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Financial Health Checkup

How healthy are your household finances?

Six money metrics, one page, each compared to a real cited benchmark. Fill in your numbers once and see where you stand — and what to fix first.

Cited benchmarksRuns in your browserNo sign-up

2 of 6 in a healthy range. Several metrics are outside their healthy range.

  • Housing cost25% of income
  • Savings rate9.2%
  • Debt-to-income35%
  • Emergency fund3.4 mo
  • Retirement rate10%
  • Net worth vs age$120,000

Example figures — edit any input to recompute every metric against its cited benchmark.

Your household — enter once, it feeds every check below

$
$
Housing costshare of income

Rent or mortgage plus insurance and property tax, as a share of gross income.

$
25.4%Benchmark: ≤ 28% of gross
ComfortableOverextended

Comfortable — housing is a healthy share of your income.

Source: Lender guideline · BLS Consumer Expenditure

Savings rateof gross income

Everything you set aside each month — cash savings plus investing — as a share of income.

$
9.2%Benchmark: 15% recommended (U.S. avg ≈ 5%)
LowStrong

A start — you're saving, but below the 15% guideline.

Source: Vanguard · BEA personal saving rate

Debt-to-incomeback-end DTI

All monthly debt payments, including housing, divided by gross monthly income.

$
35.3%Benchmark: < 36% (lenders)
HealthyRisky

Healthy — your debt load is well within lender comfort.

Source: CFPB · lender qualifying guideline

Emergency fundmonths of expenses

How many months of essential spending your cash savings would cover.

$
$
3.4 moBenchmark: 3–6 months
ThinWell-covered

Getting there — aim for at least three months of essentials.

Source: CFPB emergency-savings guidance

Retirement rate% of pay

Your total retirement contribution rate, including any employer match.

%
10%Benchmark: 15% incl. match
BehindOn track

Close — nudging toward 15% would put you on track.

Source: Vanguard, How America Saves 2024

Net worth vs agevs SCF median

Your net worth compared to the Federal Reserve's median for your age band.

$
$120,000Benchmark: median $135,600 for your age
Below medianAbove median

Around half the median for your age — closing the gap.

Source: Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances 2022

How this checkup works

Each check runs a standard calculation on the inputs you enter and compares the result to a cited benchmark: housing and debt ratios against common lender guidelines and BLS spending data, savings and retirement rates against Vanguard and BEA figures, the emergency-fund target against CFPB guidance, and net worth against the Federal Reserve's Survey of Consumer Finances median for your age. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is stored.

Sources: BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey · CFPB · Vanguard, How America Saves 2024 · BEA personal saving rate · Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances 2022.

Frequently asked questions

What counts as a healthy housing cost?

A common guideline keeps rent or mortgage plus insurance and property tax at or below 28% of gross income; 36%+ is where most budgets start to strain.

Is a 36% debt-to-income ratio bad?

Most lenders treat a back-end DTI under 36% as comfortable and up to about 43% as the outer edge for qualifying. Lower is safer.

How much should I have saved for my age?

We compare your net worth to the Federal Reserve's median for your age band. It's a benchmark, not a target — your own goals matter more.

Every number here is benchmarked against a cited public source. Estimates only — verify important figures independently.