Start here
The basics
Cash-flow priorities tell the plan what to do with money available after the year’s bills. Open Cash flow in the plan settings and arrange the steps from first to last. Each step receives what the steps above it leave behind.
This is separate from the selling order, which decides where money comes from when a year needs more cash.
Illustrative numbers
Split the money that is actually left
Cash above an already-funded reserve$20,000
First account: 25% of remaining extra cash$5,000
Second account: 50% of what remains$7,500
Final sweep to investments$7,500
The second percentage applies to $15,000, not the original $20,000. Put the reserve before these steps if it should have first claim on the cash.
Calculation transparency
How it works in MoneyWhatIf
- 01
A reserve can be a dollar amount or months of outgoings. It protects cash reaching that step; a funding step above it can use money before the reserve sees it.
- 02
An account-funding step can request an annual amount, a share of remaining extra cash, an amount linked to income, or property-sale proceeds. A final sweep can use one eligible account or the contribution-based split.
- 03
Extra debt payments can sit ahead of investing. A mandatory funding or debt-payment request may require asset sales; a percentage of surplus cannot manufacture cash in a short year.
- 04
Date windows let priorities start and stop. Money left unallocated stays in cash and earns the unallocated-cash return selected here.
Keep in mind
Model limits
A priority does not bypass an account’s eligibility rules. Check its destination after removing or disabling an account.
A cash reserve is not a promise that spending remains funded. Review shortfall years and the selling order too.
This explanation documents the planning model. It is educational, not individualized tax, legal, Medicare, or investment advice.
Where it appears
Where to use it
See this concept in context, with a guide to each page and its controls.
The words behind it
Related financial terms
Plain-English definitions, with 2026 figures and worked examples, from the financial terms glossary.