FinSimLab Academy: learn personal finance from scratch
Clear, jargon-free guides on saving, investing, stocks, mortgages and real estate. Every article includes worked examples, FAQs, official sources and a link to the calculator so you can test it with your own numbers.
Personal Finance
- How much mortgage can you afford? Debt-to-income explained
- How to figure out the maximum home price you can afford
- What is inflation and how does it affect your money?
- How much does buying a house really cost? All the fees explained
- Fixed vs variable rate mortgage: which is right for you?
- Hybrid mortgage: how fixed-then-variable loans work
- Paying off your mortgage early: lower payment or shorter term?
- Refinance or renegotiate your mortgage: your three options
- How interest rates affect your mortgage payment
- Mortgage closing costs: who pays what?
- How much down payment do I need to buy a house?
- How to get the best mortgage rate: a practical guide
- What is APR and how to compare loans
- The 50/30/20 rule: how to budget your money
- Emergency fund: how much you need and where to keep it
- Debt avalanche vs snowball: which method eliminates debt faster
- High-yield savings account vs money market fund: where to park your cash
- How to save for retirement: index funds vs pension plans
Real Estate
- What is ROI in real estate investing?
- NOI explained: Net Operating Income in real estate
- What is cash flow in real estate investing?
- What is IRR (Internal Rate of Return) in investing?
- What is NPV (Net Present Value) in investing?
- How to refinance a property that has appreciated in value
- What is house flipping and how to calculate if it's profitable
- What is home equity and how it builds over time
- How to buy a second property when your first home is paid off
- How to cash-out refinance a property to buy more real estate
- Strategies for reinvesting capital released from a cash-out refinance
- Real estate portfolio expansion: 3 case studies with real numbers
- How to build real estate wealth step by step
- Real estate leverage: when it multiplies and when it destroys
- Borrowing against your investments without selling them
- How to prove your investments to a bank
- How rental income is taxed in Spain
- Buying rental property personally or through a company in Spain
- What is Cap Rate? How to Use It to Evaluate Any Rental Property
- Rental Yield: Gross vs Net, How to Calculate It, and What It Means
- DSCR Explained: What It Is, How to Calculate It, and Why It Matters for Real Estate Investors
- How to unlock equity from your home without selling it
- Bridge loan mortgage: how to buy your next home before selling the current one
- Mortgage broker: what they do and when it is worth hiring one
Investing
- Master Guide: How to Build Your Smart Investment Strategy
- How to analyse any investment: avoid mistakes and spot risks
- What is compound interest and how does it grow your money?
- How inflation affects your investments and savings
- What is risk tolerance in investing and why it matters
- What is Dollar Cost Averaging (DCA) and why it works
- What is an ETF and how to invest in one
- How to open a brokerage account: step-by-step guide
- ETF vs Index Fund: What's the Difference and Which Should You Buy?
- How much should you invest each month?
- Compound interest: 5 real examples with actual numbers
- Why you should start investing today (not tomorrow)
- Best ETFs for long-term investors in Europe
- Currency risk: hedged or unhedged ETF?
- How to build an investment portfolio from scratch
- Bonds for individuals: Treasury bills, government bonds and bond funds
- Asset allocation and rebalancing: how to maintain your portfolio
- How to invest $500: the best options for beginners
Stocks
- P/E ratio explained: how to value a stock
- P/B ratio explained: price-to-book in fundamental analysis
- ROE explained: measuring management quality
- ROIC and margins: what sets a quality company apart
- Competitive advantage (moat): how to identify it with data
- How to do a basic fundamental analysis of a stock
- How to read a company's income statement
- How to analyse a company's balance sheet
- Free cash flow: why it matters more than earnings
- Company debt: net debt to EBITDA, interest cover and maturities
- Dividends vs growth investing: which strategy fits you
- How to project the future price of a stock
- How to value a stock: multiples and discounted cash flow
- What Is EPS (Earnings Per Share)?
- FOMO Investing: How Fear of Missing Out Destroys Portfolios
- Panic Selling: Why We Sell at the Worst Possible Moment
- Buying the Dip: How to Accumulate When Markets Fall
- Portfolio Rotation: When and How to Move Capital Between Stocks
- How investments are taxed in Spain
- Foreign dividends: withholding tax and double taxation
- Dividend stocks: what they are and how to start
Financial Goals
- How much money do you need to live off dividends?
- How much to invest monthly to retire early or supplement your pension
- How much to save to buy a home: the complete guide
- How much money do you need to live off rental income?
- How to buy a second property: a practical guide for your situation
- FIRE: financial independence explained
- The 4% Rule: how much capital you need to live off your investments