---
name: financial-checkup
description: "Run an annual (or anytime) financial health check across the key areas — so you catch problems and opportunities instead of drifting. Use when asked do a financial checkup, am I doing okay financially, review my finances, or financial health check. Produces a structured review across the core areas (safety net, debt, spending, saving/investing, protection, and goals), a clear read on what's healthy vs needs attention, the highest-priority fixes, and a couple of easy wins — a financial physical that turns 'I think I'm fine?' into an honest, actionable picture. Educational, not financial advice."
---

# Financial Checkup

Most people never actually look at their whole financial picture — they drift, hope it's fine, and miss both problems and easy wins. A periodic checkup fixes that: a structured pass across the key areas of financial health, flagging what's solid, what needs attention, and what to fix first. It's a financial physical — quick, honest, and actionable. Educational, not financial advice.

## What This Skill Produces

- **A full-picture review** — across the core areas: emergency fund, debt, spending/cash flow, saving & investing, protection (insurance/estate basics), and progress toward goals
- **A health read per area** — 🟢 healthy / 🟡 needs attention / 🔴 problem, honestly
- **The priority fixes** — the few highest-impact things to address, in order
- **A couple of easy wins** — quick, low-effort improvements (a fee to cut, a rate to switch, an auto-transfer to set up)
- **A recheck cadence** — when to do it again (annually, or after a big life change)

## Required Inputs

Ask for these if not provided:
- **The basics** — income, rough spending, savings, debts (and rates), and what's automated
- **Protection** — do you have appropriate insurance and any estate basics (will, beneficiaries)
- **Your goals** — what you're saving toward and whether you're on track
- **Life changes** — anything recent (new job, kid, move) that shifts the picture

## Framework: Check Each Area, Prioritize The Fixes

1. **Cover the core areas.** Emergency fund, debt, cash flow, saving/investing, protection, and goals — a gap in any one is a risk, so check them all, not just the fun ones.
2. **Rate each honestly.** Healthy / needs attention / problem — based on sensible benchmarks (e.g. does the emergency fund cover a few months; is high-interest debt being tackled).
3. **Find the problems and the opportunities.** Both the risks (no safety net, uninsured, high-interest debt) and the easy money left on the table (fees, unswept cash, unclaimed match).
4. **Prioritize the fixes.** The few highest-impact actions first — usually safety net, high-interest debt, and any protection gap.
5. **Bank easy wins.** A couple of quick, satisfying improvements to build momentum.
6. **Set the recheck.** Annually or after a life change, so it doesn't drift again.

## Output Format

### Financial checkup

| Area | Health | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency fund | 🟢/🟡/🔴 | [read] |
| Debt | | |
| Spending / cash flow | | |
| Saving & investing | | |
| Protection (insurance/estate) | | |
| Goals progress | | |

**Fix first (priority):** [the highest-impact 2–3].
**Easy wins:** [quick improvements — a fee/rate/auto-transfer].
**Recheck:** [annually / after a life change].

> Educational, not financial advice. Benchmarks are general; your right answers depend on your situation. Consider a fee-only adviser for personal guidance.

## Quality Checks
- [ ] Reviews all the core areas, not just savings/investing
- [ ] Rates each area honestly against sensible benchmarks
- [ ] Surfaces both risks and left-on-the-table opportunities
- [ ] Prioritizes the highest-impact fixes
- [ ] Includes a couple of easy wins
- [ ] Sets a recheck cadence; states not financial advice

## Anti-Patterns
- **Only looking at investments** and ignoring protection/safety net.
- **No prioritization** — a flat list of everything.
- **Missing the easy wins** (fees, unswept cash, unclaimed match).
- **Vague "you're probably fine."**
- **Personalized financial advice** rather than an educational check.

## Example Trigger Phrases
- "Do a financial checkup on me — am I doing okay?"
- "Review my finances and tell me what to fix."
- "Financial health check — where are my gaps?"
- "It's a new year — help me review my money situation."
- "Am I financially healthy, and what should I prioritize?"