Financial Buckets Exercise — Into JoyFlow

Your Financial Buckets.

Where everything you've discovered begins to take shape. Due 1 week before Meeting 2 · about 20–30 minutes.

You've clarified your life goals. You've identified what matters most to you. You've observed your money patterns and watched your daily spending with fresh eyes. Now we take all of that and begin building something real.

This exercise asks you to think about your money in four buckets — and to start imagining how you want each one to look. You don't need to have exact answers. Your advisor will work through the full numbers with you in Meeting 2. What matters here is your intention — and your honesty about where things stand today versus where you want them to go.

LiveFlow

The money that keeps your life running — your non-negotiables.

SafeFlow

The money that steps in when life doesn't go according to plan — your safety net.

JoyFlow

Spending that truly reflects what you value most — enjoying life now while building your future.

FutureFlow

Saving and investing now to protect your JoyFlow over the long run.

LiveFlow — Your Non-Negotiables

Everything it costs to keep your life running, month to month.

Monarch Money: Your LiveFlow-tagged transactions are your starting point. Pull from what you've already observed — you've done most of this work.

Your Monthly LiveFlow — Today

Use the examples list as a checklist — make sure you haven't missed anything. Include your actual annual taxes (Line 24 of your most recent tax return) as a separate line item.

LiveFlow Examples

Mortgage or rent
Homeowner's / renter's insurance
Property taxes / HOA fees
Utilities: gas, electric, water
Internet, cable & cell phone
Home / car maintenance
Student loan payments
Credit card payments
Personal loans
Essential groceries & food
Personal care & clothing
Medical, dental, vision
Prescriptions
Auto loan or lease
Gas & transportation
Tolls & parking
Auto insurance
Life / disability insurance
Health insurance premiums
Child / dependent expenses
Pet expenses
Professional service fees
Annual taxes (Line 24)
Other non-negotiables

Item	Monthly Amount	Notes

Total Monthly LiveFlow — Today

Opportunities to Lower Your LiveFlow

Looking back at your journal and Monarch Money data — where do you see room to reduce? Think about non-negotiables that might actually be negotiable, unused subscriptions, better rates on loans or insurance, or expenses you could trim without meaningfully changing your life.

Your Target Monthly LiveFlow — Tomorrow

After acting on those opportunities — what do you think your LiveFlow could realistically be?

Target Monthly LiveFlow

SafeFlow — Your Safety Net

How protected are you when life doesn't go according to plan?

Your Current SafeFlow — Cash & Liquid Savings

Add up all liquid cash and near-cash savings you could access quickly. Include all of the following that apply to you.

Checking Account(s)

Savings Account(s)

Money Market Account(s)

CDs Maturing Within 1 Year

Money Market Mutual Funds

Treasury Bills

Total SafeFlow Available

How Many Months Does That Cover?

Divide your total SafeFlow by your current monthly LiveFlow. This tells you how long your safety net would last if your income stopped tomorrow. A healthy safety net covers 3–6 months.

SafeFlow Coverage

÷ =

Are You Currently Building Your SafeFlow?

Do you set aside SafeFlow savings regularly?

If yes — how much and how often?

What Would a Full Safety Net Mean for You?

Imagine having 3–6 months of expenses fully covered. How would that feel — and what would it change about how you approach your finances day to day?

JoyFlow — Your Life, Funded

This is the most personal bucket — where your values and goals become a spending plan.

Monarch Money: Look at your JoyFlow-tagged transactions from the past 30 days. What was actually funding your joy — and what was just habit or impulse? Use that awareness as you design what you want JoyFlow to look like.

Carry Forward From Your Discovery Work

Re-enter what you discovered in your vision board and values sort. Having these in front of you anchors the design that follows.

Your Top 3 Life Goals

From your vision board.

Your Top 4 Values

From your values sort.

Designing Your JoyFlow

For each area of life that matters to you, name specifically what JoyFlow looks like — and what it would cost. Estimate freely; precision comes later.

Life Goal or Value Area	Specific Experiences or Purchases	Est. Monthly	Est. Annual

Total Estimated Monthly JoyFlow

What Would You Let Go Of?

Looking at your Monarch Money JoyFlow tags and your journal — what spending showed up that doesn't actually bring you much joy or align with your values? What would you be willing to redirect toward something that matters more?

FutureFlow — Your Future Joy, Protected

Starting to invest in the life on your vision board — one paycheck at a time.

Are You Capturing Your Full Employer Match?

If your employer offers a 401(k) match, capturing it fully is the single highest-return financial move available to you — it's free money. Are you taking full advantage of it?

Are you getting your full employer match?

If not fully — what's getting in the way?

Are You Building Your SafeFlow at the Same Time?

For most young professionals, building a 3–6 month safety net and capturing the employer match are the two most important FutureFlow priorities — before anything else. How are you thinking about balancing these two?

One FutureFlow Commitment You're Ready to Make

Keep it specific, small, and automatable. The best FutureFlow habits start simple and run on their own.

Before You Submit

A Final Reflection

Three questions — take your time.

Look back over everything you've filled out. Then answer these three questions as honestly as you can. Your advisor will read these before Meeting 2.

Question 1

How does the picture you've just described compare to where you are today — and how does that feel?

Question 2

Which bucket feels most out of alignment with your goals and values right now — and why?

Question 3

What is the one thing you most want to change about how your money flows — and what has been getting in the way?

Submit at least 1 week before Meeting 2 so your advisor can prepare before your session.