The Minastany Library

Plain-language money,
for everyday families.

No jargon, no hype, no sales pitch — just clear guidance on the financial decisions real families face. Read one at a time, or work through a series. Every piece is education you can act on.

17 pieces4 themesEvery piece has a title cardUpdated June 2026

Financial Planning

— a 7-part series

A mid-year checkup for your whole financial life. Work through one part a week — each has its own title card.

01Bring Your Goals Back Into FocusRevisit what matters most02Look Under the Hood of Your InvestmentsRebalance & realign03Get Ahead on Taxes Instead of Chasing ThemMid-year tax moves04Find Out Where the Money Actually WentSpending check05Make Sure Your Coverage Still Matches Your LifeInsurance review06Press Your Retirement Savings ForwardContributions & catch-ups07Revisit Who Inherits, and Who DecidesEstate check

Learn to Invest

3 guides

The building blocks of growing money over time — minus the intimidation.

GUIDE
Card
Can a Working Family Catch FIRE?
Financial Independence, Retire Early — demystified
What FIRE really means, the 25x rule, the pre-59½ trap, and the four flavors (Lean, Fat, Barista, Coast).
Read · 6 min
GUIDE
Card
Not All “The Market” Is the Same
How index funds are actually built
Size-weighted vs. fundamentally-weighted indexes, hidden concentration risk, and why holding both steadies the ride.
Read · 6 min
GUIDE
+ ChartCard
Six Ways to Invest in Your Child's Future
Every account that grows with your kid
529s, ESAs, custodial accounts, the new Trump Account, youth investing & custodial IRAs — with a comparison chart.
Read · 7 min

The Crypto Cluster

4 guides + 1 bridge · read in order

A complete arc — from what crypto is, to whether and how to own it, to how much is too much — closing with a bridge into fraud protection.

CRYPTO · 01
+ DiagramCard
What's Actually Under the Coin?
Blockchains & crypto, without the jargon
The shared-ledger idea, where coins come from, and how networks agree on truth (proof-of-work vs. proof-of-stake).
Read · 7 min
CRYPTO · 02
Card
Crypto Without the Hype
A clear-eyed beginner's guide
The risks the headlines skip, investing vs. trading, and the iron rule: never more than you can lose.
Read · 7 min
CRYPTO · 03
+ TableCard
Four Doors Into Crypto
If you've decided to invest, how to actually do it
Direct ownership, ETPs, crypto stocks, and derivatives — compared side by side, with the leverage door flagged.
Read · 7 min
CRYPTO · 04
+ ChartCard
How Much Crypto Is Too Much?
Two honest ways to size a position
Why crypto plays in a different volatility league, two sizing methods, and why both roads lead somewhere small.
Read · 6 min
CRYPTO × FRAUD · BRIDGE
+ DiagramCard
Protecting Your Crypto From Scams
Where the two biggest threats meet — and how to stay safe
Why crypto is a scammer's favorite tool, the five stages of a pig-butchering scam, how AI erased the old red flags, and seven habits that beat every version.
Read · 8 min

Fraud Protection

2 guides

Keeping your family — and your money — safe from increasingly convincing scams.

GUIDE
Card
When You Can't Trust Your Own Eyes and Ears
How AI is supercharging financial scams
Deepfakes, voice clones, and fake personas — the three red flags that still expose every scam, and the habits that beat them.
Read · 7 min
GUIDE
Card
Digital Native ≠ Scam-Proof
Why the most online generation loses the most
The surprising data on Gen Z & scams, plus three habits to hand straight to the young people in your life.
Read · 5 min