harperreed Personal Finance Planning
Overview
A structured workflow for building a complete personal money system. Works through 10 financial domains in priority order — defense first (stop leaks), then offense (grow wealth). Each phase gathers real numbers, produces concrete artifacts, and feeds into the next.
When to Use
- Setting up or resetting a personal budget
- Auditing spending and finding waste
- Planning debt payoff strategy
- Building savings goals or emergency fund
- Starting an investment plan
- Any "help me get my money right" request
The Workflow
Work in priority order. Defense phases (1-4) plug holes. Transition phases (5-6) build stability. Offense phases (7-10) grow wealth. Skip phases the user doesn't need, but always suggest the next logical one.
digraph finance_flow {
rankdir=TB;
subgraph cluster_defense {
label="DEFENSE: Stop the Bleeding";
"1. Budget Reset" -> "2. Expense Audit" -> "3. Subscription Audit" -> "4. Spending Controls";
}
subgraph cluster_transition {
label="TRANSITION: Build Stability";
"5. Debt Payoff" -> "6. Emergency Fund";
}
subgraph cluster_offense {
label="OFFENSE: Grow Wealth";
"7. Savings Goals" -> "8. Income Growth" -> "9. Investment Plan" -> "10. Cash Flow System";
}
"4. Spending Controls" -> "5. Debt Payoff";
"6. Emergency Fund" -> "7. Savings Goals";
}
Before Starting: Gather Context
Collect what you need for the relevant phases — don't demand everything upfront:
- Monthly income (all sources)
- Recent spending data (statements, app exports, or estimates)
- Current debts (balances, interest rates, minimums)
- Existing savings and investments
- Financial goals and timelines
Phase 1: Budget Reset
Categorize actual spending (not aspirational) into needs/wants/savings. The 50/30/20 split is a starting framework — adjust based on the user's real situation (high-COL areas may need 60/20/20). Output a concrete allocation with dollar amounts, not just percentages. Include automation rules for recurring transfers.
Phase 2: Expense Leak Finder
Audit spending history to surface hidden waste: forgotten recurring charges, impulse patterns, food waste, bill overpayments. Rank findings by recoverable dollars/month. The average person has ~12 subscriptions they've forgotten — look for those.
Phase 3: Subscription Audit
Use Sort-Score-Simplify: sort all recurring charges, score each 0-5 on actual usage, simplify by cutting low-scorers. Categorize as Essential / Nice-to-have / Ghost (paying but never using). Calculate projected annual savings from cuts. Provide cancellation steps for each cut.
Phase 4: Spending Controls
Build behavioral systems that don't rely on willpower: purchase delay rules (wait a week for wants, a month for big items), debit-only trial periods, category spending alerts. Create a 30-day spending reset calendar with daily check-ins. The goal is changing defaults, not white-knuckling.
Phase 5: Debt Payoff
Compare snowball (smallest balance first — psychological wins) vs avalanche (highest interest first — mathematical optimal). Present both with timelines and total interest paid. Build a tracker showing monthly allocation across debts. Most people do better with snowball despite paying more interest — the motivation matters.
Phase 6: Emergency Fund
Build in tiers: first $1,000 fast (starter emergency fund), then 3 months of expenses, then 6 months. Set up automated contributions (10-20% of income). Recommend high-yield savings accounts for the fund. Include progress milestones and a "what counts as emergency" definition to prevent raids.
Phase 7: Savings Goals
For each named goal (vacation, house, car, etc.): calculate monthly contribution needed given target amount and date. Build a tracker with milestones. Set up dedicated sub-accounts or buckets. Include motivation triggers at 25%/50%/75% marks.
Phase 8: Income Growth
Map the user's skills to income opportunities. Rank by time-to-first-dollar, startup cost, and weekly hour commitment. Cover side hustles, skill monetization, freelancing, and passive income streams. Build a 90-day launch sequence for the top pick. Be realistic about timelines — most passive income takes 6-12 months of active work first.
Phase 9: Investment Starter
For beginners: prioritize tax-advantaged accounts (employer 401k match first, then Roth IRA, then HSA if eligible). Recommend broad index funds/ETFs over individual stocks. Explain dollar-cost averaging. Build a 6-month contribution ramp-up schedule. Match recommendations to stated risk tolerance.
Phase 10: Cash Flow System
Build the ongoing monitoring layer: income vs expense trend tracking, category breakdowns, goal progress forecasts, surplus/deficit alerts. Create a weekly 15-minute review checklist. This is the "dashboard" that keeps all other phases on track.
Quick Reference
| Phase | Focus | Key Question | Key Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Budget | Where does money actually go? | Allocation table + automation rules |
| 2 | Leaks | What am I wasting? | Ranked elimination plan |
| 3 | Subs | What am I paying for but not using? | Scored audit + cancellation list |
| 4 | Controls | How do I change spending habits? | 30-day reset calendar |
| 5 | Debt | Which debts first? | Snowball vs avalanche comparison |
| 6 | Emergency | How do I build a safety net? | Tiered savings plan |
| 7 | Goals | How do I save for X by Y? | Goal tracker + milestones |
| 8 | Income | How do I earn more? | 90-day launch plan |
| 9 | Investing | How do I start investing? | Account + fund recommendations |
| 10 | Cash Flow | How do I stay on track? | Weekly review checklist |
Common Mistakes
- Generic advice without real numbers: Always use the user's actual figures. "$200/month to savings" beats "save more."
- Skipping defense before offense: Find the leaks (phases 1-4) before trying to grow wealth (7-10). Freed-up cash accelerates everything.
- All 10 phases at once: 2-3 phases per session max. Financial planning is mentally taxing and action-dependent — each phase may need a week of real-world data before the next makes sense.
- Ignoring behavioral design: Systems beat willpower every time. Automation, defaults, and friction are more reliable than motivation.
- Presenting one "right" answer: Financial decisions involve values and risk tolerance. Present options with trade-offs, let the user decide.
Disclaimer
This skill produces financial organization tools and frameworks, not professional financial advice. Recommend the user consult a qualified financial advisor for investment decisions, tax strategy, and complex debt situations.