Net Worth
$385KTop 42%PeakWorth
$4.2M+$182KNet Worth
$385KTop 42%PeakWorth
$4.2M+$182KFI Age
50y 1m-11moPeakWorth models the boring levers that matter — a 1% fee drag alone erases ~28% of your final wealth over 30 years — and shows the FI-Age and lifetime-net-worth cost of each, so you can tell which 'returns' are real and which are noise.
Modeled cost of a 1% fee
~28% of final wealth
S&P 500 long-term real return
~7%/yr
Long-term capital gains rate
0%, 15%, or 20%
Annual rebalance benefit
0.3–0.5%/yr
Studies consistently find ~90% of return variance is explained by asset allocation, not stock picking. A simple 80/20 stocks/bonds portfolio held for 30 years beats most actively managed funds after fees.
Rebalance annually or when allocations drift more than 5%. Use tax-advantaged accounts (401k, IRA, HSA) for high-tax-drag assets like bonds and REITs; use taxable accounts for tax-efficient broad-market index funds.
1) 401(k) up to the match — free money. 2) High-interest debt payoff (>7%). 3) HSA if eligible. 4) Roth IRA / Backdoor Roth. 5) Max 401(k). 6) 529 for kids. 7) Taxable brokerage. This order optimizes tax efficiency and risk-adjusted return.
Single stocks > 5% of portfolio (concentration risk), actively managed funds with > 0.5% expense ratio (fee drag), market timing (almost no one does this profitably), and crypto allocations > 5% (volatility kills compounding). Boring works.
PeakWorth projects your portfolio year by year to age 95 at a realistic ~7% return, applying your actual fee drag, asset location across taxable and tax-advantaged accounts, and the tax treatment of each withdrawal — so a fee or allocation change shows up as a real difference in ending wealth, not a back-of-envelope guess.
It reports each change as a shift in your FI Age and PeakWorth (highest projected lifetime net worth). That's how 'does a 1% fee really matter?' becomes a concrete dollar-and-year answer for your balances and timeline.
Generic articles can only go so far. PeakWorth runs every scenario against your real income, expenses, and goals — so you see the dollar-and-year impact of every decision before you make it.
A diversified low-cost index portfolio (e.g., 80% global stocks, 20% bonds) held for decades. Boring beats clever in compounding.
Limit individual stocks to <5% of portfolio. They're entertainment, not strategy.
Critically. A 1% expense ratio trims ~28% of final wealth over 30 years. Low-cost index funds keep that money compounding for you instead.
Compare the debt rate to your expected after-tax return. Above ~7% interest, payoff usually wins; below ~5%, investing (especially up to the 401(k) match) usually wins. PeakWorth runs both paths and shows which reaches FI sooner for your numbers.
Yes — asset location matters. Holding tax-inefficient assets in taxable accounts and skipping the match can quietly cost years. PeakWorth models the tax-optimal ordering (match, HSA, Roth, then taxable) and reports the FI-Age difference.
Calculators, true-cost pages, and audience playbooks across the PeakWorth network.
Calculator
Investment growth calculator
Compounding made tangible — for any contribution and timeframe.
Built for
PeakWorth for young professionals
Set the foundation in your 20s, retire 10 years earlier.
Built for
PeakWorth for windfall recipients
Inheritance, IPO, settlement — allocate it deliberately.
Compare
PeakWorth vs Schwab Intelligent Portfolios
“Free” robo with cash drag vs a real plan.
Scenario
What if you save $500 a month?
$612K over 30 years — the lever is time and consistency.
Scenario
How long to reach $1 million?
Every realistic contribution-and-return combination, charted.
PeakWorth is the financial decision engine for households — your Personal Financial Strategy OS, a real-time engine that calculates every decision's impact on your future. The Decision Hub, an AI advisor, and a live projection that show you exactly how each move shapes your wealth and your FI Age.
