Where it sits
Your monthly engine
This month, current leaseBetween now and the decision
Cash needed up front
Net worth over time
Range of outcomes
The long view
Your investment accounts
Where your net worth sits
Details
Full comparisonNet worth, liquidity, cash flow and totals for every path, side by side
What you own
Year-end balancesWhy it works
Details
Annual projection
Monthly cost of owning
Year 1 vs. rentHome value and loan
The gap is your equityHome equity
Details
Sensitivity
If you have to sell early
Total cost of owning vs. renting
What you own, year by yearCash, brokerage, retirement and home equity
Annual projectionYear-by-year cash flow and balances
Where the gap comes from
Cash runway
Cash + brokerage by monthDetails
Monthly road budget
Sensitivity
Read-throughWhat drives the result and where the leverage is
What you own, year by yearCash, brokerage, retirement and the van
Annual projectionShaded rows are years on the road
Saved homes
Click a home for its full profileDetails
Compare homesEvery saved home side by side against the rent path
Your numbers
Click Edit on any section. Household sections have a column for Will and one for Megan and add them up. Every tab recalculates as you type.
How the model worksCash flow rules, taxes, stress cases
Monthly model, starting the day your balances are from. The first month counts only the days left in it. Pay and retirement contributions go up once a year with your raise. Car, insurance, other spending, homeowner costs and road costs go up with inflation. Rent goes up at its own rate.
Where money goes. Brokerage direct deposits go straight into brokerage. Bank deposits pay the bills, and what's left stays in cash. A shortfall is pulled from brokerage. Cash keeps an emergency fund floor (months of housing + bare-bones spending, set per path); above it goes to brokerage. Down payments, the van and any shortfall come out of brokerage first; cash is only used once brokerage is empty. If both run dry, the model treats the shortfall as borrowing at the investment return and flags the month it happened.
Returns. Cash earns the cash yield. Brokerage and retirement earn the investment return. Taxes on brokerage gains aren't modeled, and retirement is never withdrawn.
Buying. Home equity is counted after the cost to sell. Mortgage interest adds a tax benefit only above the $32,200 standard deduction, with SALT capped at $40K (rising 1%/yr) through 2029 and $10K from 2030 under current law, a 24% bracket and 4.4% Colorado tax. PMI of 0.5% a year applies below 20% down, until the loan reaches 78% of the price. Buying later on the rent path uses the house inputs, with the price grown by home value growth.
Van life. No pay and no retirement contributions on the road. Car and insurance stop because the road budget covers them. A financed van uses a 60-month loan, and the balance is paid off from the sale. The van loses value evenly and sells when you return. After the job search, pay restarts at the share you set.
Downside and upside cases. Downside: investment return 3 points lower, home prices flat, maintenance +0.5 points, rent growth +2 points, road costs +20%, pay back 15 points lower after 6 extra months of searching. Upside: return 1.5 points higher, home value growth +1.5 points, rent growth −1 point, road costs −10%, pay back 10 points higher.