About
About ForestMatters
The people selling you solar, cars, and mortgages all have their own calculators. We built one without a sales agenda.
ForestMatters builds financial calculators for the decisions where money and sustainability intersect: solar panels, electric vehicles, heat pumps, and the personal finance fundamentals that support them.
Every default assumption is grounded in historical data, not marketing projections. We use 7% for market returns because that matches the long-run record. We show you both scenarios: the one where the upgrade makes sense, and the one where it doesn’t. You can’t make a good decision from a number you don’t understand.
ForestMatters, LLC is veteran-owned and independently operated. There are no investors to answer to, no engagement metrics to chase, no ad revenue pushing us toward sensational content. We build what we think is genuinely useful.
What we stand for
Honest numbers
We don't optimize for the outcome that feels best. We show you what the math actually says. Default assumptions are grounded in historical data, not marketing projections.
No hype
We don't produce advertorial content. When we link to financial products, we may earn a commission at no cost to you. Our tool recommendations and editorial content are based on what's genuinely useful, not what pays the most.
Plain English always
Financial jargon exists to confuse people. We explain every concept in the simplest accurate terms. If you can't follow the math, you can't make the decision.
Long-term thinking
We don't cover hot stocks, market timing, or get-rich-quick strategies. The decisions this site helps you analyze typically take years, sometimes decades, to play out.
Why independent analysis matters
Every solar installer has a calculator. It’s designed to close the sale. Every EV dealer has a cost comparison. It’s designed to get you into a lease. The numbers aren’t wrong, exactly; they’re just shaped to make one answer look obvious.
We don’t sell solar panels and we don’t install heat pumps. When a tool links to gear, we may earn a disclosed commission, but it never changes the math: our calculators are built to help you think, not to push you toward a purchase. We show you the scenarios where it makes sense and the ones where it doesn’t.
That’s the difference between a tool and a sales pitch.
Disclosure
ForestMatters, LLC is independently owned and operated. This site participates in affiliate marketing programs. When we link to financial products, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Commercial relationships do not influence our editorial content, tool functionality, or educational material. All tools and content are for educational and illustrative purposes only. Nothing on this site constitutes financial advice. Consult a qualified financial professional before making investment or retirement decisions.
Your financial inputs are never collected or stored. Everything you enter into our calculators stays in your browser.
Built to be trusted
Audited math
Every calculator formula is verified against authoritative sources: IRS tables, published research, and standard actuarial formulas. Each calculator goes through a dedicated math audit before launch; the Solar ROI engine received one covering IRR implementation, net metering logic, year indexing, the LCOE formula, and incentive stacking, with all identified issues resolved before launch.
Tests run on every update
Hundreds of automated tests cover the calculators and the rest of the site. Every time we ship an update, they all have to pass before the code goes live.
Tell us if we’re wrong
If you find an error in any calculation, email us at hello@forestmatters.com. We will investigate it, fix it if it’s wrong, and credit you when we ship the fix. Honest math is the whole point.