US edition
US Money Reference Guides
Straight-answer reference pages on US retirement accounts, Social Security and index investing. Each guide leads with the facts, cites the IRS or SSA source, and skips the waffle.
Tax
Health Savings Account Rules: Eligibility, Withdrawals and the 20% Penalty
To fund an HSA in 2026 you need an HSA-eligible high deductible health plan (deductible of at least $1,700 self-only or $3,400 family), no other disqualifying coverage, no Medicare enrollment, and nobody claiming you as a dependent. Withdrawals are tax free for qualified medical expenses; anything else is taxed as income plus 20% before age 65.
Read the guideMaximum HSA Contribution 2026: Limits, Catch-Up and Proration
The maximum HSA contribution for 2026 is $4,400 with self-only HDHP coverage and $8,750 with family coverage, set by IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-19. Anyone 55 or older by year end can add a $1,000 catch-up. Employer contributions count toward the cap, and partial-year eligibility prorates the limit monthly.
Read the guideQBI Deduction in 2026: The 20% Pass-Through Rule, Now Permanent
The qualified business income (QBI) deduction lets sole proprietors, partners and S corporation owners deduct up to 20% of qualified business income from taxable income. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act made it permanent, and for 2026 the limits phase in above $201,750 of taxable income, or $403,500 married filing jointly.
Read the guideQuarterly Estimated Taxes 2026: Due Dates, Safe Harbors and How to Pay Online
You must pay quarterly estimated taxes if you expect to owe $1,000 or more when you file, after withholding and credits. For the 2026 tax year the deadlines are April 15, June 15 and September 15, 2026, and January 15, 2027. Paying 100% of last year's tax (110% for higher earners) avoids any penalty.
Read the guideSchedule C Tax Form Explained: Profit or Loss From Business, Line by Line
Schedule C is the tax form sole proprietors and most single-member LLC owners attach to Form 1040 to report profit or loss from a business. Gross receipts go in Part I, expenses in Part II, and the net profit flows to Schedule SE for self-employment tax and to your 1040 for income tax.
Read the guideSelf-Employment Tax in 2026: The 15.3% Explained with a Worked Example
Self-employment tax is 15.3% of net earnings: 12.4% for Social Security on the first $184,500 in 2026, plus 2.9% for Medicare with no cap. It applies to 92.35% of your net profit once net earnings reach $400, and you deduct half of the tax when figuring adjusted gross income.
Read the guideInvesting
Best Index Funds for Beginners: 6 Broad, Cheap Funds Compared
The best index funds for beginners are broad, cheap and boring: an S&P 500 fund, a total US market fund or a total world fund charging under 0.10% a year with little or no minimum investment. FXAIX, SPYM, VOO, VTI, FZROX and VT all qualify, and the account you hold them in usually matters more than the ticker.
Read the guideIndex Funds vs Mutual Funds vs ETFs: Strategy vs Wrapper
Index fund describes a strategy: the fund copies a market index instead of paying a manager to pick stocks. Mutual fund and ETF describe the wrapper: how you buy and sell it. An index fund can be either one, so the three-way comparison is really two separate questions.
Read the guideS&P 500 Index Fund: What It Is, What It Costs and How to Buy One
An S&P 500 index fund is a mutual fund or ETF that holds the roughly 500 largest US companies in the same proportions as the S&P 500 index, so its return matches the market minus a small fee. The cheapest mainstream versions charge 0.015% to 0.04% a year, between $1.50 and $4 per $10,000 invested.
Read the guideVOO Dividend Yield: Current Rate, History and Pay Dates
VOO, the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, yields about 1.07% on a trailing twelve-month basis as of early July 2026, having paid $7.35 per share in dividends over the past year. It distributes quarterly, in late March, June, September and December. The yield moves daily with the share price.
Read the guideVOO vs SPY: Same Index, a Very Different Fee
VOO and SPY track the same S&P 500 index; the practical difference is cost. VOO charges 0.03% a year while SPY charges 0.0945%, more than three times as much. SPY offers deeper trading liquidity and the largest options market, which matters to active traders but not to long-term buy-and-hold investors.
