What We've Built
Every update, logged. No black box. Tools added, ShowMath upgraded, bugs fixed — with context on what changed and why.
Updates
149
Tools shipped
90
Months active
1
Hub search bar — real-time tool search with '/' shortcut
Added a real-time search bar to the tool hub. Searches tool name, description, and tags. Minimum 2 characters to trigger. Shows 'X tools found' count while filtering. Clear button (×) when text is present. Empty state: 'No tools match [query]'. Keyboard shortcut: '/' focuses the input. Escape clears and blurs. Implemented in ToolsGrid.tsx as local state — no backend, purely reads from tool registry.
Recently Viewed strip upgraded — card style, ≥2 threshold, clear button
RecentlyViewed component upgraded: shows card-style mini-cards (not just pills) with tool icon, name, and description excerpt. Only appears when ≥2 tools visited (was ≥1). Added clear button. MAX_ITEMS bumped from 5 to 6. Added clearRecentlyViewed() to recently-viewed.ts. Cards look up full tool data from the registry for description excerpts.
3 new better-than pages — TurboTax Self-Employed, FreshBooks, Wave Accounting
Added /better-than/turbotax-self-employed (TurboTax Self-Employed $89+/year vs free Reise calculators), /better-than/freshbooks (FreshBooks $204+/year invoicing vs free freelance finance planning tools), /better-than/wave-accounting (Wave free accounting vs Reise planning calculators — honest comparison, both are free, serve different jobs). All 3 registered in sitemap.ts at priority 0.72.
New: Year-End Tax Checklist — deadline-organized for freelancers
3-deadline checklist (Dec 31 / Jan 31 / April 15) covering Solo 401(k) by Dec 31, §179 asset purchases, mileage log finalization, 1099-NEC issuance, SEP-IRA funding, Schedule C, and QBI deduction. 3-state items (checked / N/A / unchecked) with localStorage persistence. Built-in tax savings calculator: SE tax base (IRC §1402), SE tax deduction (IRC §164(f)), retirement, health insurance, and home office deductions — with 8-step ShowMath.
ShowMath depth audit — overhead-rate and rate-sanity-check rewritten to 8 steps each
overhead-rate: added annual indirect cost pool derivation (FAR 31.203), annual G&A pool derivation, fringe benefits (FAR 31.205-6(b)), then existing overhead rate / G&A rate / burden rate / burdened labor / billing rate — all with FAR citations and explanatory notes. rate-sanity-check: added segment benchmark lookup, location tier differential (T1/T2/T3), experience multiplier, annual equivalent at current vs market median, dollar gap, and raise % required — 8 total steps with BLS/Upwork source attribution.
3 more SEO blog guides — eBay fees, freelance contracts, quarterly tax mistakes
New guides: 'The True Cost of Selling on eBay (Fee Breakdown for Resellers)' — walks through FVF by category, managed payments, promoted listings, top-rated seller discount, with links to hbtax-platform-fees, hbtax-reseller-pl, hbtax-inventory-tracker. 'The Freelance Contract Clauses That Protect Your Money' — kill fee, net-15 terms, late fee language, scope change orders, IP ownership, with links to invoice-late-fee, scope-creep, retainer-calculator. '5 Quarterly Tax Mistakes Freelancers Make' — not paying, unequal quarters, ignoring income growth, forgetting SE tax, missing state payments, with links to quarterly-safe-harbor, self-employment-tax. All added to sitemap at priority 0.85.
4 freelance blog guides published — retainer, overhead, client management, benefits
New guides: 'Why Retainers Beat Project Work' (links to retainer-calculator, true-hourly-rate), 'The Hidden Costs Destroying Your Freelance Margins' (links to overhead-calculator, true-hourly-rate, rate-sanity-check), 'How to Fire a Client' (links to client-profitability, project-profitability), 'The Benefits Self-Employed People Actually Need' (links to benefits-gap, health-insurance-deduction, self-employed-retirement). 16 total blog guides now published.
isNew badge tightened — 10 newest tools only (was 92)
Removed isNew: true from 82 tools that had it set indiscriminately. Badge now reserved for the 10 most recently shipped tools: social-security-estimator, payment-terms, benefits-gap, cost-of-hiring, rate-increase, rate-sanity-check, hbtax-reseller-pl, hbtax-platform-fees, hbtax-tax-estimator, hbtax-inventory-tracker. The New badge now means something.
Coming soon: Retainer Calculator, Overhead Calculator, Client Profitability Tracker
Three tools in the pipeline: Retainer Calculator (model retainer pricing, capacity hold, income floor from recurring clients), Overhead Calculator (4-bucket overhead breakdown → true hourly cost floor), Client Profitability Tracker (rank clients by net effective rate after all billable + non-billable time).
Coming soon: eBay Seller Fee Analyzer, Reseller Sales Tax Guide
eBay Seller Fee Analyzer: input sale price, category, promoted listing rate — see FVF, managed payments fee, and net proceeds vs. all 5 competitor platforms. Reseller Sales Tax Guide: state-by-state nexus rules, Wayfair thresholds, marketplace facilitator laws (eBay/Etsy/Amazon collect in most states).
New tool: Multi-Marketplace Comparison Calculator
Compare selling the same item across eBay, Amazon, Etsy, Mercari, and Poshmark. See platform fees %, fee amounts, and net profit after fees for each marketplace side by side. Full ShowMath breakdown of fee calculations.
New tool: Amazon FBA vs FBM Calculator
Compare Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) vs self-shipping (FBM). Enter product weight and dimensions to auto-detect FBA size tier, see referral + fulfillment fees, and compare net profit per unit and annual profit difference.
New tool: Reseller Monthly P&L Tracker
Full monthly profit & loss statement for resellers. Enter revenue, COGS, platform fees %, shipping, storage, returns, and other expenses. See gross profit, net profit, margins %, and expense breakdown bar chart.
New tool: Break-Even Units Calculator
Calculate your break-even sales volume. Enter fixed monthly costs, variable cost per unit, and sale price to see break-even units, break-even revenue, contribution margin, and margin of safety at your expected volume.
ProJobCalc: Expense Tracker
Full expense tracking for freelancers and contractors: add, edit, delete business expenses by category (software, equipment, travel, meals, marketing, etc.), visual category breakdown bar, CSV export, year/month filtering, and YTD totals. Accessible from the dashboard Quick Access grid.
New tool: 1099 vs W-2 Equivalence Calculator
Convert between 1099 contractor rates and W-2 salaries. Accounts for SE tax (15.3%), employer payroll tax (7.65%), health insurance, retirement match, and PTO value. Shows the exact premium a contractor must charge to break even, plus daily and hourly rate benchmarks.
New tool: Gig Income Tax Burden Calculator
Full 2024 tax picture for 1099 / gig workers: SE tax, federal brackets, state tax, IRS mileage deduction ($0.67/mi), home office simplified method ($5/sq ft), and quarterly estimated payment schedule. Shows net take-home and effective rate.
