Free 5-Minute Budget Snapshot — See Your Money Plan (2026)
Answer 4 quick questions about your income, spending, debt, and savings. Get an instant letter grade against the 50/30/20 rule, your emergency-fund gap with a timeline to close it, a snowball-vs-avalanche interest comparison, and your savings rate measured against FIRE benchmarks. Everything runs in your browser — nothing you enter is stored.
1. Income2. Spending3. Debt4. Emergency Fund
What hits your bank account each month?
All calculations happen in your browser — nothing you enter is stored or sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the 50/30/20 rule?
- The 50/30/20 rule is a simple budgeting guideline: spend at most 50% of your after-tax income on needs (rent, utilities, insurance, minimum debt payments), 30% on wants (dining out, entertainment, shopping), and put at least 20% toward savings and extra debt payoff. It is a starting benchmark, not a law — high-cost-of-living areas often push needs above 50%, and the fix is usually to protect the 20% savings slice first.
- How much should I have in an emergency fund?
- Most planners recommend 3 to 6 months of essential expenses in cash you can access immediately. Start with a 3-month target if you have stable dual income, and aim for 6 months if you are self-employed, a single earner, or in a volatile industry. This tool calculates both targets from your actual monthly spending and shows how long each will take at your current savings rate.
- Should I use the debt snowball or the debt avalanche?
- The avalanche method (highest interest rate first) always saves the most money in interest, and this tool estimates roughly how much for your debts. The snowball method (smallest balance first) gives faster psychological wins, which research shows helps many people stick with a payoff plan. Mathematically choose avalanche; behaviorally, the best method is whichever one you will actually follow through on.
- What is a good savings rate?
- The average U.S. household saves under 10% of take-home pay. Saving 15% is the standard benchmark for retiring comfortably by your mid-60s, 25% or more puts you on a FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) track of roughly 20-30 working years, and 50%+ savers can reach independence in about 15 years. Even moving from 5% to 10% meaningfully shortens your timeline.