CASH FLOW MANAGEMENT
In addition to our comprehensive financial plans, we help design, optimize and implement cash flow systems for individuals and families. With our guided process through the First Step Cash Management System™ you will be able to take command of your household cash flows. We believe that financial success, happiness and freedom hinges on spending less money than you make. A good cash flow plan should help you determine the best balance of spending on important things like housing, food, education and travel while paying off debt, building up your retirement nest egg and putting aside money for an emergency fund or a dream home down payment.
We typically have one to three meetings to help you implement the cash flow system. During the process we'll discuss the four main elements of the cash flow system: 1) pay yourself first, 2) set aside money for future expenses, 3) pay monthly bills, and 4) spend the rest. We'll help you think through the inherent trade-offs between those four elements. We'll also ask you to gather detailed, accurate information on your income and spending to plug into the First Step Cash Management System™ planning tool. The First Step system enables us to make changes to your saving and spending assumptions and immediately see how those changes impact your cash flows. We can create and evaulate numerous scenarios to make sure you end up with a workable system. We'll help you optimize the cash flow system to support your savings and debt reduction goals while also sustaining a lifestyle that works for you and your family.
We charge our standard rate of $200 per hour for initial implementation of the cash system. Couples and families typically need two to three 1-hour meetings to optimize the system. Our single clients typically require just one or two meetings to get started. We also offer ongoing monthly DIY seminars.
First Step Cash Management System Pricing
| Initial Implementation Assistance | Optional Monthly DIY Seminars | |
|---|---|---|
| Couples/Families | $400-$600 | $15 admission per person/couple plus an optional $10 per person for lunch |
| Singles | $200-$400 |
All of our First Step Cash Management System clients will be entitled and encouraged to attend our unique monthly cash flow seminars. We view our cash flow seminars as continuing education for our cash flow clients. We also welcome our financial planning clients and participants in our innovative employer retirement plans. Our seminars focus on a wide range of topics and are held once a month on the 3rd Wednesday of each month. Please click the link below for our full seminar schedule and topic list.
Seminar Topics
Cash Flow - Debt - 529's - Estate Planning - Retirement - Emergency Fund - Insurance - Home Ownership
Your Three Buckets
With the First Step Cash Management System, all spending falls into one of three buckets. These buckets represent the way you spend your money. The first is a Static Bucket, which reflects monthly bills that are constant such as your mortgage, utilities, car payments, cellphone, etc.
The second bucket is your Control Bucket. It is your discretionary bucket. This bucket depends on your decisions and covers, food, gas, beauty, entertainment, etc. This is the bucket that will fluctuate the most as these items change on a weekly basis.
The last bucket is your Dynamic Bucket. This is money you put aside for items you hope to buy in the future. This is generally your big money items. This bucket also holds your emergency fund to protect you from unexpected events.