New tool: Invoice Late Fee Calculator
Calculate overdue invoice late fees: flat fee, daily %, or monthly % with optional compounding. Shows days past due, grace period, billable days, accrued fee, daily accrual rate, total owed, and 30/60/90-day projections. Includes 3 copy-paste contract language templates (aggressive 2%, standard 1.5%, friendly $50 flat).
New tool: Freelancer Savings Rate Calculator
Tells 1099 workers exactly what % to save from every payment. Four buckets: tax reserve (SE + federal + state auto-calculated for all 50 states), retirement (SEP-IRA cap enforced), emergency fund (6-month target over 24 months), and equipment reserve. Full 2024 bracket math.
New tool: How AI Actually Works
Visual explainer of neural networks, training, tokenization, and perceptron math. Interactive: adjust neuron count to see connections multiply, run training epochs to watch accuracy converge, tokenize any sentence, tune weights/bias and see sigmoid activation live.
New tool: Exponential Growth Visualizer
y = a(1+r)^t made interactive. Presets for savings (7%/yr), viral content (10%/day), bacteria (100%/day), Moore's Law (41%/yr). CSS bar chart comparing exponential vs linear growth side by side. Doubling time via Rule of 70.
New tool: Probability & Statistics Visualizer
Four interactive sections: coin flip simulator (law of large numbers), normal distribution bell curve with ±1σ/2σ/3σ shading, expected value calculator (lottery math), and Bayes' theorem (medical test paradox) with full ShowMath.
ProJobCalc: Stripe payment link on invoices
Freelancers can now generate a Stripe Payment Link directly from any invoice detail page. Client pays online via the link; webhook automatically marks the invoice as Paid and records payment date. Includes Active/Used status badge and one-click copy. Graceful fallback when Stripe is not configured.
5 new blog guides: AI, compound growth, opportunity cost, credit card debt, paycheck-to-paycheck
How AI Actually Works (tokens, hallucinations, LLM limitations); Exponential Growth (Rule of 72, Early Emma vs Late Larry math); Opportunity Cost (the coffee example done right, holding costs, career trade-offs); Real Cost of Minimum Payments (24% APR payoff math, snowball vs avalanche); Breaking Paycheck-to-Paycheck (psychology of the cycle, buffer-building steps, automation).
New tool: What's Your Money Personality? (Quiz)
10-question quiz reveals your financial archetype: Builder, Spender, Avoider, or Protector. Each archetype comes with personalized strengths, blind spots, score breakdown bar chart, and 3 concrete action steps. Shareable result via clipboard copy.
New tool: Are You Living Paycheck to Paycheck?
Enter monthly take-home pay, fixed expenses, variable expenses, and savings to get a paycheck-to-paycheck score (0–100), 50/30/20 budget gap stacked bar, emergency runway, and a ranked action plan. ShowMath walks through all 9 calculation steps.
New tool: The True Cost of Debt Calculator
Eye-opening debt calculator for credit cards, car loans, mortgages, student loans, and personal loans. Shows monthly and daily interest charges, then compares 3 payment scenarios (minimum / double / +$50) with interest saved and months saved vs minimum. Full amortization ShowMath.
Hero upgrade: new headline, stat badges, ShowMath CTA
Updated hero to 'The financial toolkit for the self-employed.' with dynamic tool count badge, 'Always free' badge, 'ShowMath on every calculator' badge. Secondary CTA now links to /showmath instead of ProJobCalc.
/showmath page upgraded with live demo, featured grid, manifesto
Rebuilt /showmath landing page with SE tax calculation demo using actual ShowMathPanel component, three-pillar transparency section (Transparent/Cited/Free), 6-tool featured grid pulled from registry, and 'Try it yourself' section.
New tool: Salary & Rate Negotiation Simulator
Role-play salary and freelance rate negotiations with a script generator. Pick scenario (new offer, raise, freelance increase, contract renewal), enter offered vs target amounts, check your leverage factors, and get a ready-to-deliver opening statement, counter script, and responses to 3 common objections. ShowMath shows 10-year compounding stakes of not negotiating.
New tool: Freelance Rate Benchmarks by Skill
Market rate lookup for 14 freelance skill categories (web dev, UI/UX, copywriting, video, consulting, devops, legal, and more) across junior/mid/senior tiers with location adjustment (NYC/SF +40%, rural -20%). Enter your current rate to see market percentile, position label, and dollar gap to next tier. ShowMath walks through base range → location multiplier → adjusted range → percentile.
New tool: Time Value of Money Calculator
4-mode TVM calculator: future value (lump sum and annuity), present value, required annual return (Newton-Raphson), and required years (log formula). Annuity mode supports annual/quarterly/monthly/bi-weekly/weekly payments with ordinary or annuity-due timing. Real vs nominal toggle via Fisher equation. Year-by-year compound schedule. Rule of 72 cross-check. ShowMath adapts dynamically to selected mode.
New tool: How Interest Rates Affect Everything
Enter your actual mortgage (ARM or fixed), car loan, savings balance, and credit card balance to simulate any Fed rate change (cut 0.25–1.0% or hike). Shows per-account monthly/annual impact, net monthly delta banner, who wins/who loses breakdown, and a plain-English explanation of why the Fed moves rates. ShowMath walks through ARM payment formula, savings yield change, and credit card APR impact.
New tool: Opportunity Cost Calculator
4 preset scenarios (daily coffee, streaming, car vs transit, custom). Input periodic cost, frequency, expected investment return, and time horizon. Shows annual cost, total spent, FV if invested, opportunity cost (growth foregone), per-use invested value, and hours-of-work equivalent. Year-by-year growth table. ShowMath details FV annuity formula with actual numbers.
New tool: GDP & Inflation — What the Economy Means for Your Wallet
3-tab tool covering GDP basics (real vs nominal, US data), CPI inflation history 2015–2024 with bar chart, and real return calculator. Personal inflation calculator: adjust 7-category spending weights to see your personal inflation vs national CPI. Real return tab uses Fisher equation (1+nominal)/(1+inflation)−1 showing nominal FV, real FV, and purchasing power lost. ShowMath covers all formulas.
New tool: Mortgage Refinance Calculator
Should you refinance? Calculates break-even point (closing costs ÷ monthly savings), new vs. current monthly payment, year-by-year cumulative interest comparison, lifetime interest savings, and net savings after closing costs. Supports roll-in-closing-costs option and all standard fixed terms. ShowMath walks through full amortization formula and break-even math.
New tool: TDEE & Macro Calculator
Calculate Total Daily Energy Expenditure using Mifflin-St Jeor BMR formula. Supports 5 activity levels (sedentary → athlete), 4 goals (maintain/lose slow/lose fast/bulk), and outputs daily macro targets for protein, carbs, and fat in grams and kcal. ShowMath shows full unit conversion, BMR formula steps, and macro allocation reasoning.
