Mark Agustin - KatchingStacks - Page 3

The Curriculum

Mark Agustin is a personal finance writer and the founder of KatchingStacks. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Management and came to personal finance the hard way — through firsthand financial hardship that made the gap between what schools teach about money and what actually matters in real life painfully clear. That experience drove him to spend years researching the tools, platforms, and strategies that genuinely help people build financial stability from scratch — robo-advisors, index funds, retirement accounts, and the compound math that works quietly in the background when everything else feels uncertain. Every review and guide on KatchingStacks reflects that same ethos: research-backed, jargon-free, and written for the person who doesn't have a financial advisor and doesn't plan to get one. Mark evaluates each platform on fees, portfolio construction, and real-world usability — not affiliate payouts. He is not a licensed financial advisor, and nothing on this site constitutes personalized investment advice. It's the research he does to make better decisions with his own money, shared plainly.

The 401(k) Match

What Is a 401(k) Match, and How Do You Get the Most From Yours?

A 401k match is free money from your employer — but only if you contribute enough to earn it. Here's how to calculate and claim all of yours.

How Much Coverage Do You Need?

How Much Life Insurance Do You Need? A Guide for Investors

The 10x income rule is a starting point, not the answer. Here's how to calculate the right amount of life insurance coverage for your actual financial situation.

Best Investment Apps

Best Investment Apps for Beginners 2026: Top Picks Compared

The best investment apps for beginners in 2026: Fidelity, Betterment, Acorns, Wealthfront, and more — compared by fees, minimums, and what each does best.

Term vs. Whole Life

Term Life vs. Whole Life Insurance: What Investors Need to Know

Term life or whole life? For investors, this decision is more straightforward than the insurance industry wants you to think. Here's the clear-eyed breakdown.

How to Invest in Index Funds

How to Invest in Index Funds: A Step-by-Step Beginner’s Guide (2026)

How to invest in index funds: choosing the right brokerage, picking funds, setting your allocation, and building a portfolio that grows for decades.

Life Insurance vs. Investing

Do You Need Life Insurance If You’re Already Investing?

You're building wealth through a robo-advisor or Roth IRA — so do you still need life insurance? The answer depends on a few key factors most financial sites gloss over.

Robo-Advisor vs. Financial Advisor

Robo-Advisor vs Financial Advisor: Which One Do You Actually Need?

Robo-advisor vs financial advisor: a clear breakdown of costs, capabilities, and when each option makes sense for your financial situation.

Robinhood Strategies

Robinhood Strategies Review 2026: Is Robinhood’s Robo-Advisor Worth It?

Robinhood Strategies review: fee structure, portfolio quality, the 3% IRA match, and how it compares to Betterment and Wealthfront.

Betterment vs. Vanguard

Betterment vs Vanguard Digital Advisor (2026): Head-to-Head Comparison

Betterment vs Vanguard Digital Advisor: a full comparison of fees, tax-loss harvesting, human advice access, and portfolio tools to help you choose the right robo-advisor.

Wealthfront vs. Vanguard

Wealthfront vs Vanguard Digital Advisor (2026): Which Robo-Advisor Wins?

Wealthfront vs Vanguard Digital Advisor: comparing fees, tax-loss harvesting, minimums, and retirement tools so you can choose the right robo-advisor for your balance and goals.