Free tools

One question each, answered from the same reference data the playbook runs on. Nothing is saved, and nothing carries between them: the playbook is the thing that remembers.

Where you stand

Your foundational numbers: income, taxes, cost of living, spending.

Income and net worth rankWhere does my income rank?Where your household income and net worth land against the US distribution, and against households of the same age.Census ACS · Fed SCFOpen →Tax calculatorWhat is my take-home pay?Federal, FICA, and state tax on a salary, with take-home pay and the effect of a pre-tax contribution.IRS · SSA · state schedulesOpen →Cost of livingWhat would my salary need to be there?What a salary is worth after a move: purchasing-power equivalence between two states.BEA regional price paritiesOpen →Spending benchmarksWhat do households like mine spend?What a household your size actually spends each month, by category, for your ZIP code.BLS CEX · Census ACS · HUD FMROpen →

Big decisions

Lifestyle-shaping choices: what a house costs, and whether to buy one.

Home affordabilityWhat home price can I carry?The price a share of your income supports, priced for the loan you would actually use: FHA, VA, or conventional.FHA · VA · Tax FoundationOpen →Mortgage calculatorWhat is the full monthly payment?The full monthly payment on a home: principal, interest, tax, insurance, PMI, and HOA, plus lifetime interest.Tax Foundation · Census ACSOpen →Rent vs. buyWhen does buying beat renting?Year by year, which path leaves you wealthier, and the year buying overtakes renting.IRS · Tax FoundationOpen →

The future

Trajectory and longevity: what builds, and how long it lasts.

Net worth projectionWhere does this land in 30 years?Where a starting balance and a monthly contribution land over the next 40 years.Assumption basis: S&P 500 long-run returns · BLS CPIOpen →Retirement drawdownHow long will the money last?How long a portfolio lasts at a given spend, and how it holds up when returns land badly.Assumption basis: S&P 500 long-run returns and volatility · BLS CPIOpen →

A calculator answers one question. The playbook puts the answers in order: what to fund first, what to clear, and what comes after.

Build my playbook