About Normdale and Diego Franco
The short version
Normdale is a cartoon. He buys what regular people buy throughout life and sighs at the bill, so you can see what things really cost without having to pay for the lesson yourself. The tools, the pages and the videos are run by me, Diego Franco, founder and editor.
- What Normdale is: a website of free, plain-language money tools and short videos for adults in the US. Normdale is also the name of its cartoon character.
- Who makes it: Diego Franco, founder and editor. He started Normdale in October 2026.
- Where the numbers come from: each number is calculated with a published method or taken from a named source, with the year.
- What it costs you: nothing. The tools are free, with no sign-up.
- How it makes money: its own products, starting later. No ads and no affiliate links at launch, and no money from card issuers, lenders or debt-relief companies.
- Is it financial advice? No. Normdale explains how the numbers work.
Who's behind Normdale
I'm Diego Franco, and I started Normdale in October 2026. I've worked in online marketing and SEO for more than ten years, which mostly means finding out what people really ask and answering it clearly.
I have no financial training, and that's why I research so much. I love digging into how money works: where the numbers come from, how interest really adds up, and where a "simple rule" hides an assumption.
I started Normdale because I like to make simple the things that look complicated to other people, and because I've had my own money struggles and learned from them. I'd rather show the math than ask anyone to trust me.
I decide what Normdale covers, I review every page and every video before it goes out, and I read the email that comes to hello@normdale.com. You can find me on LinkedIn.
What I'm not: I'm not a financial advisor, and I hold no financial, tax or legal license. Normdale doesn't give personal financial advice. It explains how the numbers work.
Who is Normdale?
A cartoon character. He's not a real person, not an expert and not an advisor. He's a regular guy with everyday money questions, and he never gets mocked for them: on Normdale, the joke is on the math, not on the person.
Normdale is a cartoon; the numbers are real.
What Normdale covers
Normdale covers US numbers: US interest rates and US rules (for example Federal Reserve data and CFPB rules), for adults in the United States.
The first tool is the Payoff Calculator. It shows when a credit card balance will be paid off and how much interest it costs, paying the minimum or a fixed amount each month. The exact method, with a worked example you can check by hand, is on How we calculate.
How every number gets checked
On a money site, a wrong number can cost someone real money. So nothing on Normdale asks you to take a number on trust:
- One published method. Every calculated number follows the method on How we calculate, with a worked example you can redo by hand.
- Tested before it goes live. The Payoff Calculator has to pass worked examples with known answers before it goes live and after every change, and a second, separate program recomputes the same cases. One of the tests: $215 at 0% APR, paying $50 a month, takes 5 months, not 4, because the last, smaller payment of $15 is counted.
- Original sources, with the year. Rates and rules come from the organization that publishes them when we can (for example the Federal Reserve and the CFPB), with the name and the year. Preliminary figures are labeled preliminary.
- Examples labeled. When a number is an example and not a fact about you, the page says "example" and lists its assumptions.
- Dates you can see. Tool pages show when their numbers were last checked.
How Normdale uses AI
- Videos. The visuals, sounds and music in the videos are made with AI tools (the music in our first video: Google Lyria). The narrator is a synthetic voice based on my own voice. Every video is marked as altered or synthetic content on YouTube.
- Writing and code. AI assistants help me research, draft pages and write the calculator code. I review and edit everything before it's published.
- Numbers. AI is never the source of a number. Each number is calculated with the method on How we calculate and tested against worked examples, or taken from a named source, with the year.
More detail on sources, AI and corrections: Editorial policy.
How Normdale makes money
The tools on this site are free, and you never need to sign up to use them. Normdale plans to sell its own products, starting with Normdale's Debt Payoff Planner (a spreadsheet, not on sale yet). When a page mentions a Normdale product, that's us talking about our own product.
At launch there are no ads and no affiliate links, and Normdale takes no money from card issuers, lenders or debt-relief companies. If ads or affiliate links are ever added, the pages that carry them will say so clearly.
Questions about Normdale and Diego Franco
Is Diego Franco a financial advisor?
No. Diego Franco is not a financial advisor, and he holds no financial, tax or legal license. He has no financial training. Normdale explains how the numbers work, with the method and the sources shown, and doesn't give personal financial advice. For decisions about your own debt, a qualified professional who knows your situation is worth talking to.
Why trust a money site made by someone with no financial training?
You don't have to take Diego's word for anything: you can check it. Every calculation follows the method on How we calculate, with a worked example you can redo by hand, and every rate or rule names its source and year. The calculator has to pass worked examples with known answers before it goes live. If a number looks wrong, email hello@normdale.com.
Is Normdale a real person?
No. Normdale is a cartoon character: a regular guy who buys what regular people buy throughout life. He's not an expert or an advisor, and he's never presented as a real person. The real person behind Normdale is Diego Franco, founder and editor, who decides what Normdale publishes and checks it before it goes out.
Does Normdale get money from card issuers, lenders or debt-relief companies?
No. Normdale takes no money from card issuers, lenders or debt-relief companies, and it doesn't promote credit cards, loans or debt-relief services. At launch there are no ads and no affiliate links. The pages explain how the numbers work, so you can weigh your own options with your own statement in hand.
What happens if I find a wrong number?
Email hello@normdale.com with the page and the number that looks wrong. Corrections are welcome. When Normdale gets something wrong, the page is fixed and a dated correction note is added at the bottom saying what changed; numbers aren't changed quietly. For a video, the description and the pinned comment are corrected. Details: Editorial policy.
Has a financial expert reviewed Normdale's pages?
Not yet. Today every page is written or edited and then checked by Diego Franco. As Normdale grows, a qualified reviewer (for example a CFP® professional or a CPA) may be added to check the money pages. Each reviewed page will then show the reviewer's name and credential. Until then, no page on Normdale claims an expert review.
Where can I watch Normdale's videos?
Normdale's short videos are on YouTube (@Normdale), Instagram (@normdale) and TikTok (@normdale50k). Each one works through an everyday money example. Every number in it is either calculated with a method we show or taken from a named source, with the year.
Get in touch
Questions, or a number you think is wrong: hello@normdale.com. Corrections are especially welcome. Here's how we handle them: Editorial policy.
— Diego Franco, founder and editor, Normdale