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Money Tools & Advisors

Robo-advisors, financial planners, budgeting apps, brokerages — the landscape of who (and what) helps you manage money.

29 articles

Beginner

15

Budgeting apps: what's changed and how to pick

The landscape after Mint shut down, and what to look for in whatever replaces it.

5 min read

Picking a brokerage

Fidelity, Schwab, Vanguard, Robinhood, and why it matters less than marketers want you to think.

5 min read

Automating your money end-to-end

A complete blueprint for a money system that saves, invests, and pays bills without relying on your willpower or your memory.

5 min read

Locking down your financial accounts

Password hygiene, two-factor traps, freeze-by-default credit, and the 90-minute security overhaul that makes you a hard target.

5 min read

Net worth tracking: the one number and the right cadence

Why net worth is the best single scoreboard for your finances, exactly how to calculate it, and how often to look — because checking too much hurts more than not checking.

5 min read

Financial advisor credentials, decoded

CFP, CFA, ChFC, CPA, EA — an alphabet soup of letters after an advisor's name. Which ones actually mean something, and which are marketing.

5 min read

Financial coach vs. advisor vs. therapist

Three professionals, three very different jobs. Which one you actually need depends on whether your problem is knowledge, strategy, or behavior.

5 min read

Preparing for your first advisor meeting

What to bring, what to ask, and how to walk out able to judge whether this is someone you should hire — all before you commit a dollar.

5 min read

Using retirement calculators without fooling yourself

Free retirement calculators are everywhere and wildly useful — until a hidden assumption hands you a comforting number that isn't true. How to use them honestly.

5 min read

Bill negotiation and subscription-cancel services: worth it?

Apps that promise to lower your bills and cancel your forgotten subscriptions — for a cut of the savings or a monthly fee. When they pay off and when they quietly cost you.

5 min read

Account aggregation and your financial data

Every budgeting and net-worth app asks to connect your bank accounts. What that connection really shares, how Plaid fits in, and how to do it safely.

5 min read

Building a budget spreadsheet from scratch

The free, endlessly customizable budgeting tool you already own. How to build one that you'll actually keep using — without drowning in formulas.

5 min read

AI tools for personal finance: promise and limits

Chatbots and AI budgeting features can explain concepts and crunch numbers fast — but they aren't fiduciaries, can be confidently wrong, and shouldn't see your account passwords. A careful user's guide.

5 min read

Debt payoff calculators and apps

Avalanche or snowball? A calculator settles the math in seconds and shows a real payoff date — turning a vague pile of debt into a finish line you can see.

5 min read

Money apps for couples

Shared budgets, joint-and-separate account setups, and the features that turn 'you spent what?' into a calm monthly check-in. How to pick a tool two people will both use.

5 min read

Intermediate

14

When to pay for financial advice

Most people don't need an advisor. Some people absolutely do. Here's how to tell which you are.

5 min read

Fiduciary vs. broker vs. fee-only

The confusing jargon around financial advisors, decoded so you can avoid the ones that are legally allowed to hurt you.

5 min read

Robo-advisors explained

The low-cost, algorithm-driven alternative to traditional advisors. When they're worth it, when they aren't.

5 min read

Tax software vs. hiring a pro

DIY software handles most tax situations beautifully — until it doesn't. Here's the honest dividing line, what each option costs, and how to pick a preparer who's actually qualified.

5 min read

Advice-only financial planners

A growing model where you pay a planner purely for advice — they never touch or manage your money. Who it fits and what it costs.

5 min read

How to fire your financial advisor

Leaving an advisor feels awkward and sounds complicated. It's neither. A calm, step-by-step guide to switching without triggering taxes or losing your investments.

5 min read

How financial advisors charge, compared

AUM, flat fee, hourly, retainer, commission — five ways advisors get paid, and how each one quietly shapes the advice you receive.

5 min read

Monte Carlo retirement projections explained

That '87% success rate' your planning tool shows isn't a guarantee or a grade — it's a probability from thousands of simulated markets. Here's how to read it.

5 min read

Fee-only planner networks, explained

NAPFA, XY Planning Network, Garrett — the three directories where fee-only fiduciary planners actually live. What each one specializes in.

5 min read

Estate planning: software vs. an attorney

Online will platforms are cheap and fast, and for simple situations they're genuinely fine. But some estates need a lawyer — and using software for them is a costly false economy.

5 min read

Subscription financial planning: paying a flat monthly fee for an advisor

A newer model where you pay a flat monthly or annual retainer for ongoing planning — no asset minimums, no percentage skim. Who it fits and what to check.

5 min read

Portfolio and investment tracking tools

See all your investments in one place, understand your true asset allocation, and catch hidden fees and overlap — without checking daily and sabotaging yourself.

5 min read

Vetting an advisor with BrokerCheck and Form ADV

Two free government-adjacent tools reveal an advisor's disciplinary history, how they're really paid, and the conflicts they'd rather you not read. A 15-minute background check.

5 min read

Hybrid robo-advisors: automation plus a human

The middle tier between a pure algorithm and a full human advisor — automated investing with access to a real planner when you need one. What the extra fee buys.

5 min read
The Worth letter

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