance. A Good One Shows You a Plan.Your brokerage shows you your current balance. That's useful. But it doesn't tell you how much you've contributed this year vs. the annual limit, whether you're on pace to max out, what your balance will be at retirement if you keep contributing at your current rate, or whether your income is approaching the phase-out threshold.Those four...
How to Tell If a Rental Property Will Actually Make You Money
The Napkin Math That Gets Landlords Into TroubleRent minus mortgage equals cash flow. It's the calculation most new real estate investors make. It's also the calculation that leads to properties that bleed money every month. The napkin math ignores vacancy, CapEx, property management, maintenance, taxes, and insurance — the expenses that routinely turn paper-positive deals into real-world negatives.Here's how to tell if a rental property will actually make you money...
YNAB vs. Google Sheets: Which Budgeting Method Actually Works?
YNAB Is a Great Product. It's Also $109/Year to Do Something a Spreadsheet Does for Free.YNAB (You Need A Budget) has a genuinely devoted following — and for good reason. Its zero-based budgeting methodology is sound, its design is clean, and its educational content is excellent. If you're going to pay for a budgeting app, YNAB is probably the best one.But "best paid app" and "best budgeting tool" aren't the...
