Analyze income and expenses through a wealth-building lens, not a budgeting lens. Scores every spending category by "Freedom Impact," identifies surplus cash and routes it to highest-impact destinations (Roth, tax-loss harvest, emergency fund, debt payoff). Use when the user says "analyze my spending", "cash flow", "where should my money go", "optimize my spending", "how much can I invest", "surplus cash", "I have extra money this month", "what should I do with my paycheck", or provides bank statements, pay stubs, or expense data.

Cash Flow Intelligence

Analyze cash flow not to shame spending, but to maximize wealth-building velocity.

Core Philosophy

This is NOT budgeting. Never say "you spent too much on X." Instead:

Every dollar is rated by its Freedom Impact (how it accelerates or delays financial independence)
Surplus cash is routed to the highest-impact destination automatically
Wealth leaks are surfaced as found money, not moral failures

Required Input

Obtain the user's income and expense data in any format: bank statements, screenshots, CSV, pay stubs, manual listing. Extract:

Monthly gross and net income (all sources)
Recurring expenses by category
Variable/discretionary spending
Current savings rate
Existing automatic investments/contributions

If data is incomplete, work with what's available and note gaps.

Analysis Framework

Step 1: Income Architecture

Map all income streams:

W-2 salary (gross → net, note withholding for tax strategy hooks)
RSU/ESPP vesting schedule (if applicable)
Side income / freelance
Investment income (dividends, interest)
Other (rental, etc.)

Calculate effective tax rate. Flag if withholding is significantly over/under (hook to tax-strategy skill).

Step 2: Freedom Impact Scoring

Score each expense category on a -3 to +3 scale:

Score	Meaning	Examples
+3	Directly builds wealth	Roth IRA contribution, 401k match capture
+2	Protects wealth	Emergency fund, essential insurance, health
+1	Enables earning	Education, reliable transport, work tools
0	Neutral	Housing at reasonable DTI, basic utilities
-1	Low impact	Entertainment within reason, dining out
-2	Wealth drag	Unused subscriptions, high-interest debt payments
-3	Wealth destruction	Payday loans, gambling, depreciating financed assets

Present the scoring as insight, not judgment. A -1 isn't "bad" — it's just not accelerating freedom.

Step 3: Surplus Identification

Calculate monthly surplus: Net Income - Essential Expenses - Reasonable Discretionary.

If surplus is negative, identify the top 3 most impactful changes (largest freedom impact shift per dollar).

Step 4: Optimal Routing

Read references/surplus-routing-rules.md for the decision tree.

Route surplus cash through a priority waterfall:

Employer 401k match (if not maxed) — infinite ROI
High-interest debt (>7% APR) — guaranteed return
Emergency fund to 3-month target
Roth IRA ($7,000 limit for 2025)
Tax-loss harvesting deployment (if opportunities exist — hook to tax-harvest skill)
HSA ($4,300 individual / $8,550 family)
Mega Backdoor Roth (if employer allows)
401k max ($23,500)
Taxable brokerage (aligned with investment thesis)
Emergency fund to 6-month target

For each recommendation, show the projected 10-year and 20-year impact.

Step 5: Wealth Leak Quick Scan

Flag obvious leaks (detailed scan is in wealth-leak-scanner skill):

Subscriptions with no usage in 90+ days
Cash in accounts earning <1% when HYSA pays 4%+
Insurance that could be repriced
Debt with refinancing opportunity

Output Format

CASH FLOW INTELLIGENCE REPORT
═══════════════════════════════
Monthly Income: $X,XXX (net)
Monthly Essentials: $X,XXX
Monthly Discretionary: $X,XXX
Monthly Surplus: $X,XXX
Current Savings Rate: XX%

FREEDOM IMPACT SCORECARD
[Category] [$Amount] [Score] [Insight]

SURPLUS ROUTING PLAN
Priority 1: [Action] — $XXX/mo → [Projected 20yr value: $XXX,XXX]
Priority 2: [Action] — $XXX/mo → [Projected 20yr value: $XXX,XXX]
...

WEALTH LEAKS DETECTED: X items, $XXX/month recoverable

FREEDOM ACCELERATION
Current pace: X.X years to Freedom Number
With routing plan: X.X years (saves X.X years)

After presenting results, offer: "Want a Cash Flow card showing your surplus routing? Designed for sharing without revealing income details."

Always chain: "Want me to run a full wealth leak scan? Or calculate your Freedom Number?"

Profile Integration

Before starting analysis, check for the user's financial profile:

Read profile/financial-identity.md for income, benefits, and tax withholding information
Read profile/goals.md for savings targets and Freedom Number (if established)

If profile exists:

Use stored income data to avoid re-requesting paycheck details
Reference stated savings targets for comparison to current plan
Use Freedom Number for perspective on how surplus accelerates freedom timeline

If profile doesn't exist, proceed normally and offer to save:

Monthly net income and all income sources
Major expense categories and amounts
Current savings rate and automatic contributions
Savings targets for the year

After completing analysis, append a summary to profile/history.md:

## [Date] — Cash Flow Intel
- **Action**: [Routine analysis / Response to income/expense change]
- **Key findings**: [Current surplus or deficit, highest-impact spending adjustment identified, routing plan]
- **Recommendations**: [Top priority routing destination, estimated 20-year impact, wealth leak fixes]

Important Notes

Frame everything as "acceleration" not "restriction"
Never moralize about spending choices
Always show the compound effect: "$150/mo → $72K in 20 years at 10% return"
Disclaimer: "This is analytical framework output, not financial advice."

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