All the notes
This archive contains only material that is currently maintained. Pages come from scoped practical work or source-bounded research; material that cannot be reviewed reliably is revised, replaced, or removed from the public index.
How Much Emergency Fund Do You Need? A Practical Sizing Framework
Move beyond a generic three-to-six-month rule with a staged method based on essential spending, income risk, insurance gaps, and access to cash.
ETF vs. Index Fund vs. Mutual Fund: Separate the Strategy From the Wrapper
An ETF and a mutual fund describe how a fund is packaged and traded; an index fund describes how it invests. Use this framework to compare the choices without mixing the labels.
Dollar-Cost Averaging vs. Lump Sum: Returns, Regret, and a Better Decision Rule
Investing each paycheck is not the same decision as delaying cash you already have. Compare expected return, loss aversion, time horizon, and a finite implementation plan.
A beginner's guide to thinking about index funds
An educational framework for understanding diversification, fees, time horizons, and risk before investing.
Coast FIRE Explained: When Your Portfolio Can Do More of the Work
How to think about Coast FIRE, test its assumptions, and use it to choose lower-pressure work without pretending the future is guaranteed.
How to Find Your FIRE Number Without False Precision
A grounded way to estimate a financial independence target using spending scenarios, withdrawal assumptions, and a buffer for real life.
A Practical FIRE Roadmap for Independent Makers
A flexible path from financial stress to more control over your time, using savings, resilience, and optional work as the building blocks.