METHODOLOGY & SOURCES
How the calculators work
EconoPi applies standard finance formulas directly to the values entered by the user. Unless a calculator states otherwise, recurring growth and payments are modeled monthly, displayed currency does not imply a country-specific tax treatment, and results are rounded only for display.
Stock position tools
Stock average cost equals the combined purchase cost of all entered lots divided by their total shares. Stock profit subtracts purchase cost and percentage-based buy and sell fees from sale proceeds, then applies the selected tax percentage only to a positive modeled gain. The break-even price recovers purchase cost and both fees before tax. Dividend income equals shares multiplied by annual dividend per share; after-tax income applies the selected withholding rate, and the five-year scenario compounds only the dividend per share while keeping share count fixed.
Investing and retirement
Compound, retirement and FIRE projections convert the selected effective annual return to an equivalent monthly rate. FIRE targets equal annual spending divided by the selected withdrawal rate and rise with inflation. Dividend retirement projections separately model yield, dividend growth, price growth, tax and optional reinvestment. The 401(k) projection starts with official 2026 limits and estimates later limits using the selected growth assumption. Real markets are volatile, so constant-return projections do not model sequence-of-returns risk.
Loans, mortgages and housing
Installment payments use the standard fixed-rate amortization formula. Mortgage totals add property tax, insurance, HOA and estimated PMI when the down payment is below 20%. Home affordability applies the selected debt-to-income ceiling and cash constraint; actual underwriting rules and PMI quotes vary by lender.
Tax, wage and public data
The wage calculator uses 2026 federal brackets and standard deductions, the 2026 Social Security wage base, Medicare rules and simplified state estimates. Inflation uses completed annual CPI-U averages through 2025. Historical market series are provided for education and should not be treated as a live quote or investment recommendation.
World economy atlas
The atlas is an August 2026 snapshot covering 217 World Bank economies, not a count of sovereign states. The country ranking includes only the latest available observation that represents one comparable economy-wide statutory floor. ILOSTAT observations marked regional, sectoral or occupational—and schedules limited by nationality, employer class or jurisdiction—are excluded from that ranking and shown as researched status or detailed regional schedules instead. A displayed source year is not represented as a 2026 legal effective date. USD figures use the stated official exchange-rate period and are comparison values, not payroll estimates. GDP and GDP per capita use the latest World Bank observations.
Primary references
- IRS: 2026 tax inflation adjustments
- IRS: 2026 retirement contribution limits
- SSA: 2026 Social Security contribution base
- BLS: Consumer Price Index
- ILOSTAT: wages and working time statistics
- OECD Data Explorer: minimum wages
- World Bank: Indicators API
- Natural Earth: public-domain map geometry
- S&P Dow Jones Indices: annual S&P 500 performance
- Nasdaq: Composite historical closes
- U.S. Department of Labor: state minimum wages
- CFPB: mortgages and home buying
Data and explanations were last reviewed August 30, 2026. When an official annual value is incomplete, the calculator uses the latest completed annual period rather than extrapolating a full-year figure.