About
Money, made plain.
PlainCents is a personal-finance site built around one idea: most money decisions are clearer once you can see the math. We build the calculators and write the guides that show you what each choice actually costs.
What we make
What we do
- Free calculators that show real tradeoffs — payoff timing, total interest, monthly payment, break-even points.
- Plain-English guides that walk through how each calculation works and when it matters.
- No signup walls. No "unlock" buttons. The math is the product.
What we avoid
What we don't do
- We don't sell financial advice. We are not advisors, fiduciaries, or licensed in any of the things that come with those titles.
- We don't recommend a specific product without explaining what it is good for and what it is not.
- We don't hide the assumptions behind a calculation. If a number depends on something we can't see — your tax situation, your credit score, your lender's exact fees — we say so.
Byline
Who writes PlainCents
PlainCents is written and reviewed by John W. Greene, a software and technology executive who cares about making the math behind financial decisions visible. The site is intentionally practical: calculators first, guides that explain the tradeoffs, and no pretending a model can see your whole life.
The editorial point of view is simple: if a recommendation depends on assumptions, those assumptions should be visible. If a calculator cannot account for something important — taxes, underwriting, credit-score effects, hardship programs, or behavior — the page should say so.
How we work
Editorial standards
- Calculators explain the formula or engine behind the result.
- Guides include author, publish, and last-reviewed context where it matters.
- Tradeoffs are named directly: cheapest, fastest, lowest payment, highest risk, easiest to stick with.
- Affiliate relationships are disclosed and never change calculator math.
Methodology
How the math works
Every calculator on the site uses standard finance formulas — the same amortization math your bank uses. Where there is more than one reasonable approach (for example, ordering debts by balance vs. by APR), we build a calculator for each so you can compare them directly. If two paths come out roughly equal for your numbers, we say that too.
We update calculators when interest rates, tax thresholds, or formulas change. Pages carry a "last reviewed" date where it matters.
The business
How we make money
Some calculator results and guide articles include links to financial products — credit cards, consolidation loans, savings accounts. When you sign up through one of those links, we may earn a commission. That is how PlainCents stays free.
Affiliate commissions do not change the math in our calculators, and we mark sponsored links clearly. Full details are on the affiliate disclosure page.
Important
A note on financial advice
PlainCents is educational. The calculators and guides on this site are not personalized financial advice and do not account for your full situation. For decisions that matter — paying off significant debt, refinancing a mortgage, planning retirement — talk to a professional who can see the whole picture.
Start somewhere
Run the math on your numbers.
Enter every debt once and see snowball, avalanche, and consolidation results from the same inputs.