The Money basics card on The Big Picture is a short list of things worth having in place, with a progress ring such as 6 of 9. Every step is checked from your own data and links to the page where you can finish it. Nothing is graded: a step that slips back, for example when savings dip, simply shows its status again.
How it works
The card appears directly under the review banner once your Setup Guide is complete or dismissed. The Setup Guide gets your numbers in; Money basics shows what those numbers say is in place. It's for the account owner and their partner.
The nine steps always come in the same order, and the first one that isn't done is marked Next:
- Bills fit inside take-home pay — your take-home pay minus your bills is $0 or more. It's the same number as Money left over. If you haven't added income and bills yet, the step asks you to.
- Three months of bills set aside — your emergency savings cover three months of bills. See "Step 2: money for when an income stops" below.
- A goal you're working toward — at least one active or completed goal, savings or debt payoff.
- Interest rates on every debt — every debt you've included has an interest rate (0% counts). Once they're all in, the step links to your payoff plan.
- Saving for retirement — a retirement account (401(k), 403(b), 457, IRA, Roth, SEP, SIMPLE, TSP or Pension) or an account marked for retirement, a pension or annuity in your retirement settings, or retirement income such as a pension.
- Life or income protection — a life insurance policy on your Assets page, or a Life Insurance or Disability Insurance bill.
- A hard-times plan — your household has saved a hard-times (SHTF) plan.
- First net-worth snapshot — at least one snapshot, saved by you or automatically. Take snapshot saves one right from the card.
- Your partner can see the plan — your spouse has a login, or a pending invite.
Done steps stay in the list, greyed, with a short status line such as "$450/mo left over." or "2 accounts."
What counts toward your total
The ring shows done steps out of the steps that apply to you. A step drops out when it doesn't apply (no debts, or no spouse), when your household marks it Not for me, or when your permissions hide the page it depends on. Singles see 8 steps, and singles with no debts see 7, so every household can reach 100%.
Step 2: money for when an income stops
The three months is job-loss money: it covers your bills if an income stops. Car repairs and surprise bills are better kept in separate money, because the app can't tell what each account is for.
- If you mark an account as your Emergency Fund on the Assets (opens in a new tab) page, only that account counts.
- Otherwise every Checking, Savings and Money Market account counts. CDs don't.
- Your monthly bills are your household's share of every bill you've included, savings and retirement contributions included, with any business share left out. That matches the Bills page and Money left over.
Because contributions count, three months covers the life you're living now. In hard times you could pause those contributions; your hard-times plan (opens in a new tab) shows how. The Assets page's emergency fund insight and the Emergency fund goal on Goals (opens in a new tab) measure months the same way.
Step 6: in place, not "enough"
Life or income protection asks whether protection is in place. The Current Financial Health score's Safety Net factor asks whether it's enough: it compares your life insurance with your debts and living costs. You can finish this step and still see room to improve in your health score.
Not for me, folding and hiding
- Not for me sets a step aside for your whole household. It moves into Not for me (n) at the bottom of the card; open it and choose Undo to bring the step back. A partner with View only access doesn't see these buttons.
- The card opens on its own on a computer and folds to one line on a phone. While the review banner is showing, it stays as one line so reminders don't stack above your numbers. Your choice to open or fold it is remembered for you.
- Hide from dashboard removes the card for you only. Show money basics, next to the note at the bottom of the dashboard, brings it back.
An example with real numbers
Say your household's bills add up to $3,000 a month, including a $300 savings contribution, and you have $7,500 in a savings account you marked as your emergency fund. That's $7,500 ÷ $3,000 = 2.5 of 3 months saved. A $20,000 brokerage account doesn't count, because it isn't marked and isn't checking, savings or money market. Once the marked account reaches $9,000, step 2 reads 3 months saved.
Assumptions and limits
- The card reads the same data as the rest of the dashboard and refreshes when you change goals, your hard-times plan or family invites.
- Steps can't be marked done by hand, and wills, beneficiaries and credit reports aren't on the list because nothing in the app tracks them.
- It's general information, not financial advice.
FAQ
Why don't I see the Money basics card?
It shows for the account owner and their partner once your Setup Guide is complete or dismissed, so only one progress meter shows at a time. It isn't shown to children. If you hid it, choose Show money basics at the bottom of the dashboard.
Is there a button to mark a step done?
No. Every step is checked from what you've entered, so it updates on its own when you add a goal, an account or a policy. If a step doesn't fit your life, use Not for me.
Does Not for me hide the step for my partner too?
Yes. It's shared by your household, and either of you can bring the step back with Undo. A partner with View only access sees the checklist but can't change it.
Why does my emergency fund count savings contributions as bills?
The three months uses the same "my bills" number as the Bills page and Money left over, so it includes money you set aside each month. In hard times you can pause those contributions; your hard-times plan shows how.
Is this financial advice?
No. It's a list of things many households find worth having in place, checked from the numbers you entered. Go at your own pace and skip what doesn't fit.