The simple money habits
no one taught you.
School teaches calculus. It doesn't teach what to do with your first paycheck — or how a 401(k) actually works. Michael West Financials helps teens and young adults catch up, in plain English, at their own pace. One-on-one coaching, free comprehensive guides, no jargon, no sales pitch.
Start where you are.
Independent education · no product sales
See exactly where each dollar you earn goes — taxes, deductions, and what lands in your account.
Open the tool Guide Guide to First PaycheckWalk away knowing exactly where every dollar of your first paycheck goes — what's withheld, what's yours, and where to put what's left.
Read the guide Lesson Your first paycheck, line by lineRead your own pay stub and explain every deduction.
Take the lessonAdd your balances and a strategy; see your debt-free date and total interest.
Open the tool Guide Guide to Debt PayoffBuild a payoff plan you'll actually finish — the three tiers of debt, the avalanche vs snowball math, and how to weigh debt against the employer match.
Read the guide Lesson I have $8K in credit-card debt and a car payment.Carry the personal sequence (match → high-interest debt → emergency fund) with target months at three contribution paces.
Take the lessonSize the right cushion and see how long it takes to build at your savings rate.
Open the tool Guide Guide to Emergency FundsKnow exactly how big your emergency fund should be, where to keep it, and the habits that quietly drain it — so a surprise bill never becomes a crisis.
Read the guide Lesson Three months in a coffee canKnow your dollar target, where to park it, and the first deposit amount.
Take the lessonSee the free money you're leaving on the table — with a 10-year projection.
Open the tool Guide Guide to 401(k)Walk away confident about your 401(k): Roth vs. traditional, the match you shouldn't leave behind, and what to do with it when you switch jobs.
Read the guide Lesson The match is part of your payLog into your benefits portal this week and raise your contribution to the match ceiling.
Take the lessonAnswer nine questions and see which money step to fund next.
Open the tool Guide Guide to Money Order of OperationsAlways know where your next dollar should go — a nine-step order covering the match, high-interest debt, the emergency fund, Roth, 15%, and goals beyond.
Read the guide Lesson Where the next dollar goesPlace yourself on the order-of-operations map and name your next step.
Take the lessonWant a more guided start? Answer three quick questions →
Your money has a whole life to live.
Most charts show a decade. This is the whole arc: from your first paycheck to what you pass on, drawn as a single line.
Illustrative — the shape of one steady saver's lifetime, not a projection. Your path will differ.
- 1 First paycheckthe habit begins
- 2 A homeroots go down
- 3 College for the kidsthe next generation
- 4 Retirementtomorrow money arrives
- 5 Living wellthe plan pays you back
- 6 Legacywhat you pass on
Three ways to learn it.
Lessons, guides, and calculators — all free, all in plain English. Start wherever your question is and follow it from there.
One idea at a time
Short, paced walkthroughs of five to seven minutes, each ending in one move worth making this week.
The full breakdown
One account or decision, taken all the way apart and explained in plain English.
See your own numbers
Free calculators that turn the ideas into dollars: employer match, paycheck, compound growth.
See what your match is worth.
An employer-plan match — 401(k), 403(b), TSP, or 457(b) — is part of your pay, and under-contributing means walking past it. Punch in your salary and contribution percentage; we'll show what the gap costs over a decade.
Slow-cooked insights in a fast-food world.
Plain English
Every term gets defined. No assumed knowledge.
Judgment-free
Bring your real numbers. Wherever you're starting is the right place to start.
No sales pitch
We don't sell products or take commissions.
Long horizon
Habits compound. So does the work we do together.
Comprehensive, no fluff.
Long-form, plain-English breakdowns of the retirement accounts most people meet at their first real job — and most people misunderstand for years.
Guide to First Paycheck
Walk away knowing exactly where every dollar of your first paycheck goes — what's withheld, what's yours, and where to put what's left.
Read the guide → Guide · 10 min readGuide to Marriage
How married couples structure money — joint, separate, or hybrid — size a shared pot by the budget instead of paychecks, and keep talking as a team.
Read the guide →Bring a question.
Leave with a plan.
Sessions are friendly, judgment-free, and built around what you actually need. Send a quick message about what you'd like to cover and we'll find a time that works.