The whole paycheck. The whole plan.

Why MoneyBadger

Built around how first responders actually get paid.

Most budgeting tools read your bank deposit. We start a step earlier, at your paycheck, so the plan understands your pension, your overtime, and what each line on your stub really means.

1

We read the whole paystub. Not the deposit.

Most appsSee "Direct deposit $4,827 from CITY OF NEW YORK" and stop.

MoneyBadgerReads every line: pension contribution, 457(b), longevity, hazard, mandate vs. roster OT, union dues, health pre‑tax. By your department's pay codes.

A first-responder check is complicated enough that a real pay error can slip through unnoticed. We make every line legible, so it is easy to spot and easy to fix.

"Eunice told me that if they make a mistake and underpay it's my fault."r/Firefighting, paystub‑error pattern

2

Your pension in dollars. Not a formula PDF.

Most appsTell you to "save 15% for retirement."

MoneyBadgerTranslates your tier into $X/month for life, shows what each additional year of service is buying you, and flags the OT type that does (or doesn't) count toward it.

Public-safety pensions are fluent in formula syntax and opaque in dollar value. That gap is where bad retirement decisions live.

"I decided to retire when I ran the numbers and found I was working for $50 per month."u/dave54athotmailcom, r/Firefighting

3

50/30/20, tuned to how you're paid.

Most appsApply the same 50/30/20 to everyone, on whatever lands in your account.

MoneyBadgerStarts with FDNY Tier 6, NYCERS, NYPD detective grades, BRS vs. Legacy High-3, BAH by ZIP, mandate vs. roster OT. Your rank, your years, your contract.

Floor / Surge / Reserve, our volatility-aware take on 50/30/20, is built on the swings that actually show up in your check: base you can count on, OT you can't, deployment or detail months that are pure reserve.

"Some days I'll have four days on a check, sometimes only two. That's what makes it hard."Joel, Firefighter, Oakland

4

Clarity first. Depth when you're ready.

Most appsAsk for your bank credentials and a thirty-minute call before they show you anything useful.

MoneyBadgerBuilds a full plan from a single number in about ninety seconds. Link your accounts when it helps, and bring in a fee-only coach when you want one. Each step is yours to take.

First responders are marketed to relentlessly: pension rollovers, indexed universal life, whole life, real-estate funds. We start from the other direction, helping you understand your own numbers first, with any guidance paid for by you and never by a product.

"I always run my decisions by someone I trust. If I had a person with real training to give me a second opinion, I would use that for sure."Tony, Police officer, Philadelphia

Built with active-duty firefighters, police officers, and military as the first testers. Every formula traced to a primary source: the union contract, the pension fund, the DFAS table.

Try it on your next check →

How it works

Assess. Link. Learn.

Three steps. Assess and Link are free. You start at zero and go as deep as you want.

1

Assess · Free

Start with your pay

Tell us what you take home and get a specific plan in about ninety seconds, built on the pay you can count on, down to your profession.

Get your plan →

2

Link · Free

Find money you already earn

Connect your accounts when you're ready and MoneyBadger surfaces the subscriptions you forgot and the money you didn't know you had. In development.

See what we find →

3

Learn · Paid

Go as deep as you want

Get smarter over time: a fee-only coach who helps you act on the plan, month after month. No commissions, nothing to sell. In development.

Meet a coach →

A voice from the field

Firefighter seated on a fire-truck tailboard, holding a helmet

$10–15K what a missed paystub error can cost

“I need something that gets this done for me so I don't waste time thinking about what goes where.

Mike, FDNY firefighter, two years on the job. From a real conversation, March 2026.

~90sto a profession-tuned plan50/30/20, built on the pay you can count on.

4 professionspaystub-decodedFirefighter, police, EMT, active duty. Top 20 cities next.

100%research-cited defaultsEvery formula, every tier, traced to a primary source.

Educational tool, not financial advice. Your LES, your CBA, and your pension fund are the authoritative sources.

More voices

The people we build with.

“I always run my decisions by someone I trust. If I had a person with real training to give me a second opinion, I would use that for sure.

Tony · Police officer, Philadelphia · 20 years

“Some days I'll have four days on a check, sometimes only two. It's not a number I can count on, and that's what makes it hard.

Joel · Firefighter, Oakland · 8 years

“I don't have one place where it's all together. If I did, that would be helpful.

Kevin · Firefighter, Oakland · 10 years

On iPhone

Your money plan, in your pocket.

The plan you build here, your buckets, and a two-minute daily check-in, all on your iPhone. So the next payday and the next overtime check already have somewhere to go.

Download on the App Store →

This month, take-home

$6,420

Needs$3,210

Wants$1,926

Future self$1,284

Daily habit loop · On track You worked hard to get here. Keep going.

When you're ready

See your plan.

One input. Ninety seconds. A specific answer for where your next paycheck should go, down to the dollar, down to your profession.

Get your plan → Bring it to your department →