Upcoming topic
On the bench
A credit score
Credit scores, taken apart
What goes into a credit score, why scores can differ, and what those numbers can mean for everyday borrowing.
Money, taken apart.
One money object goes on the workbench — a credit card, a hospital bill, a 401(k) form — and comes apart, piece by labeled piece, until the trick makes sense.
Everyday money, one teardown at a time
EP04 · Sale prices · Free workbook
Is that sale actually a good deal?
Check the price history, compare checkout totals and keep your own budget in view.
Buy now, pay later · Free workbook
Can one paycheck cover every payment?
Put the dates together with the Paycheck Collision Check and worked example.
EP02 · Health insurance
Insured. Still owe money. Now what?
Follow the claim, check the math, and compare an EOB with a bill.
Welcome to the Splain Lab
Personal finance, taken apart.
Cash Splained is personal finance, taken apart. We show you how money actually works — credit cards, credit scores, insurance, loans, fees and taxes — one teardown at a time. No hype, no jargon, no guru energy — just a workbench, a pair of safety goggles, and the patience to find out where the trick is hiding.
Hosted by The Splainer — the smart friend at the workbench — with Penny the piggy bank and Bill the receipt looking on.
“Grab your goggles.”“Keep your receipts.”
The series
Four lanes. One workbench.
Every episode belongs to one of four recurring teardown series — so you always know which part of your wallet is on the bench.
Policy Autopsy
Insurance & fine print
Insurance, health plans & the fine print that gets you. The dec page goes on the bench, clause by clause.
Plastic Surgery
Cards & credit
How credit cards, points & APRs really work — every layer of the plastic, peeled back and labeled.
Paycheck Science
Taxes & salary
Taxes, deductions & where your salary actually goes, traced from gross to net one line at a time.
Gotcha Files
Fees & traps
The fees & money traps hiding in plain sight — dissected so you see them coming next time.
Upcoming topics
What else is on the bench?
Here’s a look at topics we’re exploring, in no set release order.
The lab crew
Meet Penny & Bill
Every lab needs staff. Ours works for coins and reassurance, respectively.
PennyLab safety officer
Cream ceramic piggy bank. Goggles always on. Guards the coins, guards the pizza, and asks the questions you were too polite to ask your bank.
BillAnxious paperwork
An actual receipt. Has read every word of the fine print and would very much like to talk to someone about it. Endearing. Slightly crumpled.
Grab your goggles.
Everyday money, one teardown at a time. Subscribe on YouTube so the next teardown lands in your feed — and keep your receipts everywhere else.