About Napkin Math

Napkin Math is run by five former financial journalists and policy researchers who had babies and couldn't find the numbers we needed. We built what we wished existed: a publication that treats early parenthood as a genuine financial inflection point, not a lifestyle category.

Every figure we publish is verified against real household budgets, government datasets, or our own anonymized reader panels. We do not accept sponsored posts, affiliate commissions, or native advertising. When we test a scenario—whether twelve weeks of unpaid leave or switching to part-time childcare—we document assumptions, note regional variations, and publish our methodology.

We read every email. Corrections are published within 48 hours. To reach us: [email protected]. For sensitive financial stories: [email protected]. We do not take meetings from fintech marketing teams.