Getting Started
Not sure where to start or what charts to get?
Here is the simple Baby Steps plan for getting out of debt popularized by Dave Ramsey and the charts that go with each step:
Baby Step 0 - Get current on any past due bills.
Baby Step 1 - Save up a $1000 Emergency Fund.
Baby Step 2 - Pay off all your debts, except for the mortgage.
There are 20+ FREE Baby Step 2 charts, just choose the charts that fit the debts you have to pay.
Baby Step 3 - Save up a big Emergency Fund of 3-6 months of expenses (not income, just bare bones expenses).
- Baby Step 3B - Save up for a house down payment.
Baby Step 4 - Save 15% of your income for retirement.
Baby Step 5 - Save for your kids' college education.
Baby Step 6 - Pay off your home mortgage.
Note that steps 4-6 often happen simultaneously.
There are lots more charts than are linked above, to see them all simply browse through the All Charts tab. You can filter the charts by using the drop down at the top left of the charts page so that you see only Savings charts, Medical charts, Education charts, and so on.