# The Budget Module

The FIRM Guide (thefirmguide.com) — companion to The Recoverable Family.
Fill this in privately (any text editor or by hand), then store it in your Vault.


## Secure Guide Starter Template — Budget

> This template belongs in The Secure Guide, stored within The Vault. It documents your budgeting system, recurring obligations, and financial goals. Account credentials belong in the password manager — referenced here, not stored here.

Every family has a budget, even if no one has written it down — a spreadsheet, an app, or a set of priorities living in one person's head, reinforced by years of habit. This Module is not about teaching you to budget; it documents the system you already have, so the household keeps functioning when that person is unavailable. It is an operational continuity document, not a financial plan — and the goal is continuity, not perfection. Include the why alongside the what: “we are paying the mortgage down early because we want the house free and clear before retirement, not because we lack investment options” costs one sentence and keeps a well-meaning family member from undoing a deliberate plan.

This record also documents who is supposed to ask the family to move money — which makes it the natural home for the rule about everyone else. A request to redirect a payment, “update” autopay details, or wire funds toward a documented goal is easy to forge convincingly now, accurate context included. The defense is the standing one: verify through a channel you initiate, at a number already in the Family Guide. And the autopay inventory below is the quiet second defense — a payment that changes without the family changing it is visible to whoever maintains the list. That is the point of maintaining it.

### Budgeting System

- Method: 

- Tool or Platform (if applicable): 

- Location of Budget Document: 

- Login Credentials Location: 

- Review Frequency: 

- Primary Manager: 

- Notes: 

### Recurring Obligations — every fixed or predictable expense; variable expenses (groceries, fuel, discretionary) need not be listed here. For a full liabilities summary, see the Financial Accounts Module
| Obligation | Amount | Due Date | Autopay? | Account | Login Location |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
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> The single most valuable page in this Module — the minimum viable continuity document. Include the once-a-year surprises (property tax, insurance premiums) and any can't-lapse subscriptions (the rest stay in the Subscriptions catalog).

### Financial Goals (Current)
| Goal | Timeframe | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
|   |   |   |
|   |   |   |
|   |   |   |

> One paragraph, kept current — reviewed annually, ideally before the advisor meeting. The Notes column is where the why lives.

### Financial Professionals — for full advisor contact details, see the Financial Accounts Module; duplicate here only if relevant to budget management
| Name | Role | Phone | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|   |   |   |   |
|   |   |   |   |

- Tags: 


## Family Guide Starter Template — Budget

> This template belongs in The Family Guide. It provides the minimum information needed to keep the household running — essential obligations, key accounts, and who to call.

> In the matching Secure Guide section: budget method, recurring obligations with autopay, goals, professionals.
>
> That detail is what makes recovery possible — and it is protected in the Vault, which opens with The Vault Key. The key is never written here, by design. The people listed on this page know how it is kept, and the steward's job is to keep that path current, so this page never leads to a locked door.

> These are the bills that must be paid to keep the household running. Full account details and login credentials are in The Secure Guide.

### Essential Recurring Obligations
| Obligation | Approximate Amount | Due | Autopay? | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|   |   |   |   |   |
|   |   |   |   |   |
|   |   |   |   |   |
|   |   |   |   |   |

### Primary Operating Account

- Institution: 

- Account Type: 

- Purpose: 

- Access Instructions: 

### Financial Goals — Summary
| Statement | Detail |
| --- | --- |
|   |   |
|   |   |

### Who to Call
| Name | Role | Phone |
| --- | --- | --- |
|   |   |   |
|   |   |   |

> If a payment changes, a bill asks for “updated” account details, or anyone requests money toward one of our goals — verify first by calling a number on this page. A payment that changed without us changing it goes to whoever maintains the budget, same day.

### Additional Guidance