CAPITAL ALLOCATION

Where should the next dollar go?

Stop bouncing between goals. Enter the capital available and the gaps competing for it. Get a ranked allocation—not another reading list.

Give the cash available now a job. Review the ranked allocation, adjust an input to compare a scenario, then save the plan you want to keep.

1 · Available cash and reserves

Amount available nowCash available now for this decision, after bills and already-committed money. Do not include the reserve entered below a second time.Current emergency savingsExisting emergency cash, separate from the new amount available. The model fills one month, then three months of essentials.Monthly essential expensesOne month of essential costs. Enter 0 only if none; zero skips the reserve stages.

2 · Debt and employer match

High-interest debt balanceBalance of the debt represented by the rate below. The allocator uses the existing 8% cutoff; it does not rank several debts.Highest debt rateAnnual rate for the entered balance. Below 8%, this model does not allocate to that debt stage.Annual employee contribution required to receive the full employer matchYour total employee contribution needed for this year’s full match, not employer dollars. Confirm eligibility and payroll timing.Employee contribution already made toward that amountYour employee contributions already made toward that same annual amount. The difference is the remaining modeled gap.

3 · Longer-term goals

Retirement trajectoryUse your reviewed trajectory. Behind or unknown directs all remaining dollars to retirement before college.Remaining college funding targetRemaining amount you want to fund for education from this available cash, after earlier priorities.

Model assumptions and limits

Educational ordering model. The sequence remains: one month of essentials, debt at 8% or above, the employee contribution gap for a full match, three months of essentials, retirement if behind or unknown, college, then remaining long-term investing. Every dollar is assigned once. It does not model payroll availability, tax effects, account limits, required debt payments or deadlines. Employer matching may require payroll contributions over time; this allocation is not a direct-transfer instruction. Verify plan eligibility, liquidity and debt terms before acting.

READY WHEN YOU ARE—

Give the cash available now a job. Review the ranked allocation, adjust an input to compare a scenario, then save the plan you want to keep.

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HOW TO USE THE ORDER

Fund the first unresolved priority before splitting the money everywhere.

The allocator uses a safety-first sequence. It protects immediate cash needs, expensive debt, and employer matching before optional goals. A lower-ranked goal is not unimportant—it is simply not first for these inputs.

What if the available amount cannot finish the first priority?

Assign the full amount there, automate the remaining gap, and rerun the order after the next meaningful balance or income change.

Why can retirement rank below cash or debt?

A starter reserve prevents new debt, while very expensive interest can overwhelm expected investment returns. Employer matching moves up because it may provide an immediate return.

When should the order be overridden?

Account deadlines, legal obligations, imminent job loss, required insurance, or plan-specific restrictions can change the sequence. Document the reason rather than improvising.

Where should the next dollar go?

Use your saved result.

Calculate, then save your plan.

Fund the first unresolved priority before splitting the money everywhere.

What if the available amount cannot finish the first priority?

Why can retirement rank below cash or debt?

When should the order be overridden?