Reserve planning, explained for the people who actually run HOAs.
Plain-language guides on reserve studies, funding, and capital projects — written for volunteer boards, not accountants.
Three guides, in order
Each guide is a short sequence of articles. Read them in order and you’ll understand your reserve study better than most of your board.
HOA fundamentals
You joined the board, or you're about to. This guide covers what an HOA actually is, the documents that give it power, and the duties you take on when you accept the seat — in about twenty minutes.
Reserves and funding
Every board argues about dues. This guide replaces the argument with numbers: what your reserve study says, how reserve funds differ from operating cash, what underfunding actually costs, and when a special assessment is the honest answer.
Projects and operations
The reserve study tells you what will need work. This guide is about actually running it: board meetings that decide things, a maintenance plan that prevents surprises, a project calendar you can defend, and a budget the community understands.
Making Sense of Your HOA Reserve Study
You joined the HOA board to make a difference, and that’s great! You also joined to have some fun. And that reserve study doesn’t look like fun. It’s complicated, but the reserve study is nothing to fear. It’s also not something to avoid. It’s an important financial planning tool for your HOA and shared property. We…
Your current reserve balance divided by the fully funded balance, expressed as a percentage. Below 30 percent is widely treated as critical; 70 percent and above as healthy.
Browse the glossary →What your state requires of your reserves
Reserve study requirements, update intervals, and funding disclosure rules — one plain-language page per state, verified against the statute before it’s published.
See all 50 states →Reading about it is step one. Step two takes about a minute.
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