The Four Numbers

Income in. Spending out. Debt owed. Net worth today. No rounding, no hopeful math. Thirty minutes, and your GPS has its first point.

1. Monthly income, after taxes (what actually lands) 2. Monthly spending, everything

3. Every debt, with its rate

4. Net worth

What you own, at honest market value (home, retirement, savings, brokerage, vehicles)

The interest rates matter: Chapter 12's order of operations uses them to decide which debts to kill first. Remember the rule as you read the results. The system runs on percentages, not dollars.