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Where Should Your Next Dollar Go?

Enter your real numbers. Get a math-based priority list -- not generic advice. Everything runs in your browser. Nothing is stored or sent anywhere.

The Basics

Your income and age set the baseline for all calculations.

Used to benchmark your savings against general guidelines for your age group. For example, commonly referenced targets suggest having 1x your salary saved by 30, 3x by 40, and 6x by 50.
Your total salary before taxes and deductions -- the number on your offer letter or W-2, not what hits your bank account. We use this to calculate your employer match in dollars and your retirement savings rate.
The amount that actually lands in your bank account each month after taxes, health insurance, retirement contributions, and any other payroll deductions. Check your most recent pay stub or bank deposit. If it varies, use an average.
Your total monthly spending -- rent/mortgage, groceries, utilities, insurance, subscriptions, dining out, everything. If you are not sure, check your bank and credit card statements for the last month or two and add them up. A rough estimate is fine.
Your federal tax filing status. This determines income thresholds for Roth IRA eligibility and other tax-advantaged account recommendations. If you are not sure, most single people file as Single and most married people file as Married Filing Jointly.
A High-Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) makes you eligible for a Health Savings Account (HSA), which is a triple-tax-advantaged account -- contributions are tax-deductible, growth is tax-free, and withdrawals for medical expenses are tax-free. If your health insurance has a deductible of $1,650 or more (single) or $3,300 or more (family) in 2025, it likely qualifies. Check your benefits enrollment or ask HR.

Your Safety Net

How much do you have in accessible emergency savings?

Cash you could access within a few days if something unexpected happened -- a job loss, car repair, or medical bill. This is typically money in a savings account, money market, or checking account. Do not include retirement accounts, investments, or money you would need to sell something to access.

Your Debt

List each debt separately. We use interest rates to determine priority. Leave blank if no debt.

Not sure about your APR?
APR is the annual interest rate you are being charged. For credit cards, check your latest statement or the card issuer's app -- it is usually listed as "Purchase APR." For loans, check your loan agreement or monthly statement. If you cannot find it, a rough estimate is fine -- credit cards are often 18-28%, auto loans 4-9%, student loans 4-8%.
Type / Name Balance ($) APR (%)

Retirement Savings

What you have saved and what you are putting away. If you are not sure about something, your best estimate is fine.

The combined current balance across all of your retirement accounts -- 401(k), 403(b), traditional IRA, Roth IRA, and any other accounts specifically earmarked for retirement. Do not include your emergency fund, regular savings accounts, or taxable brokerage accounts here. If you have accounts at multiple employers, add them together.
The percentage of your gross salary that comes out of your paycheck and goes into your 401(k) or other retirement plan. This is your contribution only -- not your employer's match. You can usually find this on your pay stub or in your retirement plan portal. If you are not contributing, enter 0.

Employer Match

Select the option that best describes your employer's 401(k) or 403(b) match. If you are not sure, check your benefits guide or ask HR.

An employer match means your company puts money into your retirement account based on how much you contribute. Not all employers offer one. If yours does, the formula is usually in your benefits enrollment packet, your 401(k) plan summary, or your company's HR portal. Common examples: "We match 100% up to 4%" means for every dollar you put in, they put in a dollar, up to 4% of your salary. "We match 50% up to 6%" means they put in 50 cents for every dollar you contribute, up to 6% of your salary. If none of the options below look right, select "I am not sure" and we will skip this part of the analysis.

Your Priority Stack

Based on your numbers, here is what to focus on -- in order of impact.

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Ready to build the plan behind these priorities?

The Budget Builder, Savings Goals, and Retirement Visualizer turn these priorities into a real financial plan you can track over time.

Start Your Free Plan

This tool provides educational information based on general financial principles and your self-reported inputs. It is not personalized financial, investment, or tax advice. Projections are estimates and not guarantees of future results. Consult a qualified financial, tax, or legal professional for advice specific to your situation.

How This Tool Works

Most financial advice gives you a generic answer: "pay off debt first" or "always invest." The truth is that the right priority depends on your actual numbers -- your interest rates, your employer match, your emergency fund level, and your savings rate. This tool takes those inputs and sequences your priorities based on the math.

The logic follows a straightforward framework. First, it checks whether you have enough emergency savings to avoid putting unexpected expenses on a credit card. Then it looks at whether you have high-interest debt that costs more than any realistic investment return would earn. Then it checks whether you are capturing your full employer match -- which is an immediate 50-100% return on your contribution. Finally, it evaluates your overall savings rate against commonly referenced benchmarks.

