The blog · Money
Money
Cash, debt, and a margin of safety.
Before the market gets a dollar, the quieter questions deserve real answers: how big the emergency fund actually needs to be, whether debt or investing comes first, what a 401(k) match is really worth, where your cash should sit. This section covers the ground the investing articles stand on. None of it needs a brokerage account, and getting it right is what makes the investing half safe to start.
What to do with your money first12 min readCard, savings, match, market: every destination for a dollar pays a rate you can look up. Read the four rates and the order stops being a matter of opinion.Should I pay off debt or invest? Start by reading your rates9 min readSplitting spare money between the card and the market feels fair. Fair is how you treat people. Rates are how you treat money, and yours are already written.How much cash should I keep, and where should it sit?8 min readToo much cash quietly costs you; too little is one bad week from a card balance. Sort it into its three real jobs and the right total falls out on its own.High-yield savings vs investing: which is right for this money?9 min readYou have money sitting still and no idea which pile it belongs in. The question is not which pays more. It is when you need it back, and that decides for you.How big should my emergency fund actually be? Build the number from your own month8 min readThree to six months is a shrug, and the gap between them is a year of saving. Build the number from your own costs and how long your income could really stop.What to do with your first real paycheck, in one afternoon9 min readThe deposit is smaller than the offer letter promised and nobody explained the stub. Read it once, flip four settings, and they run for years without you.How a 401(k) match actually works, and why it comes first9 min readYou accepted the rate your enrollment screen pre-filled. That number was chosen by someone who never saw your finances, and it can collect half the match.