The free Money Playbook
Practical advice and a personal finance checklist for US households, in one printable PDF.
US Letter, print-friendly. Free, and no email or account required.
What's inside
- Ten money moves, in order
- The steps most households benefit from first, from tracking spending to building a starter emergency fund and a debt payoff plan.
- The personal money checklist
- All 29 steps from our money checklist, with tick boxes and a date column.
- One-page budget worksheet
- Take-home pay, fixed bills, flexible spending and savings on a single page.
- Debt list and payoff order
- Write down every debt and choose avalanche or snowball.
- Mortgage readiness notes
- Debt-to-income, down payment, closing costs and the questions to ask lenders.
- Scam and red-flag list
- The warning signs worth taping to the fridge.
- Where to get free official help
- CFPB, HUD-approved housing counselors, nonprofit credit counseling, StudentAid.gov and more.
General education, not individual financial, legal or tax advice. See our disclosures.
Want a reminder to use it?
The Pennies Letter walks through one step at a time, once a week. Optional, and separate from the download.