Read the guideVTI vs VOO: Expense Ratio, Overlap and the One Real Difference
VTI and VOO both charge a 0.03% expense ratio, and roughly 85% of VTI is the same stocks as VOO. The only real difference is coverage: VOO holds the roughly 500 large companies in the S&P 500, while VTI holds the whole US market, about 3,500 stocks including small and mid-caps. Either is a sound long-term core holding.
Read the guideBonds, Cash & Savings
Ally vs Capital One 360: Savings Rates, Fees and Branch Access
As of 6 July 2026, Ally and Capital One 360 Performance Savings both paid 3.00% APY on all balances, with no monthly fees, no minimums and no direct-deposit conditions at either bank. The deciding factors are features: Ally organises savings with buckets and is online only, while Capital One offers multiple named accounts plus branches and cafes.
Read the guideSoFi vs Ally: Savings APYs, Fees and Features Compared
Both are FDIC-insured online banks with no monthly fees or minimums. As of 6 July 2026, SoFi pays 3.10% APY on savings with eligible direct deposit (or $5,000 of deposits every 31 days) but 0.80% without; Ally pays 3.00% APY on every balance with no conditions. The real differences are conditions and account structure, not the headline rates.
Read the guideWhat Are Bond Yields? Coupon, Current Yield and Yield to Maturity Explained
A bond yield is the return an investor earns on a bond, expressed as a percentage. The coupon yield is the fixed payment as a share of face value; the running yield divides the coupon by the current price; and the yield to maturity is the total return if the bond is held to redemption.
Read the guidePlatforms
Betterment vs Wealthfront: Fees, Minimums and Tax Features
Both robo-advisors charge 0.25% a year for automated investing, verified July 2026. The catches sit at the edges: Betterment switches to a $5 monthly fee below $24,000 (unless you deposit $200 a month), which is proportionally expensive on small balances, while Wealthfront requires $500 to start. Both run automatic tax-loss harvesting.
Read the guideFidelity vs Schwab: Fees, Funds, Cash and Extras Compared
Fidelity and Charles Schwab both charge $0 commission on online US stock and ETF trades, have no account minimums, and offer $1 fractional shares. The practical differences sit at the edges: Fidelity sweeps idle cash into a money market fund automatically and offers a retail HSA, while Schwab offers the thinkorswim trading platform.
Read the guideFidelity vs Vanguard: Fees, Funds and the Differences That Matter
Fidelity and Vanguard both charge $0 commission on online US stock and ETF trades with no minimum to open an account. Fidelity offers cheaper flagship index funds with no minimums, fractional shares of any listed US stock, and a retail HSA; Vanguard counters with a competitive cash sweep and its own rock-bottom ETF range.
Read the guideRobinhood vs Fidelity: Fees, IRA Match and PFOF Compared
Both charge $0 commission on online US stock and ETF trades. Robinhood adds an IRA match (1%, or 3% on annual contributions with Gold) and is paid partly through payment for order flow; Fidelity charges $0.65 per options contract, accepts no payment for order flow on stock and ETF orders, and offers mutual funds and bonds Robinhood does not.
Read the guideVanguard vs Schwab: Fees, Funds and Cash Compared
Vanguard and Charles Schwab both charge $0 commission on online US stock and ETF trades with no account minimum. Vanguard treats idle cash better by default, sweeping it into the VMFXX money market fund, while Schwab offers broader fractional shares, the thinkorswim platform and no account service or transfer-out fees.
Read the guideRetirement Planning
4 Percent Rule for Retirement: What It Says and the Maths Behind It
The 4 percent rule says you withdraw 4% of your portfolio in your first year of retirement, then withdraw the same dollar amount adjusted for inflation each year after. In the Bengen and Trinity study US historical data, that approach lasted at least 30 years in every period since 1926.
Read the guide401(k) Contribution Limits 2026: Every IRS Figure in One Table
The 401(k) contribution limit for 2026 is $24,500 in employee deferrals, up from $23,500 in 2025. Savers aged 50 and over can add an $8,000 catch-up, rising to $11,250 at ages 60 to 63. Combined employee and employer contributions are capped at $72,000.
Read the guide401(k) Match Explained: Formulas, Vesting and 2026 Limits
A 401(k) match is money your employer pays into your retirement account when you contribute from your salary, typically 50 cents to a dollar for every dollar you put in up to a set percentage of pay. It is an instant 50-100% return, so always contribute at least enough to claim the full match.