New tool: 529 College Savings Calculator
Project your 529 balance at age 18 against inflation-adjusted 4-year college costs (public in-state/out-of-state/private, 2024 College Board data). Shows funding gap or surplus, monthly contribution needed to fully fund, year-by-year balance table, state tax deduction savings estimate, and progress bar. ShowMath details FV annuity formula and future cost inflation math.
New tool: Social Security Claiming Strategy Calculator
When should you claim Social Security? See monthly benefit at 62 (70%), 67 (100%), and 70 (124%). Break-even age vs claiming early, cumulative lifetime benefit chart, life expectancy tiers (pessimistic 78 / average 83 / optimistic 90), recommendation card, and spousal benefit analysis. ShowMath walks through every calculation including delayed credit formula and break-even math.
New tool: Passive Income Calculator
How much capital do you need to replace your income? Mix income streams across dividends (customizable yield), REITs, bonds, and HYSA. Shows blended yield, total capital needed (income ÷ yield), capital needed by 4% rule, current savings gap, years and months to target via iterative FV modeling, current monthly income, and 20-year projection. ShowMath with 7 steps.
New tool: Tax Extension Calculator
Calculate the real cost of filing a Form 4868 extension. Shows balance due April 15, 0.5%/month failure-to-pay penalty (IRC §6651), daily IRS interest (FFR + 3%, IRC §6601), total owed by October 15, monthly penalty accrual, combined daily cost, and effective annualized rate.
New tool: Alibaba to Amazon Profit Calculator
Landed cost breakdown (unit cost + sea/air/express shipping + customs duty by HS category + prep + inspection amortized), Amazon referral and FBA fees, ROI on landed cost, break-even sale price, MOQ investment and payback period, and Strong/Okay/Risky/Loss verdict.
New tool: Reseller Profit Tracker
LocalStorage-backed P&L tracker for item flippers. Log purchases and sales across eBay, Mercari, Poshmark, and more. See per-flip profit, ROI, days held, annualized return, and total P&L summary. Tracks 1099-K threshold progress ($5,000 2024) with progress bar. CSV export for tax records. Preloaded with demo data.
New tool: Shopify Store Profit Margin Calculator
Full P&L for Shopify merchants: gross and net revenue, COGS, subscription cost, transaction fees (Shopify Payments vs third-party), app subscriptions, ad spend, shipping, and returns. Side-by-side plan comparison (Basic/Shopify/Advanced) with recommended plan at current revenue. Break-even revenue per plan. 12-step ShowMath panel.
New tool: Stock Market Basics
P/E ratio simulator with cheap/fair/expensive valuation badge, historical DCA examples (AAPL, SPY, AMZN), index vs active cost comparison, and a 12-month DCA projection with SVG sparkline.
New tool: Subscription Audit
Track all monthly subscriptions, rank by cancel-first score, see opportunity cost over 10/20/30 years at 7% growth, and break down spending by category. Preloaded with 8 common subscriptions.
New tool: Freelance Forecast
12-month revenue projection with per-month seasonality toggles (normal/high/slow), best/worst ±20% bands, tax reserve tracking, and goal-gap analysis showing 3 paths to hit a revenue target.
New tool: FBA Product Research Scorer — HBTax suite
Score Amazon FBA product opportunities across profitability, demand, and competition. Enter BSR, COGS, referral fee category, FBA size tier, competing sellers, and review count. Get net profit per unit, ROI, monthly profit estimate, and an overall Hot Product / Good Find / Maybe / Skip verdict with 11-step ShowMath.
New tool: Multi-Marketplace Fee Comparison — HBTax suite
Compare net proceeds across 7 platforms (eBay, Amazon FBM, Etsy, Depop, Poshmark, Mercari, Facebook Marketplace) with 2024 fee structures. Category-specific eBay and Amazon referral fee selectors. Ranked comparison table with winner badge and per-platform fee drill-down.
New tool: Dropshipping Profit Margin Calculator
True net margin for Shopify/WooCommerce dropshippers after supplier cost, shipping, payment processing (Shopify, Stripe, PayPal, Square), return rate, and optional ad spend. Shows gross margin, net margin, break-even sale price, and ROAS needed to be profitable. Cost waterfall breakdown with 9-step ShowMath.
3 more blog guides — HSA triple tax benefit, crypto taxes 2024-2025, stock market basics
HSA guide covers triple tax advantage, stealth IRA strategy, receipts approach, and age-65 flexibility. Crypto taxes guide covers capital gains vs ordinary income, wash sale exception, staking Rev. Rul. 2023-14, Form 8949, and record keeping. Stock market basics covers index funds vs stock picking, DCA, P/E ratios, and time-in-market research.
/updates page — month grouping, stats bar, email subscribe, dot-timeline aesthetic
Rebuilt /updates as client component with month-grouped timeline, entry count stats (total updates, tools shipped, months active), email subscribe form with localStorage persistence, and dot-style entry rows. Linear/Vercel changelog aesthetic.
ShowMath audit — savings-goal-tracker step 5 note added
Added missing explanatory note to progress percentage step in savings-goal-tracker ShowMath panel. All 7 audited tools confirmed 6+ steps with full formula/substitution/result/note coverage.
New tool: W-4 Tax Withholding Optimizer
See if you are over- or under-withholding, what refund or bill you are headed for, and get exact W-4 Step 3 and Step 4(c) adjustments per paycheck. Includes the opportunity cost of over-withholding (HYSA rate) and underpayment penalty risk flag.
New tool: Is College Worth It? ROI Calculator
40-year NPV comparison of college vs trade school vs no degree with your actual numbers. Lifetime earnings premium, break-even years, total loan repayment cost, foregone income, and neutral verdict note. Built for 16-21 year olds making the college decision.
New tool: Salary Negotiation Calculator
Enter current salary, target, competing offer, industry, experience, and metro area to get a CoL-adjusted market rate estimate, floor/target/stretch negotiation range, and a ready-to-use 2-3 sentence counter-offer script with talking points.
ProJobCalc: Recurring Invoice Scheduler
Recurring toggle on invoice creation (weekly/bi-weekly/monthly/quarterly), schedule stored in localStorage, /dashboard/invoices/recurring page with Generate Now, Pause/Resume/Stop controls, and recurring badge on invoice list.
ProJobCalc: Dashboard At-a-Glance Analytics
5 new metric cards at top of dashboard: Revenue This Month (vs last month %), Outstanding AR, Win Rate (90 days), Avg Deal Size (90 days), Top Client by YTD revenue.
4 new blog guides: budgeting, net worth, FIRE, freelance health
budget-50-30-20: 50/30/20 adapted for variable income. net-worth-guide: assets vs liabilities + age benchmarks. fire-movement-guide: 4% rule, savings rate tables, FIRE spectrum. freelance-health-score-guide: 6-dimension business checkup.
