Clear answers to real money questions.
Money guides are free, with no sign-up. Search for what’s on your mind, or start with a question below. Want one-on-one help? Talk it through with a volunteer adviser.
- Build an emergency fund, one step at a time
- What to do when a big bill hits
- Pay yourself first: make saving the first bill you pay
- The freedom fund: what emergency savings really give you
- Three debt payoff plans, and how to pick one
- Snowball or avalanche? Pick the debt plan that fits
- Your credit score can change for the better
- Where did my money go? A 10-minute spending audit
- Lifestyle creep: when more money still feels like not enough
- Buying time: spend money to get your hours back
- Let gratitude guide your spending
- Generosity on a budget: how to give back without overspending
- Travel on a budget, without coming home to debt
- How to read your pay stub, line by line
- Make your tax refund work for you
- A simple routine for an easier tax time
- Don’t leave money behind: your FSA and other work benefits
- A simple tax plan for contractors and gig workers
- Investing, step by step: start small and stay steady
- Roth or traditional: pay the tax now or later
- Focus on one money goal to make more progress
- Let automation do the work: make saving the default
- Small goals, big wins: how micro-goals add up
- Progress starts with one honest look at your money
- Protect your energy: put your finances on autopilot
- Avoiding your finances? How to ease back in
- How money stress and mental health are linked
- What’s your money script? Spot the beliefs behind your choices
- The comparison trap: other people’s money isn’t your business plan
- Financial wellness is more than numbers
- You don’t have to hustle to be financially healthy
- New grads: your first paycheck, student loans and savings
- Money talks with chosen family: who decides, who gets what
- Veterans deserve financial clarity: benefits, free help and next steps
- Culturally competent advisers: finding one who understands your life
- ABLE accounts: save with a disability and keep your benefits
- Investing Made Simple: your first steps toward building wealthWorkshop · 43 min
- The Contractor Tax Playbook: keep more, owe less, stress lessWorkshop · 35 min
- The Paycheck Advantage: how to keep more of what you earnWorkshop · 28 min
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Start with the question on your mind.
The short answer is right here. Each one opens a short guide, with every number checked against its source.
- How much should I save for emergencies?The short answerBuild a cushion in steps: $400 first, then $1,000, then one month of essentials, then three months. Each step protects you on its own.Read the guide
- Where does my money actually go?The short answerIn 2024, housing, transportation and food took 63% of the average household’s spending. Those big bills are hard to change month to month.Read the guide
- Which debt should I pay off first?The short answerBoth methods pay every minimum, then aim all extra money at one debt at a time. The only difference is which debt goes first.Read the guide
- Can my credit score really change?The short answerYour credit score is a snapshot of your credit report, not a verdict on you. Paying on time and keeping balances low move it most.Read the guide
- How do I start investing?The short answerKeep emergency money in savings. Invest money you won’t need for years, because stock prices can drop a lot in any single year.Read the guide
- Paid as a contractor? What about taxes?The short answerOn a 1099, no one withholds tax for you. You may owe income tax, and once your net earnings reach $400, you owe self-employment tax at a rate of 15.3%.Read the guide
When a guide isn’t enough
Talk it through with a person.
Guides are general. A volunteer financial adviser looks at your situation with you, one-on-one, by phone, and helps you make a plan that fits your life. It’s free.
No judgment. Wherever you’re starting from, that’s where your adviser starts. It’s normal to feel nervous before the first call.
Nothing to sell you. We’re a nonprofit, and advisers can’t sell you anything.
Your interests first. Every adviser is a fiduciary, so they must put your interests first.
Private. We never sell your information, and calls come through our line.
For households earning under $100,000 a year ($150,000 for a couple), with under $250,000 saved.
9 in 10say they left their first meeting more confident
“He met me exactly where I was, without judgment, and helped me turn overwhelm into clarity.”
Pay down debt, one step at a time.
List what you owe and what you can pay each month. See which debt to pay first, when you’ll be debt-free and how much interest you’ll save. Your numbers stay in this browser.
Your plan
Paid off in this order
What you owe, month by month
The three orders, side by side
Assumes the rates and minimums stay as entered and nothing new goes on the cards. Interest is added once a month, at the yearly rate divided by 12. Credit cards actually charge interest daily, so a card can cost a little more than shown: often 1 to 4% more interest, more when the payment barely beats the interest.
What guide should we write next?
Suggest a money topic, or vote for one someone else asked for. Volunteer advisers write the guides, and the most-wanted ones come first.
Most wanted
- Buying your first home: where to start
- Losing your job: a money plan for the first weeks
- When to start taking Social Security
- Negotiating your pay at a new job
- Handling medical bills you can’t pay
Free workshops from volunteer advisers.
Short clips to watch right here, and the full recordings, with chapters, so you can skip to the part you need.
- Watch · 2:00Four rules for retirement moneyFour rules for retirement money: it isn’t an emergency fund, time is your ally, don’t panic or sell when markets drop (not checking often is fine), and keep asking questions.Valerie Escobar, a volunteer CFP® professional
- Watch · 1:58Why you buy the whole coopPicking the one winning stock is a guessing game (a chicken race from Valerie’s farm). Diversify instead: a mutual fund or ETF is a whole coop of different chickens.Valerie Escobar, a volunteer CFP® professional
- Watch · 1:18Roth or traditional: pay the tax now or laterRoth vs. traditional IRA in plain words: pay tax now or later. Early in your career or not earning a lot yet, Roth tends to fit; later with higher income, the deduction tends to make sense.Kieren Reilly, a volunteer CFP® professional
- Watch · 1:49The set-aside rule for 1099 incomeFor 1099 and gig income: set aside 25–30% of your income every month in a separate tax-only account, so tax money never mixes with grocery money. Go higher in high-tax states or at higher incomes.Kieren Reilly, a volunteer CFP® professional
- Watch · 1:12Two free paycheck movesTwo no-cost paycheck moves: check your deductions for add-on benefits you don’t use, and split your direct deposit so part of every paycheck goes straight to savings.Vidalia Cornwall, a volunteer CFP® professional
- Watch · 1:15Why a big refund is a loan to the governmentA big refund is an interest-free loan to the government, and owing means a bill and possible penalties. Use your W-4 to land close to even.Vidalia Cornwall, a volunteer CFP® professional