The output is a ranked list, not a single answer. That is the point. Financial priorities are not binary -- they are sequenced.

Should I Pay Off Debt or Invest?

This is one of the most common financial questions, and the answer depends on the interest rate of your debt compared to the expected return on your investments. If you are carrying a credit card at 22% APR, no investment reliably earns more than that rate. Paying off that debt is a guaranteed 22% return.

On the other hand, if you have a car loan at 4% and your employer matches your 401(k) contributions dollar for dollar up to 6%, the employer match is a 100% immediate return -- far higher than the 4% your car loan costs. The match comes first.

The gray zone is typically between 5% and 10%. Debt in that range competes with expected long-term investment returns, and the best choice depends on your risk tolerance and other financial priorities. This tool helps you see where your debts fall on that spectrum and how they rank against other opportunities.

For a deeper look at how debt, savings, and retirement planning connect, see the Waterfall Planning learning center.

How Much Emergency Fund Do I Need?

The standard guideline is three to six months of essential expenses. But the right number depends on your situation. A dual-income household with stable employment may be comfortable at three months. A single-income household, a freelancer, or someone with dependents may need six months or more.

This tool flags your emergency fund level relative to your monthly expenses and tells you whether building that buffer should come before or after other priorities like debt payoff or increased investing.

Am I Getting My Full Employer Match?

If your employer offers a 401(k) match and you are not contributing enough to capture it fully, you are leaving free money on the table. The tool calculates the annual dollar amount you are missing based on your salary, your current contribution percentage, and your employer's match percentage.

In most cases, capturing the full employer match should come before paying off moderate-interest debt or investing in a taxable brokerage account. The match is an immediate return that is hard to beat with any other financial decision.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I pay off my credit card or invest in my 401(k)?
It depends on the interest rate and whether your employer offers a match. If your credit card APR is above 15-20% and your employer does not match, the credit card likely comes first because no investment reliably earns that rate. If your employer matches contributions, capturing the match first (an immediate 50-100% return) often makes sense even with high-interest debt. This tool runs that comparison with your specific numbers.
How do I decide between paying off debt and saving for retirement?
The key comparison is the after-tax interest rate on your debt versus the expected return on your retirement investments. Debt above roughly 6-8% APR typically costs more than long-term investment returns are expected to earn. Below that threshold, the math favors investing -- especially if your employer matches contributions. The order also depends on whether you have a basic emergency fund in place, since going into debt for an emergency undoes the progress you made paying off other debt.
What is the financial order of operations?
A commonly referenced framework sequences financial priorities roughly as follows: build a starter emergency fund (one month of expenses), pay off high-interest consumer debt, capture any employer retirement match, grow your emergency fund to three to six months, increase retirement savings to 10-15% of income, then address lower-interest debt and additional investing. The exact order varies by situation, which is why this tool uses your actual numbers rather than a generic flowchart.
Should I build an emergency fund before paying off debt?
Most financial planning frameworks suggest having at least a small emergency buffer (one month of essential expenses) before aggressively paying off debt. The reason is practical: without any emergency savings, an unexpected expense goes on a credit card, which adds to the debt you are trying to eliminate. A small buffer breaks that cycle. Once you have a starter fund, directing extra cash toward high-interest debt usually takes priority over growing the emergency fund further.
How much of my employer match am I leaving on the table?
This tool calculates the exact dollar amount based on your salary, your current contribution percentage, and your employer's match percentage. For example, if you earn $80,000 and your employer matches up to 5% but you only contribute 3%, you are leaving $1,600 per year of employer money unclaimed. Over a 30-year career with investment growth, that gap compounds significantly.

For Employers: How This Tool Supports Workplace Financial Wellness

Financial stress costs employers an estimated $500 billion per year in lost productivity, according to research from the Financial Health Network. Employees who are unsure where to direct their next dollar are often the same employees who are not maximizing their 401(k) match, carrying high-interest debt, or lacking emergency savings.

This tool gives employees a no-login, no-friction starting point for getting their financial priorities in order. HR teams and benefits administrators can link to this tool in onboarding materials, benefits enrollment communications, and financial wellness campaigns.

For organizations looking to offer comprehensive financial planning -- including budgeting, savings goals, retirement projections, and scenario planning -- learn about Waterfall Planning for organizations or contact our team.

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How Waterfall Planning Works -- See how the Budget Builder, Savings Goals, and Retirement Visualizer connect into a full financial plan.