Read the guideAverage Net Worth by Age in the US: Median vs Mean
The median American family had a net worth of $192,900 in the Federal Reserve's 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances, the latest published. By age, medians run from $39,000 under 35 to a peak of $409,900 at 65 to 74. The mean is $1,063,700, but a small number of very rich households drag it up.
Read the guideHSA Account Benefits: The Triple Tax Advantage Explained
An HSA is the only mainstream US account with a triple tax advantage: contributions are deductible, growth is tax free, and withdrawals for qualified medical expenses are tax free. For 2026 you can contribute $4,400 with self-only coverage or $8,750 with family coverage, and after 65 it doubles as a backup retirement account.
Read the guideRollover IRA vs Traditional IRA: The Difference Explained
There is no tax difference: a rollover IRA is simply a traditional IRA funded with money moved from an employer plan such as a 401(k). The separate label exists for recordkeeping and to keep the money cleanly eligible to roll into a future employer's plan. Contribution limits, deductions, penalties and withdrawal rules are identical.
Read the guideRoth IRA Contribution Limits 2026: Income Phase-Outs Included
The Roth IRA contribution limit for 2026 is $7,500, or $8,600 including the $1,100 catch-up for savers aged 50 and over, up from $7,000 and $8,000 in 2025. The same limit covers traditional IRAs. Single filers phase out between $153,000 and $168,000 of income; married couples filing jointly between $242,000 and $252,000.
Read the guideRoth IRA vs 401k: Differences, Limits and Which First
It is not either-or. Take the full employer 401(k) match first, because matched dollars are an instant 100% return. Then fund a Roth IRA for tax-free growth, flexible withdrawals and cheaper funds. Then return to the 401(k) up to the $24,500 employee limit for 2026.
Read the guideRoth IRA vs Traditional IRA: Rules and 2026 Limits
The decision is your marginal tax rate now versus in retirement. A traditional IRA gives a deduction today and taxes withdrawals; a Roth IRA taxes money today and withdrawals are tax-free. If your rate is lower now, choose the Roth; if higher now, choose the traditional. When rates are equal the outcomes are identical.
Read the guideSEP IRA vs Solo 401(k): Which Shelters More for the Self-Employed in 2026?
For most self-employed people with no employees, a solo 401(k) shelters more than a SEP IRA in 2026. Both cap total contributions at $72,000, but the solo 401(k) adds a $24,500 employee deferral on top of the 25% employer share, plus catch-ups and a Roth option. A SEP takes employer contributions only.
Read the guideSocial Security 62 vs 67 vs 70: What Each Claiming Age Pays
For anyone born in 1960 or later, claiming Social Security at 62 pays 70% of your full benefit, 67 pays 100%, and waiting to 70 pays 124%. The early reduction and the delayed credits are both permanent. The break-even for delaying typically lands in the late 70s to early 80s.
Read the guideSocial Security Retirement Age Change: What Is Law and What Is Not
No new increase is law. The 1983 amendments already raised full retirement age from 65 to 67 in stages, ending with everyone born in 1960 or later, and that phase-in is now complete. Proposals to lift the age to 69 or 70 exist in Congress, but none has been enacted. Benefits remain claimable from 62.
Read the guideSocial Security Retirement Age: Full Retirement Age by Birth Year
The Social Security full retirement age is 67 for everyone born in 1960 or later, and between 66 and 2 months and 66 and 10 months for birth years 1955 to 1959. You can claim as early as 62 at a permanently reduced rate, or wait until 70 for the maximum check.
Read the guideSolo 401(k) Contribution Limits 2026: Both Buckets, One Worked Example
The solo 401(k) contribution limit for 2026 is $72,000 combined: up to $24,500 in employee deferrals plus an employer contribution of up to 25% of compensation. Savers aged 50 and over add an $8,000 catch-up, or $11,250 at ages 60 to 63, lifting the ceiling to $80,000 or $83,250.
Read the guideWhat Is a Solo 401(k)? The One-Participant Plan Explained for 2026
A solo 401(k) is a one-participant 401(k) plan for a business owner with no employees, plus a spouse who works in the business. For 2026 you can contribute up to $24,500 as the employee and up to 25% of compensation as the employer, capped at $72,000 combined before catch-ups.
Read the guide