Step-Up Plan & Funding Map
Start where you are. Raise it a little every year.
A step-up plan matches real life: contributions grow as income grows. A small annual increase quietly outperforms a flat amount you never revisit.
Step-up plan at 18
$30,782
Flat contribution at 18
$17,659
Difference
$13,123
Your step-up
By 18 you'd be contributing $235 a month, having put in $22,070 in total.
Step-up vs. flat
Future Funding Map
Which milestones this plan reaches, in order of priority.
- Funded
First car / insurance buffer
$8,000 · cumulative $8,000
- Funded
Trade or certification program
$15,000 · cumulative $23,000
- Not yet
Two years of community college
$25,000 · cumulative $48,000
- Not yet
Launch fund (deposit + buffer)
$20,000 · cumulative $68,000
- Not yet
Four-year degree support
$60,000 · cumulative $128,000
Hypothetical projections at a constant assumed rate. Milestone costs are illustrative ranges, not quotes or forecasts.