Guides
Each guide works through real numbers, explains the assumptions and links to the calculator so you can run your own.
What $100 in 2000 Is Worth Today
What $100 from 2000 and other years buys in 2026 dollars, using official US CPI data, plus what drove prices up and how to protect your savings.
The 4% Rule Explained With Real Numbers
Where the 4% rule came from, how it works year by year, what it assumes, and when a lower or higher withdrawal rate makes sense.
$50,000 a Year Is How Much an Hour?
$50,000 a year works out to about $24.04 an hour before tax. Here is the breakdown by month, week and day, plus take-home pay and a quick conversion table.
The 52-Week Money Challenge: What You End Up With
How the 52-week savings challenge works, the $1,378 you finish with, the reverse and doubled versions, and tips to actually finish it.
Cheapest Countries to Retire on $2,000 a Month
Which countries a $2,000 monthly retirement income covers in 2026, including health insurance, and what a comfortable life costs in each.
Coast FIRE: What It Is and How to Work Out Your Number
Coast FIRE means saving enough early that growth alone carries you to retirement. Here is how to calculate your number, with examples by age.
The Real Cost of a Daily Coffee Over 30 Years
What a coffee shop habit costs over 1, 10, 20 and 30 years, what the money would grow to if invested, and a fair way to think about the latte factor.
How Long to Pay Off $5,000 on a Credit Card With Minimum Payments
What happens when you pay only the minimum on a $5,000 credit card balance, how much interest it costs, and how much faster a fixed payment gets you out.
Debt Snowball vs Avalanche: Which Saves More?
How the debt snowball and debt avalanche methods work, a worked example with real numbers, and how to choose the one you will stick with.
Digital Nomad Budgets: Lisbon, Mexico City, Bali and Bangkok
What a month costs for a remote worker in four of the most popular nomad bases in 2026, line by line, with the extras that are easy to forget.
How Much Do You Need for a House Down Payment in 2026?
Down payment amounts at 3.5%, 5%, 10% and 20% on the typical US home price, what first-time buyers actually put down, and how long saving takes.
How Big Should Your Emergency Fund Be?
How to size an emergency fund from your own essential costs, when three months is enough and when you need more, and where to keep the money.
How Long Does It Take to Become a Millionaire?
Tables showing how many years it takes to reach $1 million at different monthly savings amounts and returns, plus what speeds it up and what slows it down.
How Long Would It Take to Spend $1 Billion?
How many years it takes to spend $1 billion at $1,000, $10,000 or $1 million a day, why interest makes it almost impossible, and other ways to picture a billion.
How Long Will $500,000 Last in Retirement?
How many years $500,000 lasts at different spending levels and returns, how Social Security stretches it, and when it can last for life.
Is $1 Million Enough to Retire in 2026?
What $1 million really pays in retirement, how long it lasts at different spending levels, and how Social Security changes the answer.
Lean FIRE vs Fat FIRE: How Much Each Really Takes
What separates Lean FIRE, regular FIRE and Fat FIRE, the savings each needs, and how long it takes to get there at different savings rates.
Can You Live in Thailand on $1,000 a Month?
A line-by-line look at living in Bangkok on $1,000 a month in 2026: rent, food, transport and the extras, plus where the budget gets tight.
Living in Korea on $2,000 a Month
What a month in Seoul costs for one person in 2026, line by line, how the Korean deposit system works, and whether $2,000 is enough.
Lump Sum vs Annuity: What Lottery Winners Actually Take Home
How lottery jackpots are paid, what a $500 million winner takes home as cash or as 30 yearly payments after tax, and how to decide between them.
Portugal vs Spain: Cost of Living Compared
Lisbon and Madrid side by side in 2026: rent, groceries, eating out and transport, plus where each country gets cheaper outside its capital.
The Rule of 72 and How Fast Money Doubles
How the rule of 72 works, how accurate it is at different interest rates, and how to use it for investments, debt and inflation.
How Much to Save a Month to Have $1 Million by 40, 50 or 60
The monthly amount you need to invest to reach $1 million by a target age, depending on when you start and what return you earn.
The True Yearly Cost of Owning a Car
AAA puts the cost of owning a new car at about $12,900 a year in 2026. Here is where the money goes, how to work out your own figure and how to lower it.
What $10,000 Gets You in 20 Countries
How many months $10,000 covers in 20 popular countries in 2026, from Bangalore and Bangkok to Lisbon and London, on lean and moderate budgets.