Better decisions
begin with
better numbers.
Life's biggest financial decisions deserve more than rules of thumb. Learn how to think critically, evaluate your options, and make choices grounded in real numbers.
Michael A. Tortorich, CFA, MBA
Financial literacy is not about knowing all the answers.
It's about knowing how to ask the right questions. Whether you're choosing a career, buying a home, or planning for retirement, the tools to evaluate your options can change your future.
Learn it. Model it.
Make it yours.
One practical approach, three ways to build confidence in your financial decisions.
Understand the concepts
A practical book organized around the financial decisions you encounter throughout life.
Explore the book ↗02 / APPLYRun your own numbers
Put the ideas into practice with companion Excel models and real-world examples.
View the tools ↗03 / WATCHSee the thinking in action
Go deeper with chapter-by-chapter videos explaining concepts and calculations.
Watch the videos ↗THE
NUMBERS↗
The financial guide you can return to, at every stage of life.
Running the Numbers is designed to help you make your own decisions—not tell you what to do. From the time value of money and credit cards to homeownership and retirement, each chapter connects financial theory to choices that matter.
- Clear explanations of essential financial concepts
- Real-life scenarios and quantitative comparisons
- Companion Excel resources and educational videos
Don't just read about it.
Run the numbers.
Explore the Excel workbook used throughout the book and video series. Test assumptions, compare outcomes, and see how financial decisions change under different scenarios.
Explore Excel resources ↗A little more context.
A lot more clarity.
The companion YouTube series expands on the book's examples with explanations you can pause, replay, and work through at your own pace.
Explore video lessons ↗VIDEO LESSONS
Finance expertise.
A passion for teaching.
Michael A. Tortorich is a CFA charterholder and University of Texas at Austin McCombs MBA with a career in corporate finance and financial planning. He originally developed Running the Numbers to teach his own children how to approach major financial decisions—and then decided to share that framework more widely.
More about Michael ↗