What expenses belong in the target?
Use essential housing, utilities, food, insurance, transportation, healthcare, childcare, and minimum debt payments—not the entire lifestyle.
LEVEL 100 · PRE-FLIGHT
Turn “save more cash” into a specific reserve target, gap, and timeline based on essential monthly expenses.
FROM YOUR CASH-FLOW PLAN
Review the inputs, then select Calculate.
HOW TO USE THE RESULT
Three to six months is a starting range, not a universal answer. Variable income, one-income households, dependents, health exposure, property ownership, and difficult-to-replace jobs can justify a larger reserve. Stable dual income and strong coverage may support a smaller target.
Use essential housing, utilities, food, insurance, transportation, healthcare, childcare, and minimum debt payments—not the entire lifestyle.
Use an accessible, low-risk account without market exposure or surrender charges. Yield matters, but immediate availability is the job.
Capture an employer match when feasible, then balance reserve building with expensive-debt payoff and investing. The correct order depends on what could break the plan first.