Helpful Financial Calculators
Written by: Daniel Gleich
Finances can feel very complicated. From deciding how to best go about paying off debt to crafting a retirement investment strategy that makes sense for both present needs and future goals, there’s a lot of math and a lot of variables to take into account. Luckily, there are a wealth of financial calculators available that can help users decide everything from how to fund their Roth IRA to if it makes more sense to lease or buy a car. These calculators can be an important part of crafting a financial planning strategy that makes sense for each individual user.
Personal Loan Calculators
- Simple Loan Calculator: Input details like the desired loan amount and interest rate and this calculator can computer the probable monthly payment.
- Personal Loan Calculator: Unsure what the likely interest rate for a loan would be? This calculator asks for the amount of the loan, how long the user needs to pay it back, and what their credit score is and then uses that information to estimate the likely interest rate for the loan.
Budget and Personal Finance Calculators
- Budget Calculator: Along with monthly expenses, this budget calculator helps users forecast annual costs.
- Basic Financial Calculator: This calculator can solve simple math equations as well as calculate things like future value.
Retirement Savings Calculators
- Savings Calculator: Plug in information like the initial amount saved, the time frame, and how much will be added monthly to see how savings can add up.
- Quickly Calculate Compound Interest: This more complex calculator allows users to take into account how things like inflation and taxes will impact savings.
- AARP Retirement Calculator: Are You Saving Enough? Provide information about savings, how much you make, and projected future income like Social Security and pensions and see how much you currently have available for retirement and how much you still need to save.
- How Much Do I Need to Save for Retirement? This calculator considers information like projected expenses to help people understand how much money they will need in retirement.
Credit and Debt Calculators
- Loan Payment Calculator: Designed for student loans, this loan payment calculator can be used for other debts as well.
- Debt Payoff Calculator: There are various methods people can use to pay down debt. This calculator works off of the debt avalanche method, which is considered by many experts to be the most efficient debt repayment strategy.
- Debt Snowball Calculator: The snowball method is another way to go about paying off debt.
Tax Calculators
- Tax Withholding Estimator: The IRS provides this calculator so people can best determine how much they should have withheld from each paycheck.
- Estate Tax Calculator: Part of estate planning is understanding what tax liabilities the estate might be liable for and then looking for ways to reduce that burden.
- Tax Calculator: If you need to determine how much income tax will be owed, try this calculator.
- Property Tax Calculator: New homeowners often are unsure how much they will owe in property taxes, but this tool can help.
Auto Loan Calculators
- How Much Car Can I Afford? Edmunds Car Affordability Calculator: People sometimes are unsure how much they can afford to spend on a car. This calculator can help you determine what will fit into your budget.
- Lease vs. Buy a Car: There are different answers to the question of if it makes more financial sense to lease or purchase a car, and this calculator assists users in figuring out the best choice for their financial situation.
- Auto Loan Calculator: Users can calculate the monthly payment of the car of their choice using this simple online calculator.
Mortgage Calculators
- Home Affordability Calculator: Input your income, expenses, and some other financial data and the calculator can tell you how much you can afford to spend on a new home.
- Cost of Homeownership Calculator: Homes have expenses beyond just the mortgage, and this calculator helps prospective homeowners understand the total impact buying a home might have on their budget.
- Amortization Schedule Calculator: Over the life of a mortgage, the amount from each payment that goes toward the principal of the mortgage versus the interest can change.
Investment Calculators
- Compound Interest Calculator: Compound interest can help your savings add up faster over time.
- Roth IRA Investment Calculator: This calculator can help investors understand how investing with a Roth IRA works.
Currency Converters
- Exchange Rate Calculator: If you’re preparing to travel, this exchange rate calculator can help you understand how your dollars will convert to the local currency.
- Currency Converter: This exchange rate calculator shows how much your money is worth in other countries.
Additional Financial Planning Tools
- Reassess Your Spending and Saving: The New York Times recommends assessing spending and saving levels as an ongoing part of financial planning.
- Opening a Roth IRA in Your 20s Could Set You Up for Success Later in Life: Roth IRAs make great retirement investment accounts for young workers.