Money Tools
The Needs Approach Calculator
Pick what you want to own or rent, drop in the real numbers, and see the honest income you'd need to carry it. This works backwards from the life you're building, not the paycheck you already have.
1. Choose what you're pricing out
Turn on any combination. Living Baseline layers real life on top so the answer isn't "sure, if you never eat."
Car
Payment, insurance, gas, upkeep
Home
Buying: mortgage, tax, PMI, HOA
Apartment
Renting: rent plus the extras
Living Baseline
Food, bills, debt, savings
Quick fill:
2. Enter your numbers
Use real quotes where you have them. Everything recalculates as you type.
The Car
Monthly cost of ownership$
$
Auto rate, editable below
%
Statewide estimate, editable
%
$
$
$
The Home (buying)
Full monthly PITI$
%
Under 20% adds PMI%
Statewide average, editable
%
$
$
The Apartment (renting)
All in, monthly$
$
$
$
Living Baseline
The stuff nobody budgets for$
$
$
$
Student loans, cards, etc.$
What you want to keep, not spend3. The number you came for
View:
Quick honesty check: This tool runs the standard 28/36 planning guideline in reverse. Housing at or under 28% of your gross income, all debts at or under 36%, with a comfortable tier that gives you more breathing room. Take-home estimates use rough blended tax rates and are ballpark, not gospel. These are widely used rules of thumb, not personalized advice for your exact situation. For that, talk to a licensed pro who can see your whole picture.
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