The product

A calculator that does the
thinking for you.

Every other budgeting tool asks you to figure out where the money should go. MoneyBadger already knows. We built it around the realities of first-responder and active-duty service member pay, so you can keep going.

Prescriptive, not descriptive

Most money apps tell you where your money went. MoneyBadger helps you decide where it should go, line by line, before you spend it. Your real pay in, one plan out, every month.

Profession-aware defaults

Your plan already knows about union dues, pensions, differentials, BAH/BAS, PSLF eligibility, and the pre-tax vehicles your employer offers.

Built for lumpy paychecks

Overtime isn't extra, it's structural. We build a sinking fund so slow months don't hurt, and heavy OT months don't vanish into lifestyle creep.

Pension & 457(b) math, made plain

See your projection at 20, 25, and 30 years of service. Model a DROP, a buy-back, or a 457(b)/401(k) split. All in plain English.

Example shown for illustration only, not a projection of your actual pension.

Built on published research

Allocation defaults are grounded in published research and reviewed against real first-responder pay stubs. Every recommendation is explainable.

See the plan

This is what comes out.

Your real pay in, one plan out. Here is a sample of the finished artifact before you build your own.

Illustrative sample
Firefighter monthly plan

Built on the 50/30/20 split MoneyBadger uses as a starting point.

Monthly take-home
$5,800
Needs
Rent or mortgage, utilities, groceries, insurance, transportation, minimum debt payments.
$2,900
50%
Wants
Dining out, streaming, hobbies, travel, the things that make the off days worth it.
$1,740
30%
Savings
Emergency fund, 457(b) or 401(k) contributions, sinking fund for lumpy overtime months.
$1,160
20%

This is an illustrative sample. A real plan is tuned to your profession, and every number traces to a cited source.

Stop guessing. Get the plan.

Your real pay. Ninety seconds. A specific answer for where your next paycheck should go, down to the dollar, down to your profession.

Built with real first responders. Active-duty service members, nurses, teachers, and veterans next on the climb · feedback@moneybadger.us