Plenvest guides are educational and do not constitute financial, tax, or investment advice. They explain general concepts; your situation may differ. For personal guidance, talk to a licensed advisor.
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Plain-English guides to the concepts behind our calculators. No jargon for its own sake — just the ideas that change how much you keep.
Taxes & Roth
Why tax diversification matters
You can’t predict future tax rates — so spread your savings across taxable, tax-deferred, and tax-free buckets.
Read →Roth IRA income limits
Why high earners get phased out of the Roth — and the doors to tax-free growth that stay open.
Read →Backdoor Roth IRA
How high earners fund a Roth despite income limits — and the pro-rata trap to avoid.
Read →Insurance
How much life insurance do I need?
Estimate your coverage with the DIME method — with an interactive calculator.
Read →Types of life insurance explained
Term, whole, universal, and IUL — what each does, who it suits, and the trade-offs, with 2025 market data.
Read →Annuities vs IUL
Income vs death benefit — how the two products differ and who each suits.
Read →Retirement & borrowing
Sequence-of-returns risk
Why two portfolios with the same average return can end very differently — and why the years near retirement matter most.
Read →401(k) rollover options
Leaving a job? Your four options for the old 401(k), and the tax traps to avoid.
Read →15-year vs 30-year mortgage
Payment vs total interest vs flexibility — and the 30-year-plus-extra-payments hybrid most people miss.
Read →