Category
Investing
Build long-term wealth with plain-English investing guides — no jargon, no hype.
6 guides published
Investing 11 min readIndex Funds vs. ETFs: Which One Belongs in Your Roth IRA?
They track the same indexes, charge nearly identical fees, and own the same companies — yet one of them is almost always the better fit inside a Roth IRA, while the other quietly wins inside a taxable brokerage account. Here is the four-question framework I use with every new investor I coach.
Marcus LeeJune 2026Intermediate
Investing 8 min readHow to Open Your First Roth IRA in Under 20 Minutes
A Roth IRA is the single most powerful retirement account most twenty- and thirty-somethings will ever touch — and opening one really does take less than twenty minutes from your phone. Here is the brokerage I recommend, the exact fund I tell beginners to buy, and the contribution rhythm that turns a modest paycheck into a seven-figure nest egg.
Marcus LeeApril 2026Beginner
Investing 7 min readCompound Interest in Plain English: Why $100 a Month at 25 = $349K
Compound interest is the closest thing to magic in personal finance, and yet most people get the math wrong in ways that quietly cost them six figures. This guide visualizes exactly how the curve bends, why your twenties matter so much more than your forties, and what you can still do if you are getting a late start.
Marcus LeeMarch 2026Beginner
Investing 9 min readTarget-Date Funds: The 'Set It and Forget It' Investment Most Beginners Should Use
A target-date fund is the boring miracle of modern retirement investing. One fund, one decision, decades of automated rebalancing. Here is what it actually holds, why it works, and the small details that matter when you pick one.
Marcus LeeJune 2026Beginner
Investing 9 min readDollar-Cost Averaging vs Lump-Sum Investing: What the Data Really Shows
If you have a windfall to invest, should you deploy it all today or spread it across the year? The historical data is clearer than most investors realize — and the psychology may matter more than the math.
Marcus LeeMay 2026Intermediate
Investing 10 min readHow to Build a Three-Fund Portfolio in Any Brokerage Account
Three low-cost index funds — US stocks, international stocks, and bonds — is genuinely all most investors need. Here is how to build it in any major brokerage, including allocation guidance and the rebalancing rhythm.
Marcus LeeApril 2026BeginnerYou may also like
Budgeting 9 min readZero-Based Budgeting: The Complete 2026 Guide
Give every dollar a job before the month begins and you will stop wondering where your money went. This guide walks through exactly how a zero-based budget works, the simple spreadsheet (or app) you can copy in ten minutes, the categories that actually matter for a real household, and the three mistakes that quietly sabotage most new budgeters in their first ninety days.
Sarah MitchellJune 2026Beginner
Saving 7 min readHow Much Should You Really Keep in an Emergency Fund?
Three months? Six months? A year? The honest answer depends on five factors most articles never mention — your job stability, household income streams, fixed monthly costs, insurance coverage, and the bare-minimum survival number you can actually live on if everything goes sideways for a full quarter.
Priya ShahJune 2026Beginner
Debt-Free 8 min readDebt Snowball vs. Avalanche: Which Method Actually Pays Off Debt Faster?
One method saves you the most money on paper. The other keeps you motivated long enough to actually finish. After helping more than four hundred readers run the numbers on both, here is when each strategy genuinely wins — and the hybrid approach almost no one talks about that combines the best of both worlds.
Sarah MitchellMay 2026Beginner