CentsPlanHow Bond Yields Affect You
Treasury yields are the economy's base price of borrowing. Learn how they flow into your mortgage rate, savings account yield, auto loan rate — and why your 401(k) bond fund falls when yields rise.
Read the guide →Fed Rate Changes and Your Wallet
When the Fed moves rates, your credit card APR and HELOC payment follow through the prime rate — usually within a billing cycle or two. Here's the exact pass-through chain, and why savings yields lag behind.
Read the guide →Inflation in Plain English
Inflation quietly shrinks what each dollar buys — even when your balance never drops. Understand purchasing power and real returns, why idle cash loses value, and how TIPS and I-bonds are designed.
Read the guide →Put the concepts to work
Every guide pairs with free calculators that run the actual numbers:
- Refinance Analyzer — does a lower rate actually save you after closing costs?
- Mortgage Payoff — how extra payments shorten your loan.
- Balance Transfer Analyzer — what a 0% promo saves after fees.
- Home Equity — lump sum vs. HELOC vs. cash-out refinance.
- Compound Growth — how returns compound over time, and what waiting costs.
- Debt vs Invest — paying down debt vs. investing the same dollars.
- Avalanche vs Snowball — two payoff strategies, compared side by side.
Last updated: September 27, 2026