Topics · Money Basics
Money Basics
The building blocks of every money decision — how interest compounds, what future money is worth today, and how growth and inflation shape what you actually keep.
Calculators 7
See what future money is worth today. Discount a single future amount or a stream of payments, and compare future dollars to a cash offer today.
See what money today may grow to in the future. Project a starting amount, a stream of regular contributions, or both — and see how much of the…
Find the yearly rate of return that makes a lump sum today equal to a stream of future payments. Compare pension buyouts, lottery cash options,…
Calculate return on investment (ROI): how much profit or loss you earned relative to the amount you invested. Include income and costs, and see an…
Articles 6
Interest is the price of money over time. Learn the few rules that govern it — compounding, rate, term, and inflation — and how to come out ahead…
Money now or more money later? Present value is the tool that compares them fairly. What it is, why it matters, everyday scenarios, and why…
The discount rate is the single most important number in a present value calculation. Learn what it is (and isn't), whether a higher or lower rate…
The biggest choice a jackpot winner makes — cash now or 30 yearly payments — is really a discount rate problem. Here's how to solve it, and why…
Return on investment in plain English: what it is, how the formula works, where it's strong and where it misleads — worked through a real case, a…
Cash doesn't have to sit in a checking account earning nothing. A plain-English guide to checking, savings, high-yield savings, CDs, money market…