Research

Why everything costs more than its price.

A sunlit research desk with a laptop, reference books, an abacus and a magnifying glass.

Follow the money from your paycheck to the price tag, then through the costs that come after it. Read the series in order, or start with the question on your mind.

6 articles

  1. The multiplier nobody quotesThe salary behind a purchase depends on the tax on your next dollars.8 min read Read article →
  2. The fee stack: how a $22 meal becomes $62Four fees, each computed on the last, then tax on the total, then the income you had to earn.7 min read Read article →
  3. The geography of the same purchaseThe same thing, the same salary, fifty-one different answers.9 min read Read article →
  4. What ownership actually costsThe purchase price is the deposit. The cost is everything after it.8 min read Read article →
  5. The compounding you never seeA habit is a stream of contributions to somebody else.7 min read Read article →
  6. How every figure here is verifiedMost tax data online is a copy of a copy. Here is how ours is checked.10 min read Read article →