3 new tools: 50/30/20 Budget Builder, Net Worth Calculator, Financial Independence Lite
Budget Builder (/tools/budget-builder): Interactive 50/30/20 rule with real-time colored progress bars per bucket, over-budget callouts with cut targets, savings priority guidance (emergency fund first), and First Apartment preset. Net Worth Calculator (/tools/net-worth-calculator): Assets vs liabilities with age-group benchmark (Fed median data), asset/liability breakdown bars, localStorage snapshot history with delta tracking. Financial Independence Lite (/tools/financial-independence-lite): FI number (expenses×25, 4% rule), compound growth time-to-FI, +$200/month what-if callout, savings rate impact table (10%→70%), FI age projection.
Amazon Seller Fee Calculator — FBA/FBM breakdown with breakeven
Full Amazon fee breakdown for resellers: referral fee by category, FBA fulfillment fee by size tier, blended monthly storage, COGS, net profit, and breakeven price. 12-step ShowMath. HBTax suite.
Business Asset Depreciation Calculator — MACRS, §179, Bonus 60%
Model four IRS depreciation methods (MACRS half-year, Straight-Line, §179 full expensing, 60% Bonus Depreciation) for any asset class (5-yr, 7-yr, 27.5-yr, 39-yr). Year-by-year schedule, total tax savings, and NPV at 7%.
Solo Business Health Score — 6-dimension freelance checkup
Comprehensive health score across Cash Flow, Rate Health, Client Diversification, Tax Readiness, Retirement, and Contract Protection. Weighted 0-100 composite with Critical/Developing/Healthy/Thriving badge and top 3 action items.
3 more blog guides — Roth vs Traditional, salary negotiation, college ROI
Added Roth IRA vs Traditional IRA guide (tax-now vs tax-later math, income limits, why Roth wins young), salary negotiation guide (research-first approach, scripts, anchoring data), and college ROI guide (earnings premium, break-even math, trade school comparison, ROI by major). All linked to relevant tools.
Students page expanded — 13 live tools + 4 coming-soon + /about added to sitemap
Updated /students to show all 13 live student-oriented tools (budget, debt-payoff, emergency-fund, roth-vs-traditional, tax-brackets, net-worth, savings-goal-tracker, car-true-cost + originals). Added coming-soon section with 4 planned tools. Added /about to sitemap.
Debt Payoff Calculator — Avalanche vs Snowball with balance chart
New tool at /tools/debt-payoff-calculator. Compare avalanche (highest APR first) vs snowball (lowest balance first) for up to 5 debts with an extra monthly payment. Shows total interest paid, months to payoff, payoff order for each method, and a side-by-side SVG balance-over-time chart. Winner banner (avalanche saves $X and Y months). Snowball acknowledgment (slower but builds momentum). ShowMath traces the full month-by-month simulation. Minimum payments roll when debts are paid off.
Side Hustle Tax Calculator — marginal rate + SE tax on W-2 + side income
New tool at /tools/side-hustle-tax. Calculates the exact additional tax owed when you have both W-2 income and side hustle income. Key insight: side income stacks on top of W-2 and is taxed at the marginal rate (not the effective rate) — plus 15.3% SE tax on net side income. Inputs: W-2 gross, side hustle gross and expenses, filing status, state (all 50 states with approximate marginal rates). Outputs: SE tax, additional federal tax, additional state tax, effective rate on side income, quarterly estimate. Tax surprise alert when net side income > $400.
Price Increase Calculator — break-even churn rate for freelancers
New tool at /tools/price-increase-calculator. Quantifies how many clients you can lose after a price increase and still make the same revenue. Key formula: break-even churn = 1 − (current price / proposed price). Shows revenue delta, annualized impact, clients you can afford to lose, months to recoup lost clients from acquisition cost, and three scenarios (+7%, +15%, +25% increase). Raise Now / Raise With Care / Hold verdict based on churn estimate vs break-even. Timing recommendations for when to raise rates.
Income Tax Brackets Visualizer — marginal vs effective rate myth-buster
New tool at /tools/income-tax-brackets. Shows exactly how the 2024 federal tax brackets work for all 4 filing statuses. Stacked bar chart fills each bracket with the user's income. Explodes the myth that a raise can make you poorer: only income inside the higher bracket is taxed at the higher rate. Dynamic raise example (a $1,000 raise nets you $X after tax). Bracket table with color-coded rates, marginal badge on top bracket, effective vs marginal rate explainer, and standard deduction savings callout. ShowMath traces every bracket step.
New tool: True Cost of Owning a Car Calculator
Full 5-year total cost of ownership: loan (amortization), insurance, fuel, maintenance, registration, depreciation schedule (new vs used), cost per mile, net cost after resale, and optional buy vs lease comparison. Built for first-time car buyers.
New tool: What Inflation Is Doing to Your Money
Purchasing power erosion calculator with historical presets (1970s 11%, 2022 peak 8.5%, current 3.4%). Shows real value loss over 5/10/20/30 years, compares idle cash vs HYSA (4.5%) vs S&P 500 (10% avg). Built for students and adults who need to understand why idle cash loses value.
New tool: Savings Goal Calculator
Multi-goal savings tracker (up to 3 goals) with compound interest, months-to-goal, target date, and 'what if I save more?' sensitivity table for +$50/+$100/+$200/+$500 extra per month. Student-friendly presets: Emergency Fund, Used Car, College Textbooks, House Down Payment.
3 new student tools: Credit Score Builder, Student Loan True Cost, Hourly to Real Wage
Credit Score Builder (/tools/credit-score-builder): FICO 5-factor simulator with sliders — payment history, amounts owed, length, new credit, mix. What-if scenarios: miss a payment, max out card, open new card. Score tiers reference (Poor/Fair/Good/Very Good/Exceptional). ShowMath with per-factor formula. Student Loan True Cost (/tools/student-loan-true-cost): True cost calculator for subsidized (5.5%), unsubsidized (6.54%), and PLUS (8.05%) loans. Standard 10yr, Extended 25yr, Income-Driven plans. Grace period capitalization, extra payment comparison, PSLF/forgiveness note. Hourly to Real Wage (/tools/hourly-to-real-wage): First-job wage translator — gross to net after FICA + federal + state tax (50 states). Monthly budget reality bars (rent/car/phone/groceries). Time cost of 6 common purchases (Jordans, AirPods, iPhone, etc). /students page updated to show all 5 live student tools in 3-column grid.
5 new blog guides — compound interest, first job money, side hustle taxes, car buying, debt payoff
Added student-friendly compound interest guide, first-job money guide, side hustle tax explainer (W-2 + 1099 stacking), car buying true cost breakdown, and avalanche vs snowball debt payoff guide. All link back to relevant tools.
ProJobCalc — Invoice generation from accepted proposals + invoice detail page
Accepted proposals now show a Generate Invoice button that pre-populates an invoice from proposal data (project type, amount) and saves to localStorage. New /dashboard/invoices/[id] detail page with print/PDF, mark paid, mark sent, and delete actions.
