Our Assumptions
These defaults power the scoring engine.
Emergency & Savings
Emergency fundMonths of expenses you should keep
3 months
Credit & Financing
Credit card APRUsed for "carry balance" real cost calc
24%
Financing APRUsed for BNPL / financing real cost calc
15%
Financing termMonths for BNPL calculations
12 mo
CC minimum paymentGreater of 2% balance or $25
2% / $25
Debt Thresholds
Healthy DTIDebt-to-income ratio considered healthy
< 15%
Max manageable DTIAbove this is flagged as too high
< 36%
High-interest thresholdAPR above this triggers a warning
15%
Mortgage (Home Purchases)
Default down paymentPercent of home price
20%
Default mortgage rate30-year fixed APR
6.8%
PMI rateAdded if down payment < 20%
0.5%/yr
Front-end DTI ruleMax housing cost as % of income
28%
Tax (US)
Federal brackets2025 marginal tax brackets
2025
Standard deductionSingle / Married filing jointly
$15,750 / $31,500
FICASocial Security + Medicare
6.2% + 1.45%