Starter journey

First job, broke. Now what?

Four checks. Walk away with a Tuesday to-do list — three things to do this week, with dollar amounts. No score. No jargon. No "you should."

  1. 1Net take-home
  2. 2Emergency fund
  3. 3Student loan
  4. 4Rent check
Step 1 of 4 — Current

Net take-home

Your gross salary lies. What lands in your bank is what you can actually budget.

See my net pay →
Step 2 of 4

Emergency fund

Start with $1,000. Then 1 month of expenses. Then 3 months. One step at a time.

Set my target →
Step 3 of 4

Student loan

Even $50 extra a month can shave years off and save thousands in interest.

Run the math →
Step 4 of 4

Rent check

30% of NET (not gross) is the real ceiling. Anything above puts you in catch-up mode.

Check my rent →

Your Tuesday to-do list

Complete 3 more checks to personalize this list.

  • 1
    Open a high-yield savings account, auto-transfer the minimum
    $25/week
    Even $25/week = $1,300/year. The habit matters more than the amount on day one.
  • 2
    Add a small extra payment to your highest-interest loan
    +$25-50/month
    Goes 100% to principal. Compounds into years of payments saved.
  • 3
    Cap rent at 30% of your NET take-home pay (not gross)
    30% of net
    Gross-based rent rules are how people end up house-poor on day one.
Educational only. Defaults are starting points based on CFPB and BLS guidance, not personalized financial advice. Run the four checks above to tailor this list to your numbers.