The money math, explained like a person

No jargon, no fear. Every post links to a free calculator that does the actual math for you.

S-Corp vs LLC: what the tax guy actually means by take a salary

The self-employment tax math behind the S-Corp choice, the reasonable salary you can't skip, and when the compliance cost eats the savings.

2026-09-12 · 6 min →

The 4% rule still sort of works, and here's when it doesn't

The Trinity study's 4% rule is the closest thing retirement planning has to a law. It's also a first guess, not a promise. Here's the honest breakdown with numbers.

2026-09-10 · 7 min →

Roth or traditional 401(k)? The answer is one number

Every retirement forum argues this forever. The math, though, keeps coming back to a single comparison: your tax rate today versus your tax rate in retirement.

2026-09-08 · 6 min →

The RMD trap at 73: your IRA will decide how much you withdraw

Somewhere around age 73, the IRS starts forcing you to withdraw from your retirement accounts. Here's how the required minimum distribution math actually works, with the 2025 tables.

2026-09-05 · 5 min →

Whole life insurance is a math problem, and the math rarely likes it

The classic 'buy term and invest the difference' argument ends with numbers that are hard to argue with. Let's actually run them.

2026-09-02 · 6 min →

Tax-loss harvesting: the legal way to make a market dip less painful

Sell the loser, buy something similar, and turn a paper loss into a real tax deduction. The rules, the $3,000 cap, and the wash sale trap.

2026-08-28 · 6 min →

Pension buyout: take the lump sum or keep the checks?

There's a number that settles most pension buyout debates: the discount rate at which the lump sum and the annuity are equal. Here's how to find yours.

2026-08-25 · 7 min →