ShowMath for Students — /students landing page + 2 student tools launched
New student track at /students. Distinct landing page with hero ('Math Finally Makes Sense'), three pillars (See It / Change It / Understand It), ShowMath philosophy callout, featured tools grid with 2 live tools + 2 coming-soon placeholders, age range note (13-21). Added /students to sitemap and footer. Two student tools: /tools/compound-interest-visualizer (SVG line chart, sliders, presets, Rule of 72) and /tools/first-paycheck-tax (gross-to-net with FICA explainer, 1099 comparison).
Compound Interest Visualizer — SVG chart, sliders, presets, Rule of 72
New student tool at /tools/compound-interest-visualizer. Interactive sliders for starting amount (up to $10k), monthly contribution (up to $1k/month), annual interest rate (1-15%), and years (1-40). SVG line chart renders year-by-year balance for compound interest vs savings-only (no interest) with filled area showing the 'gap'. Preset scenarios: first job paycheck ($500), $25/week from age 16 ($108/month for 44 years), birthday money ($1,000 lump sum). Rule of 72 callout (doublingTime = 72 / rate). Interest multiplier callout when interest exceeds contributions. 8-step ShowMath including the compound formula A = P(1+r/n)^(nt). Monthly and annual compounding modes.
First Paycheck Tax Calculator — gross to net, FICA explained, 1099 comparison
New student tool at /tools/first-paycheck-tax. Sliders for hourly wage ($7.25-$30) and hours/week (4-40). Pay frequency selector (weekly/biweekly/twice monthly). State dropdown with 19 options (effective rates for low-income earners). Shows gross pay → federal income tax withholding (2024 standard method, $14,600 standard deduction) → Social Security (6.2%) → Medicare (1.45%) → state tax → net take-home per paycheck. Visual deduction bars showing each item as % of gross. 'Why is it lower?' section with 3 explainer boxes covering FICA, standard deduction, and encouragement. W-2 vs 1099 contractor comparison panel with side-by-side take-home and SE tax calculation. 7-step ShowMath. Tone: encouraging, not alarming.
Client Onboarding Checklist for Freelancers — 18 items, 4 phases, risk tracking
New tool at /tools/client-onboarding-checklist. Interactive checklist with 18 items across 4 phases: Before Signing (signed contract, NDA, written scope, payment terms, kill fee, revision policy), At Project Start (deposit received, project brief, assets received, kickoff call, timeline agreed), During Project (milestone check-ins, change order process, communication channel), At Delivery (final files, invoice sent, testimonial requested, handoff doc). Each item explains why it matters and which risk category it prevents (scope creep, late payment, unpaid work, liability, IP disputes, miscommunication, missed deadlines). Progress bar, live risk counter with color-coded badges, localStorage persistence across sessions, print button.
Billable vs Non-Billable Time Analyzer — utilization rate, effective rate, rate gap
New tool at /tools/time-tracker-analyzer. Inputs: total hours/week, billable hours/week, hourly rate, income target, and non-billable time breakdown (admin/invoicing, marketing, networking, professional development, unbilled revisions percentages). Outputs: billable utilization rate with industry benchmark (60-70% optimal, <50% critical, >80% burnout risk), true effective hourly rate (weekly billable income / total hours worked), annual billable income, annual hidden cost of non-billable overhead, and rate needed to hit income target. Visual stacked bar of non-billable time breakdown by category. ShowMath panel with 6 steps. Utilization score badge with 4 states.
Freelancer Tax Deadline Calendar 2025-2026 — 25 deadlines, GCal integration, entity filter
New tool at /tools/freelance-tax-deadline-calendar. Reference calendar covering Jan 2025 through Dec 2026 with 25 key self-employment tax deadlines: Q1-Q4 estimated tax payments (Forms 1040-ES), 1099-NEC filing deadlines (Jan 31 / Feb 2 for weekend shift), S-Corp and Partnership returns (1120-S, 1065) original and extended, individual return deadlines (Apr 15 original, Oct 15 extended), SEP-IRA contribution deadlines (Apr 15 if on time, Oct 15 if on extension), Solo 401k establishment deadline (Dec 31), and year-end deduction purchase cutoffs (IRC §179). Filter by entity type (all / sole prop / S-Corp). Google Calendar integration — each deadline has a one-click GCal URL. Countdown hero shows next upcoming deadline with days remaining and urgency color coding.
New tool: Business Credit Readiness Checker
12-question checklist that scores your business credit foundation (0–100). Covers EIN, LLC formation, DUNS number, business bank account, vendor accounts, business credit card, time in business, and revenue tier. Shows badge (Not Ready / Building / Established / Strong), gaps, and prioritized next steps.
New tool: Freelancer Paid Ads ROI Calculator
Enter your monthly ad budget, CPC, landing page CTR, close rate, and project value to see full funnel metrics (clicks → leads → clients), LTV:CAC ratio, gross ROI, CPA payback period, break-even project value, break-even close rate, and a Strong / Marginal / Weak / Unprofitable verdict.
New tool: Musician & Artist Tax Calculator
Tax calculator for musicians and artists covering performance fees, royalties, lesson income, and merch. Includes SE tax, federal income tax (2024 brackets), quarterly estimated payments, and an IRC §183 hobby loss risk flag with guidance on the 3-of-5-years profit rule.
Added /partners affiliate program page
New /partners page with partner types, how-it-works steps, commission structure (up to 30% recurring on ProJobCalc Pro), and a localStorage-backed application form. Added to footer and sitemap.
Press page refresh with dynamic tool count and ShowMath explainer
Rewrote /press with dynamic tool count from registry, dynamic article count from blog, ShowMath feature explainer, key facts table, products section, brand assets, and press contact. Added to sitemap.
ProJobCalc: client portal 'Request Changes' + 'Copy Client Link' + 'Save as Template'
Public proposal view (/proposals/[shareToken]): added 'Request Changes' button below 'Accept & Sign' — opens modal with name/email/message that triggers a pre-filled mailto link. Proposal detail page: added 'Client link' button that calls /api/proposals/[id]/share to generate a share token then copies the URL to clipboard with a 'Copied!' flash. Also added 'Save as template' link in the sidebar that POSTs to /api/templates with the proposal title and content.
4 new blog guides: Airbnb taxes, Etsy seller taxes, content creator taxes, LLC vs S-Corp
airbnb-host-taxes.mdx: 14-day rule, Schedule E vs C, depreciation, prorated expenses, Augusta Rule. etsy-seller-taxes.mdx: 1099-K threshold, full Etsy fee breakdown, COGS tracking, SE tax. content-creator-taxes.mdx: AdSense, brand deals, PR packages FMV, home studio, all income streams. freelance-business-entity.mdx: sole prop vs LLC vs S-Corp, break-even threshold (~$50-60k), QBI §199A, formation costs. All registered in sitemap.ts.
ShowMath brand landing page at /showmath
Standalone brand manifesto + product landing page for showmath.com. Sections: hero ('We Show Our Math'), problem statement (black-box calculators), live ShowMath example panel (SE tax 3-step walkthrough with IRC citations), The Standard (Transparent / Cited / Free pillars), 6 featured tool cards, email capture (localStorage, no backend), footer. Minimal nav — ShowMath wordmark only. Dark editorial design distinct from main hub. Added to sitemap.ts at priority 0.85.
