Notes from the home-finance trenches.
Tax-basis explainers, homeowner essays, and the occasional product update. Written by people who own homes and read carefully.
A quiet maintenance calendar for the year.
Twelve tasks, no dread. The minimum viable upkeep that keeps a home from accumulating six-figure repair bills.
Year three in a 1922 bungalow.
A reckoning with knob-and-tube wiring, a slate roof that turned out to be asphalt, and the ledger that kept us sane.
Schedule E, demystified for accidental landlords.
If you rent out a single room or your old place after moving, this is the form. Here's what each line actually means.
What's new — March 2026.
Recurring expenses, faster CSV import, and a redesigned tax-basis worksheet. Plus a few bug fixes nobody asked about but everyone wanted.
A spreadsheet for two units became a problem.
An honest look at when DIY tools stop scaling — and the moment we realized our own founders' spreadsheet had earned its retirement.
Repairs vs. improvements: the only flowchart you need.
A one-page decision tree for distinguishing a $400 deductible repair from a $4,000 capitalized improvement. Print it. Put it on your fridge.