Levels check: which level of financial freedom have you reached?
The path to financial freedom has seven levels. Answer nine questions honestly with yes or no — at the end you know where you stand and which single condition separates you from the next level.
0 of 9 questions answered
Do you know your net worth and your monthly expenses roughly – to within about ten percent?
Do you cover your running expenses entirely from your own income?
Is something regularly left over at the end of the month that you deliberately set aside?
Is your savings rate at least ten percent?
Do you have an emergency fund of at least three months of expenses, instantly available – for example in an instant-access savings account?
Are you free of consumer debt – overdraft, instalment loan, outstanding credit card?
Is your invested wealth at least as large as twelve months of expenses?
Is your invested wealth at least 25 times your annual expenses?
Is it well above that – around 33 times your annual expenses or more?
Your answers stay in your browser. Nothing is stored – neither the answers nor your level.
Your inputs stay in your browser. Nothing is stored or transmitted.
How to go about it
- Answer honestly. Answer the nine questions as things are today — not as they should be in three months. Estimates are enough.
- Read your level. The check shows the highest level whose conditions are all met. A gap further down counts — the levels build on one another.
- Tackle the one condition. Exactly one thing is missing for the next level. The check names it and links the matching guide and calculator.
Frequently asked questions
Where do the seven levels come from?
From Grant Sabatier’s book “Financial Freedom”: clarity, self-sufficiency, breathing room, stability, flexibility, financial independence, abundance. Our guide adapts them to life in Germany.
Why is there no score?
Because a level is a condition, not a grade. Either the emergency fund is in place or it is not — a score of 62 does not tell you what to do next. The level does.
Are my answers stored?
No. The check runs entirely in your browser; neither your answers nor your level are stored or transmitted. With your consent we only count that a check was completed.
What if I cannot answer a question precisely?
Then the answer is usually no — and your level is clarity. If you do not roughly know your net worth and your spending, that is exactly where to start. The net-worth calculator helps.
Related
Level 1 is the overview — and it is the first step for everything after
Every level starts with the same question: where do I stand? That is exactly what we are building sum for: accounts, portfolios, property and debt in one place, automatically categorised spending, detected fixed costs and your net worth with its history. Today you bring your transactions in via CSV import; the automatic bank connection (PSD2) is in the works.
sum is in early access.
The first step toward your financial goals is the overview — that's exactly what we're building sum for. Secure your access early.