New: Lease vs Buy Equipment Calculator
True NPV comparison of leasing vs buying business equipment. Buy path: purchase cost minus PV of §179 first-year deduction (2024 limit $1,220,000) minus PV of salvage value. Lease path: after-tax monthly payment × PVIFA (present value interest factor of annuity). 8-step ShowMath panel with IRC §179 citations. Inputs: equipment cost, salvage, useful life, monthly payment, lease term, marginal tax rate, discount rate.
New: Invoice Generator
Free in-browser invoice creator. Fill in business name/address/email (auto-saved to localStorage), client info, line items (quantity × rate), tax rate, and notes. Live subtotal/tax/total preview. Print to PDF with one click — @media print hides the UI and renders a clean white-background invoice. Invoice number auto-increments on each print. No account, no watermarks.
New: Digital Services Sales Tax by State
50-state + DC lookup for 5 digital service types: SaaS, digital downloads, online courses, consulting, and design. Each state has verdict (taxable / not-taxable / varies / no-sales-tax), notes, state base rate, and post-Wayfair economic nexus threshold. Enter your annual revenue to see nexus status and estimated tax exposure. Click any state for a detail panel with 4-step ShowMath: service classification → nexus check → state rate → estimated exposure.
Calculator chaining — Next Step CTAs across 6 tool pairs
Extended chains.ts with 6 new tool-to-tool handoffs: self-employment-tax → quarterly-safe-harbor (pre-fills annual tax + SE income), quarterly-safe-harbor → self-employment-tax, w2-vs-1099 → true-hourly-rate (pre-fills gross pay), true-hourly-rate → rate-sanity-check (pre-fills hourly rate), fi-number → self-employed-retirement (pre-fills current savings), hbtax-reseller-pl → quarterly-safe-harbor (annualized profit). Added useSearchParams pre-fill to quarterly-safe-harbor, rate-sanity-check, and self-employed-retirement dashboards.
Build health — TS + ESLint full pass
Full TypeScript and ESLint audit on all new tools. Fixed: category 'tax' → 'financial' on tax-checklist (wasn't in ToolCategory union), 2 useMemo dep array warnings in CryptoPortfolio and InvoiceDueDate, missing currentSavings dep in SelfEmployedRetirement, intentional mount-only useEffect in FluidBackground. Final state: 0 TS errors, 0 ESLint errors, 0 warnings.
SEO audit: canonicals, heading hierarchy, image optimization
Added canonical + full OG metadata to 3 tools missing them: health-insurance-deduction, mileage-log, vehicle-depreciation. Converted all 5 BetterThanKeywordTemplate section labels from div to h2 and feature card titles from div to h3 — fixes heading hierarchy on all 30+ better-than pages. Added images.formats (avif/webp), deviceSizes, imageSizes to next.config.mjs. Fixed category=Career → category=Tax on quarterly-taxes, tax-brackets, tax-debt-payoff, state-tax-overview, se-health-deduction.
Self-Employment Tax Calculator
Full IRS formula: net SE income → SE base (×0.9235) → SS tax (12.4%, $168,600 cap) → Medicare (2.9%) → half-SE deduction → AGI → 2024 federal brackets → QBI deduction (§199A, 20% of QBI). 11-step ShowMath. Quarterly estimated payment card. Orange accent. Pre-fills from ?income= URL param for CalculatorChain handoffs.
HBTax Suite — 4 reseller-specific calculators
Reseller P&L Calculator: COGS, eBay/Etsy fees auto-calculated, shipping, packaging, returns, net profit, quarterly tax estimate, CalculatorChain to quarterly-safe-harbor. Platform Fee Analyzer: compare take-home across eBay, Etsy, Amazon, Mercari, Facebook after all fees. Reseller Tax Estimator: SE tax + income tax on reselling profit with quarterly payment. Inventory Cost Tracker: FIFO/LIFO cost basis, realized gains, unsold inventory value.
Home Office, Mileage, Business Meal, 1099-K Threshold calculators
Home Office Deduction: IRS simplified ($5/sq ft, 300 sq ft cap) vs. actual-expense method with utility and repair proration. Mileage Deduction: 2024 standard rate ($0.67/mi), business vs. medical vs. charity, actual vehicle costs comparison. Business Meal Deduction: 50% deductible business meals with IRS documentation checklist. 1099-K Threshold: 2024 ($5,000) and 2025 ($600) thresholds with platform-by-platform reporting status.
Vehicle Depreciation, Health Insurance Deduction calculators
Vehicle Depreciation: Section 179 expensing vs. bonus depreciation (60% in 2024) vs. MACRS 5-year schedule, luxury auto limits, business-use proration. SE Health Insurance Deduction: IRC §162(l) — medical, dental, vision, LTC premiums above-the-line. AGI cap logic (can't exceed net SE profit). Marketplace subsidy interaction flag.
Project Profitability, Contractor Break-Even, Quarterly Safe Harbor
Project Profitability: hourly rate × hours vs. fixed price, expenses, net profit, true hourly, client score. Contractor Break-Even: W-2 hourly equivalent of a 1099 contract accounting for no PTO, benefits, and SE tax. Quarterly Safe Harbor: 90% current-year vs. 100%/110% prior-year rule, per-quarter payment schedule, CalculatorChain to/from self-employment-tax.
Social Security Estimator, Payment Terms Analyzer, Benefits Gap Calculator
Social Security Estimator: AIME/PIA formula, benefit at 62/67/70, break-even age between filing dates, spousal estimate. Payment Terms Analyzer: compares net-15/30/60/90 terms, effective APR of early-pay discounts, cash-flow cost of slow payers. Benefits Gap: quantifies health insurance, 401k match, PTO, FICA employer share, FSA cost to replace when going 1099.
Self-Employed Retirement, Invoice Late Fee, Rate Sanity Check, Business Entity
Self-Employed Retirement: SEP-IRA, Solo 401k, SIMPLE IRA contribution limits and tax savings, CalculatorChain from fi-number. Invoice Late Fee: flat/daily%/monthly% with compounding, 3 contract templates. Rate Sanity Check: 72 market segments (8 categories × 3 tiers × 3 spec levels), percentile positioning, market gap. Business Entity: Sole Prop vs. LLC vs. S-Corp vs. C-Corp — SE tax, §199A QBI, S-Corp break-even, IRC citations.
Cost of Hiring, Rate Increase calculators
Cost of Hiring: full burdened cost of an employee vs. 1099 contractor — FICA, FUTA/SUTA, workers comp, health, 401k match, PTO, equipment, onboarding. Shows true hourly cost (typically 1.3×–1.5× salary). Rate Increase: calculates when/how much to raise rates based on inflation, utilization, market data. Client communication template included.
