The YoCalc Blog
Plain-English guides to the math behind money, health, and everyday decisions — each paired with a free calculator.
6 min read · Jun 2, 2026
How to Calculate Loan Payments (Step by Step)
Learn how to calculate monthly loan payments by hand with the amortization formula, worked examples, and tips to pay less interest.
Read the guide →7 min read · Jun 9, 2026
Compound Interest: The Complete Beginner's Guide
What compound interest is, how the formula works, and why starting early beats investing more. Includes worked examples and the Rule of 72.
Read the guide →5 min read · Jun 16, 2026
Salary to Hourly: What Your Annual Pay Really Means
How to convert an annual salary to an hourly rate, common salary-to-hourly benchmarks, and why your real hourly rate may be lower than you think.
Read the guide →6 min read · Jun 23, 2026
BMI Explained: What Your Number Means (and What It Doesn't)
How BMI is calculated, what the categories mean, where BMI falls short, and better metrics to track alongside it.
Read the guide →5 min read · Jun 30, 2026
Tipping in 2026: How Much, When, and the Fast Mental Math
How much to tip at restaurants, bars, and for delivery, how to split a bill fairly, and mental math tricks to calculate any tip in seconds.
Read the guide →6 min read · Jul 7, 2026
ROI Made Simple: How to Measure Any Investment's Return
How to calculate return on investment, why annualized return (CAGR) matters more than total ROI, and the costs people forget to include.
Read the guide →7 min read · Jul 10, 2026
Your Mortgage Payment, Decoded: PITI, Rates, and the 30-Year Math
What actually makes up a mortgage payment, how much the interest rate really costs you, and whether a 15- or 30-year term makes sense.
Read the guide →6 min read · Jul 13, 2026
TDEE Explained: How Many Calories You Actually Burn in a Day
What BMR and TDEE mean, how the Mifflin-St Jeor equation estimates your calorie burn, and how to set a deficit or surplus that actually works.
Read the guide →5 min read · Jul 16, 2026
Percentage Tricks: Do Almost Any Percent Problem in Your Head
Fast mental math for percentages: the 10% anchor, the reversal trick, percentage change without a calculator, and the mistakes everyone makes.
Read the guide →6 min read · Jul 19, 2026
The Emergency Fund: How Much, Where to Keep It, How to Build It
How many months of expenses your emergency fund needs, the best accounts to hold it in, and a realistic monthly plan to build it from zero.
Read the guide →6 min read · Jul 21, 2026
Inflation Explained: Why a Dollar Isn't What It Used to Be
How inflation is measured with the CPI, what it does to savings over time, and practical ways to keep your money's buying power.
Read the guide →5 min read · Jul 21, 2026
"What Do I Need on My Final?" — The Math, and How to Play It
How to calculate the exact score you need on a final exam, what the weighted-average math means, and smart strategy when the number looks scary.
Read the guide →6 min read · Jul 22, 2026
Body Fat % vs BMI: Which Number Should You Actually Track?
What body fat percentage tells you that BMI can't, how the Navy tape method works, and healthy body fat ranges for men and women.
Read the guide →5 min read · Jul 22, 2026
Fractions Made Simple: The Four Operations Without the Fear
A plain-English refresher on fraction arithmetic: common denominators, the flip-and-multiply rule, simplifying with the GCD, and real-life uses.
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