Guides
Short, sourced explainers on the concepts the calculators rely on. Each one links to the tool it pairs with, so you can move from reading to running the numbers on your own inputs. These are educational; they do not tell you what to do.
Dollar-cost averaging vs lump sum
What the rolling-window evidence says about drip-feeding versus investing all at once.
Expense ratio & fee drag, explained
How a fraction of a percent compounds into a large share of a lifetime portfolio.
Qualified vs ordinary dividends
Why the tax character of a dividend changes the after-tax number so much.
Coast FIRE vs Barista FIRE
Two partial-FI milestones, what separates them, and where healthcare enters.
What is a safe withdrawal rate?
The 4% study, its assumptions, and why taxes and horizon move the number.
Sequence-of-returns risk
Why the order of returns — not just the average — decides whether money lasts.
The Roth ladder 5-year rule
How seasoning works and why the conversion tax itself can be a penalty trigger.
Real vs nominal returns
Reading returns after inflation, and the double-counting trap to avoid.
See also
- All calculators
Run the ideas in these guides on your own numbers.
- Methodology
How the underlying math and data are built.