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FOUNDATION · VOLUME 1 OF 3 · FOUNDATIONSIncome shelf

Income Fundamentals

The first book to read on income. It explains the three kinds of income and how each is taxed, walks through a pay stub from gross to net, shows why growing your pay is the strongest lever you have and how to find your market value, and then covers how to measure income risk, build a backup plan, and keep cash safe while it earns.

Chapters8
Reading time45 min
Worked examples22
Updated2026-10-01
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01
VOL 1 · FOUNDATIONSIncome Fundamentals8 chapters · 45 min
What you will be able to do

Contents

8 CHAPTERS · ABOUT 45 MIN
  1. 01The Three Kinds of Income Earned, investment and property income differ in how they are taxed, how reliably they arrive and whether they need your time. Why the mix you hold matters more over the years than the total.6 min2 computed
  2. 02Reading Your Paycheck, From Gross to Net Every line on a pay stub, which deductions you control, what pre-tax saving does to your tax, how to capture the full employer match, and how to set withholding so tax time holds no surprise.6 min3 computed
  3. 03Why Growing Your Income Is the Biggest Lever Why raising income does more than cutting spending, what a raise is worth after tax, the five ways pay actually grows, and the habits of mind that quietly hold earnings down.5 min3 computed
  4. 04Knowing Your Market Value How to measure what the market pays for your work from government data, posted ranges and offers, what moves that number, how to compare offers on total compensation, and the basic shape of asking for more.5 min3 computed
  5. 05Creating Value That Gets Paid What employers and clients actually pay for, four moves that raise the value of your work, the trade-offs of leverage and outcome-based pay, and how to test whether a credential will repay its cost.6 min3 computed
  6. 06Measuring How Secure Your Income Is The six parts of income risk, how different sources compare, warning signs worth watching, a quick scorecard, and how to turn your score into a cash reserve and insurance of the right size.6 min2 computed
  7. 07A Backup Plan for When Income Stops Three layers of protection beyond an emergency fund, how backup work stretches your cash, a ready-to-launch test for side skills, the tax rules for gig and freelance income, and a first-week checklist after a job loss.5 min4 computed
  8. 08Low-Risk Places to Keep Cash What low risk protects and what it does not, how high-yield savings, Treasury bills, I bonds, TIPS, CDs and money market funds work and are taxed, and how to match each to what the money is for.6 min2 computed
CALCULATORS USED IN THIS BOOK
Tax bracket calculator →What federal tax do I owe and what are my marginal/effective rates?401(k) contribution and match calculator →How much can I put in my 401(k) in 2026, and am I getting the full employer match?Raise after tax and years-sooner-to-FI →What is a raise worth after tax over my career, and how many years sooner does it get me to FI?Real hourly wage →What is my real hourly wage after commuting and work costs?Freelance hourly rate →What hourly rate must I charge to match a target take-home or W-2 salary?Emergency fund calculator →How many months of expenses do I have saved, and how many do I need?
The Income shelf →