Life events
A life event is a scenario: income changes, spending changes, or both. These pages show the questions worth modeling before you treat a rule of thumb as an answer.
Guides
Can I afford to retire early?
Early retirement holds if spending, the portfolio, and the years without a paycheck all fit.
Can I afford to quit my job?
Quitting is a cash-flow question first, and a portfolio question only if the break is long.
Pay off the mortgage or invest?
Compare the mortgage rate with the return you are willing to assume, then account for liquidity and risk.
Can I afford a sabbatical?
A sabbatical is a cash problem first, and a retirement-date problem second.
What to do with money after a layoff
Severance is not a bonus until essential months are covered.
Money when you have a baby
The change is spending and sometimes income, not a new investing rule.
What to do with a bonus
A bonus is irregular income. Do not build a lifestyle on it.
Planning on one income
Use the paycheck that will actually arrive, not the household you used to be.
Can I afford a bigger house?
Add the lasting housing cost to spending, then read the date again.
Tools
- Retirement calculator
- FIRE number calculator
- Safe withdrawal calculator
- Emergency fund calculator
- Years to FI calculator
- Mortgage payoff vs. invest calculator
- Compound growth calculator
- Debt payoff calculator
- Savings rate calculator
- 401(k) match calculator