Financial Plan — Executive Summary

The one-page version. Full detail in financial_worksheet.html. Compiled August 2026.

On flat income, no raises assumed, net worth roughly doubles by the October 2031 horizon — driven by clearing debt and letting retirement savings compound, not by earning more. The whole plan rests on one habit: every freed-up payment gets redirected, not absorbed into spending.

~$295,600 → ~$571,000

Net worth, today → October 2031 — about +$275,000 on flat income

At a glance

	Today (Aug 2026)	Horizon (Oct 2031)
Debts outstanding	3	1 — the mortgage
Mortgage balance	$266,000	~$184,000
Home equity	~$60,000	~$142,000
Retirement accounts	$232,000	~$400,000
Emergency fund	~$2,500 free	~$15,000
Net worth	~$295,600	~$571,000

The one decision that matters most

The mortgage outlives retirement by nine years. It runs to 2052; retirement is targeted for October 2043. Left alone, ~$2,100/mo of housing cost would eat nearly 40% of retirement income.

The fix costs nothing extra. As each debt is cleared, its payment rolls forward into the next target instead of becoming spending money. That single habit clears the house around 2037, at age 61 instead of 76 — same income, same outflow, only the destination changes.

The plan, in four moves

When	Move
Now → Aug 2027	Route the freed $820/mo to savings first. Rebuild the emergency fund to ~$12,300 before anything else. (Option B — buffer before speed.)
Aug 2027	Roll the $820 into the car payment ($1,320/mo) and attack the 6.49% auto loan, the most expensive debt.
Nov 2028 → Aug 2029	Car paid off two years early; request PMI removal; furniture loan clears. Freed cash flow reaches $1,458/mo.
From 2029	Point the whole $1,458/mo at the mortgage. House clears ~2037.

Do next — near-term, dated

Before Oct 6, 2026 — bind the Grange policy ($1,428/yr) so coverage never lapses; confirm roof settlement is replacement cost, not actual cash value.
Before the first $1,320 car payment — confirm the lender applies extra to principal, not just advancing the due date. If it is precomputed interest, send the money to the mortgage instead.
Oct 19, 2026 — turning 50 unlocks catch-up contribution room ($8,000/yr 401k, $1,000/yr IRA). Revisit once the car is paid off.
Nov 2028 — request PMI removal in writing at 80% of purchase price. It is not automatic until 78%; asking early saves ~$614.

What has to be true

The Grange policy binds with no coverage gap.
Each freed payment rolls forward instead of being absorbed. This alone decides whether the house clears at 61 or 76.
The emergency fund is rebuilt before the car snowball starts — the single point of failure at ~$2,500 free today.
The emergency fund reaches about three months ($15,000).
Retirement contributions never pause.

Retirement target: ~$1.1M at age 67 (Oct 2043), roughly a 79% income replacement rate. Flat income is the floor this plan is tested against, not a forecast — if pay tracks inflation, every projection improves.