Title: Research | MoneyBadger URL: https://moneybadger.us/research/ Description: The data and pay-structure research behind the MoneyBadger framework. The research # Financial stress is a top-tier driver of first responder burnout. MoneyBadger’s defaults are grounded in published research and public data, not a proprietary black box. Every recommendation traces back to a citable source. The financial-stress crisis in essential work, in numbers 68% of NY first responders report high stress; 53% show depression symptoms NY State Needs Assessment, 2025 · n=6,000+ 16% report suicidal thoughts, four times the rate of the general public NY State Needs Assessment, 2025 $840K annual overtime cost to cover lost patrol days from stress at a 250-officer agency Benchmark Analytics, 2025 54% of first responders specifically asked for financial wellness classes Police Chief / NOPJF, 2025 The data ## Not a side issue. A leading contributor, alongside sleep and trauma. The 2025 New York State First Responder Mental Health Needs Assessment surveyed over 6,000 first responders. Financial worry sat alongside sleep and trauma as a leading contributor to depression, burnout, and attrition. You worked hard to get here. The reality of your paycheck (pensions, 457(b) plans, shift differentials, union dues, BAH/BAS, PSLF, variable overtime) deserves a tool built for it. That’s what MoneyBadger is for. MoneyBadger was built to close that gap, not by tracking what you’ve already spent, but by telling you exactly what to do next. Why trust MoneyBadger ## Built on research. Grounded in service. A tool that tells you what to do with your money has to earn your trust. Here’s how we do it: ### Academic grounding Methodology rooted in published research, transparent defaults, assumptions you can audit. ### Profession-specific accuracy Every recommendation cites the numbers behind it (your pension tier, your union dues, your state tax), not a generic lookup. ### We do not sell your data We don’t sell, rent, or broker your financial data. You choose whether to link a financial account. Either way, the plan works from a single number. ### Earned trust, not bought attention We grow by being the tool real essential workers actually use and recommend, not by buying app-store ads or running flashy campaigns. > “A problem I yearned for. I didn’t know it existed, but I know now.” Retired New Jersey police detective The receipts ## What our defaults are built on 01 New York State First Responder Mental Health Needs Assessment 2025 · n=6,000+ 02 Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology 2020 · n=427 Illinois LEOs 03 SAMHSA Disaster Technical Assistance Center, first-responder behavioral health 2018 04 Benchmark Analytics, institutional cost of unaddressed stress 2024-2025 05 Calm Health, firefighter financial worry 2025 · n=1,200+ 06 New Orleans Police & Justice Foundation, financial-wellness curriculum 2025 Every allocation default is explainable, citable, and updated as the research evolves. See our [full methodology](https://moneybadger.us/methodology). The paystub-interpretation architecture behind it is the subject of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 64/086,646, filed June 9, 2026. Patent pending. ## Stop guessing. Get the plan. Your real pay. About 90 seconds. A specific answer shaped to your profession and the way you get paid. [Get your plan →](https://moneybadger.us/snap) Bring it to your department Built with real first responders · feedback@moneybadger.us --- Generated from the live page source by apps/web/scripts/generate-agent-mirror.mjs; do not hand-edit. Regenerate with: npm run generate:mirror -w moneybadger-web. If this file and the live page ever disagree, the live page wins.