12 long-form blog guides published
Guides shipped: Self-Employment Tax Complete Guide, How to Pay Quarterly Estimated Taxes, 1099 vs W-2 Tax Differences, Home Office Deduction (Simplified vs. Actual), Freelancer Retirement Accounts, eBay Reseller Taxes, W-2 vs 1099 Guide, How to Set Your Freelance Rate, HBTax Reseller Complete Guide, Freelance Deductions Guide, S-Corp Election Guide, Setting Aside Money as a Freelancer, Social Security for Freelancers, Invoice Payment Terms Guide. Each 1,500–3,000 words with linked calculators.
Reise Earn upgrade — offer feed, survey vault, earnings calculator, waitlist tiers
Expanded the Earn Credits program: new offer feed with categorized opportunities (surveys, referrals, reviews, tasks). Survey vault preview behind a waitlist gate. Earnings calculator showing estimated monthly credits. 3 waitlist tiers (Hustler, Freelancer, Pro) with different earning multipliers. EarnCreditsBadge added to header with pulse when credits are available.
ShowMath deep passes — 8 tools upgraded
ShowMath panels rebuilt or significantly expanded on: w2-vs-1099 (10 steps, side-by-side scenario), true-hourly-rate (WFH break-even, employer job cost), quarterly-tax (safe harbor rule, state rates, 4 IRS dates), self-employment-tax (11 steps, IRS SE base factor explanation), rate-sanity-check (triangular distribution explanation), business-entity (7 steps with IRC §1401/§164(f)/§199A/§1361/§11 citations), quarterly-safe-harbor (penalty math with safe harbor vs. 90% rule), self-employed-retirement (contribution limit derivation per account type).
FAQ schema on 10 tools + sitemap expansion to 130+ URLs
Added FAQPage JSON-LD schema to /tax-season hub and 9 individual tools. Sitemap expanded to 130+ URLs: added /tax-season (priority 0.9), /freelancer-hub (0.85), 12 blog guide URLs (priority 0.85 each), /resources (monthly), static pages for all hub/landing pages. robots.txt canonicalized.
ProJobCalc polish — first-run experience, toast, loading states, landing page
ProJobCalc (projobcalc.com) — first-run welcome modal for new users. Toast notification system for save/delete actions. Loading skeleton states on all heavy routes. Landing page redesigned with contractor-specific copy, pricing tier comparison, and Pro feature grid.
Tax Season Checklist for 1099 Workers
Interactive checklist at /tools/tax-checklist. 6 sections, 36 items: income documents, deductible expenses, estimated tax payments, required forms, prior-year records, and W-9/client records. Emerald progress bar, copy-as-text button, critical-item badges. React state only — no localStorage.
Tax Season Hub — /tax-season landing page
Hub page targeting 'freelancer tax help' and '1099 tax resources'. Sections: deadline callouts (April 15 + all quarterly dates), curated tax calculator grid, guide links, Checklist CTA, and 8-question FAQ accordion with FAQ schema. Priority 0.9 in sitemap.
Freelancer Hub — /freelancer-hub onboarding page
Curated starting point for new freelancers. 5 sections organized by life stage: Start with your rate (true-hourly-rate, freelance-rate, rate-sanity-check), Understand your taxes (SE tax, quarterly-tax, safe-harbor), Maximize your deductions (home-office, mileage, business-meal, SE health), Plan your future (self-employed-retirement, FI number, savings-rate), If you flip/resell (full HBTax suite).
Rate Sanity Check — market benchmark tool
72 market segments: 8 job categories × 3 location tiers × 3 specialization levels. Experience multiplier from 0.75× to 1.35×. Triangular distribution percentile positioning. Shows gap to median/75th percentile, annual equivalents, and raise percentage. Cyan accent. BLS/Upwork/Toptal data.
Business Entity Comparison — C-Corp + §199A upgrade
Added C-Corp to the entity comparison. §199A QBI deduction modeled for sole prop, LLC, and S-Corp (20% of net income, phases out above $182k/$364k). ShowMath panel with 7 steps and IRC §1401, §164(f), §199A, §1361, §11 citations, IRS Rev. Rul. 74-44. Near-break-even warning when income is within $10k of the S-Corp threshold. Purple accent.
Invoice Late Fee Calculator
3 fee structures: flat fee, daily percentage, monthly percentage with optional compounding. Status badge (Not due / In grace / Fees accruing). 3 contract template presets (aggressive 2%/month, standard 1.5%/month, friendly $50 flat) with copy-to-clipboard and 'Apply to calculator' buttons. APR compliance callout. 30/60/90-day milestone bars. Orange accent.
HBTax Suite — 4 reseller-specific tools
Built for eBay/Etsy/Amazon resellers: Reseller P&L Calculator (COGS, fees, net profit), Platform Fee Analyzer (compare take-home across 5 platforms), Reseller Tax Estimator (SE tax + income tax on reselling profit), Inventory Cost Tracker (cost basis, sold/unsold, realized gains). Each has ShowMath and RelatedToolsStrip.
Social Security Estimator
Estimates Social Security retirement benefit at 62, 67, and 70 based on earnings history. Shows break-even age between filing dates, monthly vs. lifetime benefit comparison, and spousal benefit estimate. Uses SSA AIME/PIA formula. Green accent.
Payment Terms Analyzer
Compares net-15, net-30, net-60, net-90 payment terms against early pay discount rates. Shows effective APR of discount offers, cash-flow impact of slow payers, and breakeven on factoring. Helps freelancers decide whether to offer early-pay discounts.
Benefits Gap Calculator
Quantifies what going 1099 costs in lost benefits: employer health premiums, 401k match, PTO, FICA employer share, life/disability insurance, FSA/HSA. Produces a 'benefits replacement cost' — the additional gross income needed to break even vs. an equivalent W-2 offer.
Contractor Rate Increase Calculator
Calculates when and how much to raise rates. Inputs: current rate, inflation rate, utilization, last increase date. Outputs: inflation-adjusted rate, market-adjusted rate, and a client communication template. Shows income impact of raising vs. staying flat.
Quarterly Safe Harbor Calculator
Determines the minimum quarterly payment to avoid IRS underpayment penalty. Implements both the 90% current-year rule and the 100%/110% prior-year safe harbor. Shows which is smaller, payment-per-quarter breakdown, and total annual liability estimate.
Cost of Hiring Calculator
Full cost of an employee vs. a 1099 subcontractor: FICA taxes, FUTA/SUTA, workers comp, health insurance, 401k match, PTO, equipment, and onboarding. Shows true hourly cost of an employee earning $X — often 1.3×–1.5× their salary.
Resources page — comprehensive IRS & gov hub
Expanded /resources from affiliate-only to a full 8-section resource hub: IRS Publications (Pub 334/505/560/463/587/946 + Self-Employed Tax Center), Key IRS Forms (Sch C, SE, 1040-ES, W-9, Form 2553), Free IRS Tools (EFTPS, Free File, Direct Pay, Online Account), SSA Tools (My SS, Retirement Estimator, Quick Calc, BEST), State Tax Portals (CA/TX/NY/FL/IL/WA + all-states link), Recommended Books. Plus existing affiliate sections.
