How do I set a savings goal that actually works?
A savings goal without a deadline and a monthly target is just a wish. To make it concrete, you need three numbers:
- Target amount, what you want to save
- Current savings, what you already have
- Monthly contribution, what you can put aside each month
From those three, you can calculate how many months it will take to reach your goal, or flip it: given a deadline, what monthly amount do you need?
The Savings Goal Calculator lets you model both directions, either find the timeline or find the required monthly contribution, and includes the effect of interest earned along the way.
How do I build a monthly budget?
The most common reason budgets fail: they account for fixed costs (rent, subscriptions) but underestimate variable spending (food, transport, incidentals). A working budget needs both.
A simple framework:
- List all income sources (net, after tax)
- List fixed costs that do not change month to month
- Estimate variable costs from bank statements over the last three months
- Calculate what is left after costs
The Budget Planner structures this breakdown and shows you at a glance where your money goes and how much is available to save or invest.
How much does inflation erode my savings?
If your savings earn 2% per year but inflation runs at 4%, your money loses purchasing power at roughly 2% per year. Over ten years, that is a meaningful real loss even if the nominal balance grows.
The Inflation Calculator shows what a given amount is worth in today's money after N years at a given inflation rate, and conversely, what future amount you need to match today's purchasing power. It supports historical rates for France, Europe, and the US.
What does a loan actually cost me?
The monthly repayment on a loan is only part of the picture. The total interest paid over the full term can exceed the original amount borrowed at high rates or long durations.
Key variables:
- Principal, the amount borrowed
- Annual interest rate (APR), the real cost of borrowing
- Term, the repayment period in months or years
The Loan Calculator computes the monthly payment, total interest paid, and total cost, and draws a full amortization table showing the principal-to-interest split for each payment.
Summary
The four tools above cover the main pillars of personal finance: deciding what to save toward, tracking where your money goes, understanding what inflation does to it, and calculating the real cost of borrowing. None of them require an account, all calculations run in your browser.