Financial Knowledge Base

Plain-language guides on the financial topics that matter most for people in tech and high earners.

Personal Finance Foundations

Cash Flow

The difference between money coming in and money going out — and why the gap between them, not your income, determines how fast you build wealth.

Tax-Advantaged Accounts

401(k) Plans

How 401(k) pre-tax, Roth, and after-tax contributions work, how they reduce taxable income, and how plans compare at Google, Microsoft, Apple, and more.

Backdoor Roth IRA

How to contribute to a Roth IRA when your income exceeds the limit — including the pro-rata rule, Form 8606, and the mega backdoor Roth strategy.

Health Savings Account (HSA)

The only account with tax-free contributions, growth, and withdrawals — and why California residents face a unique state-tax wrinkle.

Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs)

What RMDs are, when they start, how they are calculated, and strategies to minimize their tax impact in retirement.

Education Savings

529 Plans

How to fund education tax-free — including superfunding with RSU proceeds, the 529-to-Roth rollover, and California plan selection.

Equity Compensation

Stock Options & Equity Compensation

How startup stock options work — the ISO vs. NSO distinction, AMT exposure, the 83(b) election, QSBS exclusion, and the most common employee mistakes.

Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP)

How ESPPs work, how gains are taxed, the difference between qualifying and disqualifying dispositions, and how plans compare at Microsoft, Apple, Nvidia, and others.

Retirement Planning

FIRE — Financial Independence, Retire Early

How tech workers can reach financial independence using RSUs, mega backdoor Roth, tax strategy, and smart withdrawal planning — including Bay Area cost realities.

Monte Carlo Simulation

How Monte Carlo simulations model retirement probability — and why ignoring taxes, RMDs, account types, and Social Security taxation produces dangerously optimistic results.

Estate Planning

Trusts

How revocable living trusts avoid California probate, and how irrevocable trusts — GRATs, CRTs, ILITs, SLATs — transfer wealth and manage concentrated FAANG stock.

Put Your Knowledge Into a Real Financial Plan

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