Months Ahead
Months Ahead shows how many months your money would last if no new money came in and your spending stayed the same. Find it on the Insights tab. Tap the card to see how the number changed over time.
How it is calculated
The number is Cash on hand divided by Avg. monthly spending. You see both under Current Breakdown. The card stops at 12+. The next screen shows the exact number.
What counts as cash
Cash on hand is the money in your checking, savings and cash accounts.
- Credit cards and loans don't count, because they are debt. What you owe on a card lowers your cash only when you pay the card.
- Tracking accounts don't count. A tracking account only follows a value, like an investment or a mortgage.
- Transactions planned for a future date don't count.
What counts as spending
Avg. monthly spending is the average of your last 3 complete months. A new budget uses fewer months, and a line below says how many. The current month never counts.
- All money going out of your budget accounts counts. A refund doesn't lower it.
- Credit card purchases count when you make them.
- Transfers to a tracking account count, with or without a category.
- Transfers between your budget accounts don't count. That includes paying your card.
- Starting balances and adjustments from reconciling don't count.
How to read the number
1.0 or more means you are at least one full month ahead of your bills. A higher number means more room.
Good to know
- Regular investing lowers the number, because that money leaves your cash.
- If your budget accounts are overdrawn, the number shows as zero. A note on the screen says so.
- With no spending in those months, there is no number yet.
- Ignore One-Offs changes only the average spending. Your cash stays the same, because that money is really gone.
