Financial calculators
Useful math, without pretending the math is the whole decision.
Calculators are useful for exploring a question, not for disguising uncertainty. These tools provide estimates and starting points; planning, tax, investment and legal conclusions require the facts behind the inputs.
Working process
Useful tools stay attached to the decision.
Calculators are helpful for testing assumptions quickly. They are less helpful when a clean number is mistaken for a complete answer.
Future value
Loan payment
Retirement accumulation
More questions worth calculating
Automobile, cash flow, college, credit, home, insurance, paycheck, retirement, savings and taxes.
- Lease or buy an automobile?
- Loan versus dealer financing
- Accelerated loan payoff
- How much vehicle can I afford?
- Inflation and purchasing power
- Household cash-flow review
- College savings targets
- Debt payoff comparison
- Mortgage payment and affordability
- Rent versus buy
- Life-insurance need estimate
- Paycheck withholding scenarios
- Retirement savings target
- Required savings rate
- Investment growth
- Tax-equivalent yield
The calculators above are deliberately simple. More specialized tools belong here only when their assumptions can be explained clearly.
Need the record before the calculation? The Tax & Public Records Desk collects the federal, state and county tools used to check entities, exempt organizations, recorded documents, parcels, assessments, tax bills and maps.
Professional reference desk
- IRS Tax Pro account — IRS access for tax professionals
- California MyFTB — state tax account access
- IRS frivolous tax positions — the specific historical notice in my reference list; check newer guidance for current matters
- WebCE — continuing education
- CPA Academy — professional education
- Butte County court portal — public court records
- Butte County Clerk Recorder — official county records