How to roll over a 401(k) after leaving a job: direct rollover vs the 60-day rule, the 20% withholding trap, what can go into a Roth IRA, and the age-55 exception you lose by moving to an IRA. From IRS rules.

Sep 30, 202610 min read

Budgeting & Money Management

Average Childcare Cost: The County-Level Federal Data

In the median US county, full-time center-based infant care ran $173.55 a week, about $9,025 a year, per the Labor Department's National Database of Childcare Prices. See the spread by age, setting and county, and the tax offsets worth thousands.

Sep 30, 202622 min read

Real Estate & Alternative Investments

Average Down Payment on a House: What Buyers Really Put Down

First-time buyers put down a median of 10%, not 20%, per the National Association of Realtors. Here is what the 20% rule actually buys you, what PMI costs, and the law that says it has to end.

Sep 30, 202617 min read

Budgeting & Money Management

Average Grocery Bill: What Households Spend, and What USDA Says a Month of Food Costs

The average US household spends $519 a month on groceries, per BLS. USDA publishes an official monthly food budget at four levels, from $1,024 to $1,679 for a family of four. Both figures, and how to use them.

Sep 30, 202615 min read

Insurance & Risk Management

Average Health Insurance Cost: Three Honest Numbers

Employer coverage averaged $9,325 a year for one person and $26,993 for a family in 2025, per KFF. Marketplace plans averaged $619 a month before subsidy and $178 after, per CMS.

Sep 30, 202619 min read

Insurance & Risk Management

Average Home Insurance Cost: The Official Numbers

The official US average is $1,737 a year for the standard HO-3 policy, per NAIC. Why that figure is for 2023, what households actually spend, and how states range from $923 to $3,027.

Sep 30, 202615 min read