Intelligent Payment Application

What the full experience looks like

Preview — sample data, not your numbers. Pick a household below.

Every square is $1 of every $100 this household brings home.

Survival$50 of $100 ·
Stability$11 of $100 ·
Choice, current spending$9 of $100 ·
Unspoken for$31 of $100 ·
Survival number

$3,955

Floor, every month

Break-even wage

$13.93

Per hour worked

Freedom ratio

34%

Of income, directable

Runway

39 days

On savings alone

What a dollar is worth in each place

An illustration for this fictional household, not instructions. The ordering is arithmetic — what a dollar put in each place would be worth in a year, on the stated assumptions. It is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security, and IPA does not know your circumstances.

Employer match (unused room)$180

$180 to Employer match (unused room) because a dollar there is worth $1.60 in a year. The same dollar in Kohl's card (28.99% APR) is worth $1.33. Your employer adds 50% on the spot (your $1 becomes $1.50 immediately), then grows at an assumed 7% real return.

Kohl's card (28.99% APR)$900

$900 to Kohl's card (28.99% APR) because a dollar there is worth $1.33 in a year. The same dollar in Gatlinburg trip is worth $1.00. Interest you no longer pay. 28.99% APR compounding monthly works out to 33.2% a year.

Gatlinburg trip$249

$249 to Gatlinburg trip because a dollar there is worth $1.00 in a year. The same dollar in Tax-advantaged investing is worth $1.07. Money spent on purpose. It does not grow, and it is not a mistake.

Tax-advantaged investing$1,405

$1,405 to Tax-advantaged investing because a dollar there is worth $1.07 in a year. The same dollar in New roof is worth $1.00. Modeled at an assumed 7% real return after inflation — an assumption used for the comparison, not a product and not a recommendation. Not a guarantee: real returns vary year to year and can be negative.

What these numbers assume

Horizon for every multiplier
1 year
Assumed real return on investing
7% a year after inflation
Assumed savings yield on cash
4% a year
Protected joy line (dignity allowance)
5% of take-home, at least $50
Emergency fund target
3 months of survival x 1.07 income volatility
Cost of a $500 shock with no buffer
26% above the shock itself
Hours worked per month
346 hours
Debt interest
Compounded monthly, as cards and loans actually charge it

These are assumptions chosen for the model, not predictions. Change any of them and the ordering above changes with it.

See what a neighbourhood adds up to

This is a preview using ten fictional households, not a live calculator — nothing here is saved or sent anywhere. The figures above are arithmetic on invented numbers, not advice for anyone, and no amount shown is a suggestion of what you should do. It does not recommend specific products or securities. It shows the math on the sample numbers only, and does not give investment, tax, insurance or legal advice.