The Margin Model
russell, give every dollar a mission.
Accountability partner

Is he showing up?

Read the check-in, then mark the day. Showing up is what counts, not a perfect day.

To-dos

Needs your verification

Submitted in the app and waiting on you or the other partner.

Log a check-in from text

He texted you his answers instead? Paste them here. Saving counts the day and verifies it.

Win

What did he do right?

Nibble

What did he notice?

Next

His one thing for tomorrow.

The chain

VerifiedSubmitted, awaiting verificationOpen
This month

Russ, here's what every dollar is for.

Spend from buckets, not balances. If it isn't in a bucket, you don't have the budget for it.

Next up

My buckets

Goals

What the margin is for.

Setup · Step 1

What information do we have, Russ?

Upload your statements and Claude pulls out the totals. Then add what statements won't show.

Upload statements

Bank and credit card statements, loan statements, pay stubs. PDF, CSV or screenshots, one month or six.

Drag files here or choose them Files are read on this device and sent to Claude for analysis. They're never saved; only the monthly totals are kept. Account and card numbers are masked first; crop them out of screenshots if you can.
Or use your own Claude chat instead (copy and paste)
  1. Copy the prompt.
    It tells Claude exactly what to pull out and what format to reply in.
  2. Start a new chat in Claude.
    Attach one to six months of statements (PDF, CSV or screenshots), paste the prompt and send.
    Open Claude →
  3. Paste Claude's reply below.
    Then delete that chat if you want nothing left behind.

Add manual items

Anything not captured in statements. Informal loans especially.

Income

Debt / money owed

Monthly payment is what locks into the plan. Due day is when it leaves your account.

Savings / investments

Setup · Review

A few things I couldn't place.

Claude sorted most of your transactions. These need a quick answer from you before the story is accurate.

Open questions

Pick a category, or create one if none fit. Transfers between your own accounts and borrowed money aren't income or spending. Your answers update the story right away.

Categories in use

Claude's categories stay so the story stays comparable. The ones you create can be removed.

answer these and the story gets sharper.
Setup · Step 2

Russell, here's where your money's been going.

This is the rear-view mirror. No decisions yet.

Things worth knowing

Facts from your statements. No judgment, just the picture.

    Where your money went

    Average per month by category.

    Month by month

    Each month you close out is saved here as totals, so you can see the change. Statements are never kept.

    Income vs. spending

    IncomeSpending
    that's reality. next: intention.
    Setup · Step 3

    Russell, what should your money do?

    Every dollar gets a mission before it gets spent. Spend from buckets, not balances.
    Monthly income to allocate
    $0
    From your intake. 0% allocated.
    Remaining to allocate
    $0

    Fixed allocations

    Same amount every month: rent or mortgage, utilities, insurance, debt payments. Type the amount. Unlock one to move it to the sliders.

    Locked

    Flexible categories

    Drag to feel the trade-off. More here means less buffer at the bottom. Lock one to make it fixed.

    72-Hour Buffer (fun money)
    $0

    Goals (optional)

    What the margin is for. Progress you can see.

    Daily · Pause

    Should I actually buy this?

    Add the item. Let it cool for 72 hours. Run the five. Then decide. Impulse → margin → action.

    Add new item

    72-hour buffer left this month: $0

    Daily · Margin

    Russ, what's left to do?

    Small moves that make the deliberate choice the easy one. Add friction between the urge and the money.

    Drag ⋮⋮ to reorder. Tap any task or section name to edit it, including the blanks.

    Daily · Practice

    Did I show up today?

    Win. Nibble. Next. Two minutes. The chain measures showing up, not perfection.

    Today's check-in

    Day 1 of 30

    Win

    What did I do right today?

    Nibble

    What did I notice today? An early signal before an impulse.

    Next

    One thing I can do tomorrow to set Future Me up to win.

    a rough day plus an honest check-in still counts.

    Don't break the chain

    Verified by partnerSubmitted, awaiting partnerOpen

    Past check-ins

    Private · 30-day reset

    Unf*ck Yourself

    The Margin Model
    russell, give every dollar a mission.
    Private. For Russell, Emmanuel and Brad only.