Maya Ellison
Personal-finance writer & recovering over-spender
Denver, CO
Maya writes about money the way she wishes someone had explained it to her at 22 — plainly, with real numbers and none of the jargon. She isn't a financial advisor; she's someone who spent her twenties digging out of credit-card debt, got a little obsessive about budgeting, and now turns intimidating financial math into decisions anyone can make. Everything she writes is meant to inform, not to be personal financial advice.
Articles by Maya Ellison
How to Calculate Your Ideal Emergency Fund Timeline: Monthly Expenses vs. Income Replacement Strategy
Learn the difference between the traditional 3-6 months of expenses rule and the income replacement method for emergency funds. Calculate your personalized timeline based on job security, industry volatility, and family situation with real-world scenarios and actionable steps.
Apr 17, 2026How to Calculate Your Digital Distraction Cost: Measuring the True Impact of Phone and Social Media Interruptions
Learn to quantify how much time and money digital interruptions cost you daily. Calculate the cumulative impact of phone notifications, social media breaks, and digital distractions on your productivity and earnings.
Apr 16, 2026How to Calculate Your Financial Independence Number: Beyond Traditional Retirement Planning
Learn how to calculate your FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) number using multiple approaches including geographic arbitrage, lean FIRE, and coast FIRE strategies. Includes step-by-step calculations and real-world scenarios.
Apr 16, 2026How to Calculate Your Meeting ROI: A Step-by-Step Guide to Measuring Meeting Value and Efficiency
Learn to quantify the true cost and value of your meetings using salary calculations, opportunity cost analysis, and productivity metrics to eliminate time-wasting gatherings and optimize collaboration.
Apr 16, 2026How to Calculate Your Debt-to-Income Ratio: The Ultimate Guide to Financial Health
Learn how to calculate your debt-to-income ratio, understand what lenders consider healthy ratios, and discover actionable strategies to improve your DTI for better loan approval odds and financial stability.
Apr 15, 2026How to Calculate Task Switching Costs: The Hidden Productivity Killer Draining Your Time
Learn how to measure the true time cost of multitasking and context switching. This guide shows you how to calculate lost productivity from task interruptions, estimate recovery time between different activities, and quantify the financial impact of scattered attention on your work output.
Apr 15, 2026Tax-Loss Harvesting Calculator: How to Minimize Capital Gains Tax and Maximize Returns
Learn how to strategically realize investment losses to offset gains and reduce your tax burden. Includes step-by-step calculations and real-world scenarios to optimize your investment tax strategy.
Apr 14, 2026How to Calculate Your Daily Energy Peaks: A Data-Driven Approach to Peak Performance Scheduling
Learn how to track and calculate your natural energy patterns throughout the day to optimize your schedule for maximum productivity. Includes formulas for measuring energy levels and creating personalized productivity windows.
Apr 14, 2026How to Calculate Your Break-Even Point for Side Hustles: When Does Extra Income Actually Pay Off?
Learn how to determine if your side hustle is truly profitable by calculating hidden costs, tax implications, and opportunity costs to find your exact break-even point.
Apr 13, 2026How to Calculate Your True Commute Cost: Time, Money, and Opportunity Analysis
Learn to calculate the real cost of your daily commute including time value, transportation expenses, and opportunity costs to make informed decisions about remote work, relocation, or job changes.
Apr 13, 2026How to Calculate the True Cost of Homeownership: Beyond Mortgage Payments
Discover hidden homeownership costs like PMI, HOA fees, maintenance, and property taxes. Learn to calculate the real monthly expense before buying your first home.
Apr 13, 2026How to Calculate Deadline Buffers: The Ultimate Guide to Project Time Management
Learn proven formulas for calculating realistic project buffers, estimating task duration with uncertainty factors, and building contingency time into your schedules to avoid missed deadlines.
Apr 12, 2026