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Independent personal finance guides

Make smarter money decisions, with the facts in plain English.

Guides, calculators and honest comparisons on retirement, investing, taxes, credit, insurance and choosing a financial adviser you can trust.

  • Checked against IRS, SSA and SEC sources
  • No payment for rankings
  • Free to read
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Every figure is checked against primary sources, including

  • IRS
  • Social Security Administration
  • SEC · Investor.gov
  • FINRA
  • CFPB
  • FDIC
  • Medicare.gov

Before you hire anyone

Check any adviser in five minutes

Most people never look up the person managing their money. These free checks take minutes and can reveal registration problems, past complaints and conflicts of interest.

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The decisions people ask us about most

A woman asking questions during a meeting with a financial professional Financial Advisers Do you need a financial adviser, and how do you pick one? Fiduciary duty, fee structures, credentials and the questions that separate good advisers from salespeople. Read the guide → A retired man walking with his adult daughter on a tree-lined street in autumn Retirement Will your savings last? A plain-English retirement checklist 401(k)s, IRAs, Social Security timing and required minimum distributions, explained with this year's figures. Explore retirement → A young family sitting together on the front steps of their home Insurance How much life insurance does your family actually need? Term, whole life and final expense coverage compared, with the questions to ask before you apply. Explore insurance →

Free tools

Calculators that show their work

Every calculator lists its assumptions and sources, and comes with a full explainer so you know what the number means. All calculators →

Retirement SavingsProject your savings at retirement, in future and today's dollars.Open calculator →Social Security Claiming AgeCompare your monthly benefit at every claiming age from 62 to 70.Open calculator →Adviser FeeSee what a 1% advisory fee costs you over 10, 20 or 30 years.Open calculator →Mortgage PaymentEstimate your monthly payment, including taxes and insurance.Open calculator →

Why trust us

How we're different

1
Primary sources, with the year

Contribution limits, tax brackets and benefit amounts come straight from the agency that sets them, labeled with the year they apply to.

2
Rankings you can't buy

Any "best" list follows a published methodology. Partners can pay for a labeled placement, never for a better rank.

3
Education, not a sales pitch

We explain how things work so you can decide. We don't manage money, sell securities or give personalized advice.

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All topics

Find the guide you need

Financial AdvisersFiduciary duty, fees, credentials and how to check an adviser's record.Retirement401(k)s, IRAs, Social Security and making your savings last.InvestingIndex funds, asset allocation, fees and how to start.TaxesBrackets, deductions, credits and tax-smart saving.Credit & DebtCredit scores, reports, disputes and paying off debt.InsuranceLife, final expense, health, auto and home coverage.MedicareEnrollment, Parts A–D, Medigap and yearly costs.Home & MortgageAffordability, loan types, refinancing and closing costs.BankingSavings, checking, FDIC insurance and avoiding fees.

Questions

About FinancialAdviser.com

Is FinancialAdviser.com a financial adviser?

No. We publish general educational information. We aren't an investment adviser, broker-dealer, tax preparer, lender or law firm, and we don't give personalized advice. Our guides help you understand your options and ask better questions of a professional.

How does FinancialAdviser.com make money?

Some pages include links from partners who may pay us when you click or sign up, and we own a related insurance brand. Pages with paid links say so near the top. Payment never changes a ranking. How we make money.

How can I check a financial adviser's record for free?

Search the adviser or firm on the SEC's Investor.gov adviser search and on FINRA BrokerCheck. Both are free and show registrations, licenses and any disclosed disciplinary history.

How often are your guides updated?

We review pages when the agencies that set the numbers publish new figures, such as yearly IRS contribution limits or Social Security changes. Each guide shows the date it was last updated.

Thinking about hiring an adviser?

Learn how fees, fiduciary duty and credentials work before you sign anything.

Start with our adviser guide