Tax-focused OG category corrections — 5 pages
Fixed OG category=Career to category=Tax on quarterly-taxes, tax-brackets, tax-debt-payoff, state-tax-overview, and se-health-deduction. Added explicit Twitter card metadata to true-hourly-rate and mortgage. Verified all 8 audited pages have correct canonical URLs.
ShowMath deep upgrades — w2-vs-1099, true-hourly-rate, quarterly-tax
w2-vs-1099: 10-step ShowMath comparing both income scenarios side by side including QBI and benefits valuation. true-hourly-rate: added WFH break-even and employer job cost. quarterly-tax: safe harbor rule, state tax flat rates, and all 4 IRS payment due dates integrated into ShowMath narrative.
Reise Earn — Earn Credits upgrade
Expanded the Earn Credits program: new earning actions (share a tool, refer a friend, complete the onboarding checklist). Leaderboard now shows weekly/all-time toggle. EarnCreditsBadge added to header with pulse animation when credits available.
Tax Checklist + Business Entity added to HIGH_PRIORITY sitemap
tax-checklist and business-entity added to HIGH_PRIORITY_IDS in sitemap.ts (priority 0.9). Also added /tax-season at priority 0.9 and /freelancer-hub at priority 0.85.
Self-Employment Tax Calculator
Full IRS formula: net SE income → SE base (×0.9235) → SS tax (12.4%, $168,600 cap) → Medicare (2.9%) → half-SE deduction → AGI → 2024 federal brackets. ShowMath panel with 11 labeled steps. Quarterly estimated payment. Orange accent. Also added /better-than/self-employment-tax-calculator SEO page targeting tax season traffic.
Suspense audit — 6 tools hardened
Audited every tool page using useSearchParams(). Added fallback={<ToolSkeleton />} to bare <Suspense> in fi-number, freelance-rate, home-affordability, quarterly-tax, and retirement. Fixed RelatedToolsStrip placement (was inside Suspense in fi-number and home-affordability). No prerender errors remain.
Better Than Calculator — 8 SEO keyword pages
BetterThanKeywordTemplate used to build 8 high-intent comparison pages targeting 'best X calculator' queries: freelance-rate-calculator, self-employment-tax-calculator, mortgage-calculator, budget-calculator, debt-payoff-calculator, retirement-calculator, emergency-fund-calculator, quarterly-tax-calculator. Each page has typicalGaps, features, comparison table, and ShowMath callout.
FI Number + Emergency Fund deep upgrades
FI Number: 3-tier system (essential / lifestyle / dream), Coast FI calculation, years to each tier, milestone tracker, 8-step ShowMath. Emergency Fund: months-of-expenses view, coverage ratio, rebuild timeline, dynamic insight banner, 7-step ShowMath.
Savings Rate deep upgrade
3 savings rate views (gross / net / investable), Coast FI number, years to financial independence, insight banner when savings rate exceeds 50%. 8-step ShowMath panel.
Mortgage deep upgrade
PITI breakdown (principal + interest + taxes + insurance), PMI removal date, DTI flags, rent-increase rate input, SE affordability note, CalculatorChain handoff. 8-step ShowMath with amortization derivation.
Debt Payoff deep upgrade
Debt type selector, SimulationSummary component, high-APR insight banner, minimums-only baseline for comparison, CalculatorChain to quarterly-taxes. 8-step ShowMath.
Retirement deep upgrade
Gap analysis (projected balance vs needed), Coast FI shortcut, inflation-adjusted projections, monthly savings needed to close gap. 8-step ShowMath panel.
True Hourly Rate deep upgrade
WFH break-even calculation, job cost to employer, commute cost in dollars, benefits valuation. 7-step ShowMath showing gross wage → deductions → real hourly rate.
Quarterly Tax deep upgrade
Safe harbor rule (100%/110% of prior year tax), state tax (51 flat-rate estimates), all 4 IRS payment due dates, recommended payment card. 8-step ShowMath with SE tax base, deduction, and bracket decomposition.
W-2 vs 1099 deep upgrade
Benefits valuation (health, 401k match, PTO, FICA employer share), QBI deduction (Section 199A), total-comp break-even calculation. 10-step ShowMath comparing both scenarios side by side.
Freelance Rate deep upgrade
Minimum Viable Rate (MVR) calculation, effective rate vs. billing rate, profit margin input, utilization rate, benefit replacement as dollar line items. 7-step ShowMath from salary target to final rate.
CalculatorChain — value handoff between tools
New CalculatorChain component passes outputs from one calculator to another via URL params, creating guided financial workflows. Integrated into 8 flagship tools. Going 1099 workflow page uses it end-to-end.
Going 1099 — contractor financial workflow
Step-by-step guided workflow for W-2 employees considering going 1099. Links through W-2 vs 1099 → Freelance Rate → Quarterly Tax → True Hourly Rate with CalculatorChain handoffs at each step.
100 Live Tools Milestone
Reached 100 live calculators. Milestone tools: CD & HYSA Calculator (daily vs monthly compounding, APY vs APR), Home Office Deduction (IRS simplified + regular method), Overtime Pay Calculator (FLSA, CA daily OT, custom). All 100+ tools have ShowMath, RelatedToolsStrip, and ToolFeedback.
Inflation Calculator
Historical CPI data back to 1913. Dual Past/Future modes. Calculates purchasing power change over any time period. 98th tool on the platform.
401k Optimizer + Personal Loan Calculator
401k Optimizer: contribution limit comparison, employer match capture, tax savings by bracket. Personal Loan: APR vs flat rate, total interest, amortization schedule.
Rent vs Buy Calculator
5-year TCO comparison: mortgage + PMI + maintenance + opportunity cost vs rent + renter's insurance. Break-even month shown. Blog internal links added.
Car Loan + Savings Goal calculators
Car Loan: monthly payment, total interest, amortization. Savings Goal: monthly contribution needed to hit a target by a date, with and without existing balance.
Working Capital + Annual Review calculators
Working Capital: current ratio, quick ratio, cash conversion cycle for business health checks. Annual Review: year-in-review financial summary with net worth delta and savings rate.
Initial Better-Than SEO pages (4)
First batch: bankrate-mortgage, budget-calculator, creditkarma-debt, dave-ramsey-budget. BetterThanTemplate component built. Sitemap updated.
ShowMath dynamic insights across 15+ tools
Every ShowMath panel now has a dynamic insight callout personalized to the user's inputs — showing the highest-leverage action for their specific situation (e.g., 'At your income, the QBI deduction saves you $X').
Platform-wide quality pass
RelatedToolsStrip coverage expanded to all 101 live tools. ToolFeedback added to 35 tools that were missing it. All tool counts updated from hardcoded '60+' to dynamic registry count. Fixed analytics infinite recursion bug.