Resources
Mark understands how difficult it can be to undertake new ventures and do so in a way that makes one feel confident in their money management skills. Whether you're looking to secure a mortgage, sign a lease for a new apartment, or buy a car; it's important to understand how your decisions will impact your current and future financial position.
To that end, Mark has curated some helpful resources and tools that can help you take the next steps in your journey and understand any financial implications. On the Mark does not have a relationship with, and does not formally endorse or guarantee the accuracy of, any of the tools provided below. Rather you are invited to check them out and to decide for yourself if they are helpful resources for you.
Free Resources/Tools:
Buying a Home Financial Guide
This step-by-step guide, provided by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, offers guidance on the home-buying process, including understanding your current financial standing, choosing a loan, and closing.
How Much House Can You Afford?
Yahoo! Finance's House Affordability Calculator is a helpful tool that allows you to input data such as household income, down payment, property tax, and more to determine just how much you can afford to spend.
How Much Should You Spend on Rent?
Nerd Wallet published a 2024 article outlining key considerations for spending on rent, exploring both the 50/30/20 and 60/30/10 rules.
Rent Affordability Calculator
Real-estate marketplace company, Zillow, offers a calculator that allows you to input your monthly net income, debts, savings and expenses to determine how much you can afford to spend per month on rent.
Can You Afford a Car Loan?
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau outlines a few important steps to take before you borrow for a car or auto loan, including consideration of costs and creating a monthly spending plan.
Auto Loan Calculator
If you're curious how much debt you'll be taking on prior to purchasing a car and taking out a loan, Nerd Wallet's Auto Loan Calculator can estimate your monthly payment and total loan.
Dividend Reinvestment Calculator
This calculator form DRIP Calc show you a year over year estimate of the returns you can expect from reinvested dividends, offering a detailed bar graph and table that outlines the amount of growth per year.
Dividend Calculator: Returns & Taxes on Reinvested Dividends
NerdWallet's Dividend Calculator can help you estimate not only your returns from reinvested dividends, but also the investment taxes you can expect to pay to the government.
Budget Template and Tips
If you're looking to kickstart your personal budget, consider using NerdWallet's budget planner. Applying the 50/30/20 rule, you can account for your monthly income, expenses, savings, and wants.
Budget Calculator
Quicken's budget calculator can help you achieve your goals while keeping track of your monthly income and expenses. Offering a detailed breakdown of what to account for in your budget, this tool can help you better understand what it takes to build the financial future you want.
Financial Literacy Quiz
Test your financial literacy knowledge with Mark's quiz!
End of Year Tax Planning Checklists
Q4 is the perfect time for individuals and small business owners to analyze their losses, celebrate their wins, and create a strategic financial plan for the next year.
