About Reality Check
Reality Check is a free tool that helps Canadians and Americans answer one honest question: can I actually afford this? Enter your real numbers once — paycheque, rent or mortgage, debts, savings — and test every life decision against them in 60 seconds. We also publish The Guide, a growing library of plain-language articles on the math behind everyday money decisions.
Why we built it
Most personal-finance tools are excellent at showing you where your money went and useless at answering what actually keeps people up at night: whether a specific upcoming decision — a move, a mortgage, a new car, a kid, a career change — actually fits. Reality Check is built around that one question.
What we believe
- Personal finance is personal. No two situations are the same.
- You shouldn't have to hand a bank login to anyone to do basic math.
- An honest "not yet" is more valuable than an optimistic "go for it."
- No affiliate links, no product pitches, no dark patterns.
How it works
Everything runs in your browser. Your numbers are saved in your device's local storage — we don't have a server that sees them, no account to create, no email to give us. You can clear your data at any time from Settings. Regional defaults (property tax, rent, daycare, utilities) are pulled from public sources and editable everywhere. See our methodology page for sources, review cadence, and correction policy.
Editorial independence
The Guide articles are written in-house. We do not accept payment to link to specific banks, brokers, credit-card issuers, or lenders, and we do not run affiliate links in article body copy. Third-party ads may appear on the site (currently via Google AdSense) and are clearly labeled; they never influence what we write or which standards the tool uses.
Not financial advice
Reality Check is for reference only. It is not financial, tax, legal, or investment advice. Talk to a qualified professional before making real decisions.
Get in touch
Feedback, corrections, and press inquiries are welcome. See Contact for how to reach us.