About DecisionsCalc
We build free, data-backed financial calculators for life's biggest decisions — having a child, buying a home, switching careers, caring for an aging parent. Every calculator runs entirely in your browser. We never see your numbers.
Our Mission
The most consequential financial decisions people make are almost always made with incomplete information. Generic "average cost" articles don't account for your state, your insurance, your income, or your family situation.
DecisionsCalc exists to close that gap — not with generic estimates, but with personalized, state-aware calculations built on primary government and academic data sources.
Our Principles
Your data stays yours
Every calculator runs 100% in your browser. We never transmit, store, or see the numbers you enter.
Primary sources only
Every figure links to a named government agency, peer-reviewed study, or official survey — not another blog post.
Kept current
We update cost data and tax figures from the latest public sources, and every article and calculator shows when it was last updated.
Data integrity first
DecisionsCalc is free to use. If we ever show advertising or affiliate links, they are clearly disclosed and never influence our figures or methodology — the numbers always come from primary sources, not partners.
Methodology
How we build every calculator and article:
Who's behind DecisionsCalc
DecisionsCalc is founded and edited by Akash Randive. Akash is an independent personal-finance enthusiast and researcher — not a licensed financial adviser — who builds the site's calculators and compiles its country data from public, primary sources, with AI assistance and full transparency about how it's made. The goal is simple: turn scattered official figures into clear, free tools that show the true cost of life's big financial decisions. For exactly how the site is researched, written, and kept current — and how AI is used — see our editorial standards.
Built with AI assistance — transparently
DecisionsCalc is independently owner-operated and built with AI assistance. We use AI to help research figures from the latest publicly available official sources, draft content, and build the tools. To be transparent: this content is not reviewed or verified by a licensed financial professional, and individual figures are not independently fact-checked. AI-assisted research can contain errors or use out-of-date values, so every figure is treated as an illustrative estimate, cited to a source, and dated. Where a market is not yet fully localised, figures may fall back to U.S. or other reference data. Nothing here is personalised financial, legal, tax, medical, or insurance advice — confirm anything important against the primary source and a qualified professional. See our disclaimer.
Data Sources
The primary sources behind our 15 calculators:
| Calculator / Topic | Primary Sources |
|---|---|
| Remote Work | IRS Standard Mileage Rate 2024 ($0.67/mi); BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey 2023; BLS American Time Use Survey |
| Baby Costs | Economic Policy Institute Child Care Cost Index 2023; FAIR Health average medical costs; Consumer Reports infant product data |
| Chronic Illness | KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey 2023; Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine; CDC National Health Interview Survey |
| Aging Parent Care | Genworth Cost of Care Survey 2023; AARP Public Policy Institute; Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) |
| Home Buying | CFPB closing cost data; CoreLogic property tax averages by state; National Association of Realtors; U.S. Census American Housing Survey |
| College Costs | College Board Trends in College Pricing 2023–24; Federal Reserve Bank of New York; NCES Integrated Postsecondary Data |
| Salary Negotiation | BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) 2023; LinkedIn Salary Insights; PayScale Compensation Research |
| Debt Payoff | Federal Reserve Consumer Credit G.19 Release; CFPB credit card rate data; New York Fed Consumer Credit Panel |
| Emergency Fund | BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey (spending by category); Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances; FDIC National Survey of Unbanked |
| FIRE / Retirement | Trinity Study (Bengen 4% rule); Vanguard How America Saves 2023; Social Security Administration actuarial tables |
| Rent vs. Buy | Zillow Research; Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index; BLS Shelter CPI; 10-year Treasury yield (mortgage benchmark) |
| Wedding Costs | The Knot Real Weddings Study 2023 (12,000+ couples); WeddingWire vendor pricing data; Bureau of Economic Analysis |
| Car Ownership | AAA Your Driving Costs 2023; Bureau of Transportation Statistics; J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study; EPA fuel economy data |
| Pet Costs | American Pet Products Association (APPA) National Pet Owners Survey 2023–24; AVMA veterinary care economic survey |
Disclaimer
DecisionsCalc provides estimates for informational purposes only. We are not licensed financial advisors, tax professionals, insurance brokers, or healthcare providers. Results should be used as a starting point for your own research, not as a substitute for advice from a qualified professional who knows your full situation. See our full disclaimer and privacy policy.
Contact Us
Use the form below or email us at [email protected]. For data corrections or source disputes, include the calculator or article name and the specific figure in question. We respond within 2 business days.
Your message is stored securely. We never share contact details with third parties. See our privacy policy.