Personal finance for people who want to be great with money — written by the friend who already is.
Five items. One number that mattered. One story worth reading. One policy shift. One product change. One thing to actually do this weekend.
The number that mattered
The 2026 401(k) elective deferral limit. If you started the year contributing 10% of a $150K salary and haven't touched your election since January, you're on pace to leave about $8,500 of tax-advantaged space on the table.
Log into your payroll portal and bump the percentage. Two minutes.
One story worth reading
With the front end of the yield curve still elevated, a handful of credit unions are quoting 4.6–4.8% APY on 5-year CDs with modest early-withdrawal penalties. Not sexy. Genuinely useful for the cash you know you won't touch.
If you have a 3–5 year sinking fund sitting in a checking account, this is the week to move it.
One policy shift
The standard business mileage deduction moves to 71 cents. If you drive for a side hustle and track by hand, your notebook math from January is now leaving money on the return.
Reconcile your log. Then install a mileage app before Monday.
One product change
The details matter less than the pattern: annual fee up, credits reshuffled into narrower categories you have to remember to use. If you're paying a fee for a card whose credits require a spreadsheet, you're the product.
Open your wallet. Ask each card to justify its rent this quarter.
One thing to actually do this weekend
You have until April to fund the prior year, but every month you wait is a month of tax-free growth you don't get back. If you're above the income cap, do the backdoor conversion the same afternoon.
$7,000 for you. Another $7,000 for your spouse. Ten minutes total.
The weekly dispatch
The kind of financial advice you'd get from a friend who's already figured it out. No hot takes, no leaderboards, no affiliate hustle.