About WealthWise

WealthWise is a set of free financial calculators with plain-language explanations attached. At launch it answers two questions: what a mortgage is likely to cost each month and over its life, and how quickly a set of debts could be paid off under different strategies. Every result is an estimate based on the assumptions you enter, and every page tries to show where that estimate comes from.

What WealthWise is

• A calculator site. Enter your numbers, read the estimate, then change the numbers and watch what moves.
• A learning library. Short articles explain the terms the calculators use, such as amortization, private mortgage insurance (PMI), APR and minimum payments.
• A place to compare scenarios side by side, so you can see the trade-off between, for example, a larger additional monthly payment and a shorter payoff.

You can start with the mortgage calculator or the debt payoff calculator, or browse the learning library.

What WealthWise is not

WealthWise is not a lender, a broker or a financial adviser. It does not offer loans, take applications, check credit or recommend a particular product. It does not know your full situation, so it cannot tell you what to do. The estimates are a starting point for your own thinking or for a conversation with a qualified professional. The disclaimer spells this out.

Four principles

Free calculators

Every calculator on the site is free, with no account, sign-up or paywall. There is no "premium" version with better math.

Transparent methodology

Each calculator publishes its formulas, assumptions, rounding rules and the step-by-step process it follows, both under the calculator and on the methodology page. The engine is tested against fixed known-answer cases, so a given set of inputs always produces the same estimate. If you work an example by hand and get a different figure, that is worth a message.

Privacy-conscious

The site never asks for your name, email or account details. Calculator inputs stay in your browser and, by default, in an anonymous encrypted session that you can turn off or erase at any time. Analytics are first-party and cookieless, and never include the dollar amounts you type. The privacy page describes exactly how this works.

Clear explanations

Each calculator comes with ten short sections covering what the headline number means, what the calculator assumes, what moves the result, common mistakes and the terms involved. The goal is that you leave understanding the estimate, not only holding it.

How the site is funded

WealthWise is free to use. To cover its costs, the site may earn compensation from clearly labeled partner offers, referral links, sponsored placements or advertisements when those features are turned on. When any of them is enabled, it carries a visible label, appears only outside the calculators, and never changes how a calculator works. The formulas, assumptions and results are identical whether or not a partner feature is present, and no calculator input is ever shared with a partner. The disclosures page explains each label.

How to reach the site

Questions, corrections and reports of a number that looks wrong are welcome: a contact channel will be published on this page once one is set up. Corrections to the math or to an explanation are especially useful, and the date at the top of each page shows when it was last reviewed.