Budget Builder Overview
The Budget Builder is the core of BetterBudgets. It's where you enter your financial information and let the algorithm go to work.
How It Works
The Budget Builder is divided into three sections: Income, Expenses, and Debts. You work through each section, enter your information, and then generate your plans.
The algorithm evaluates your inputs, calculates how much discretionary income you have, and builds multiple scenarios showing different approaches to allocating that money — prioritizing debt payoff, savings, or a balance of both.
What the Builder Generates
After you tap Generate, BetterBudgets returns up to 5 budget plans:
- ›Each plan covers up to 10 years
- ›Each plan shows month-by-month projections
- ›Plans include your debt-free date, savings milestones, and net worth trajectory
- ›Plans are ranked and compared side-by-side
The Algorithm
The BetterBudgets algorithm is built around one core principle: mathematical efficiency. Given your income, expenses, and debts, it finds the fastest path to getting you ahead.
On average, BetterBudgets users who follow their plan save 3.3 years off their debt payoff timeline. In extreme cases, the algorithm has identified paths that shave off up to 9 years.
Editing a Budget
You can edit a saved budget at any time. Tap into a saved budget and use the Edit option to revise your income, expenses, or debts. The algorithm will regenerate your plans based on the updated inputs.
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