# savings-goals

Calculates saving targets for retirement, education, and a home purchase. Useful when several goals compete for the same monthly budget.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 696 installs · ★ 218
- Author: JoelLewis
- License: MIT · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/JoelLewis/finance_skills/tree/HEAD/plugins/wealth-management/skills/savings-goals/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-07-18
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/savings-goals

## What it does

This skill works out monthly contributions, future goal values after inflation, and the time needed to reach a target. It can size a retirement nest egg from annual spending and a safe withdrawal rate, include an employer match, and estimate a down payment plan.

For education planning, it covers 529 plans, rising college costs, early contributions, and the effect of parent-owned 529 assets in the Student Aid Index formula. For competing goals, it weighs priority, time horizon, flexibility, and investment risk. Retirement comes before flexible goals in its priority framework.

The reference script runs with `python3 scripts/savings_goals.py` and uses the standard library only. That makes the calculation script usable without installing extra Python packages.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add JoelLewis/finance_skills --skill savings-goals -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/savings-goals/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/savings-goals/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add JoelLewis/finance_skills --skill savings-goals -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/savings-goals/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add JoelLewis/finance_skills --skill savings-goals -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/savings-goals/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install JoelLewis/finance_skills savings-goals
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/savings-goals/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add JoelLewis/finance_skills --skill savings-goals -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/JoelLewis/finance_skills --path plugins/wealth-management/skills/savings-goals
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/savings-goals/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add JoelLewis/finance_skills --skill savings-goals -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/JoelLewis/finance_skills/tree/HEAD/plugins/wealth-management/skills/savings-goals/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- calculate the monthly amount needed for a future target
- size a retirement nest egg from annual spending
- plan education funding through a 529 plan
- adjust a down payment target for inflation
- rank retirement, debt, and home-buying goals

## Example prompts
- Calculate the monthly amount needed to fund a 529 plan for college.
- Check whether my current savings and employer match keep my retirement target on track.
- Compare my emergency fund, debt payoff, retirement, and down payment goals.

## Source text · SKILL.md · MIT

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: a07c755acb112171.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE a07c755acb112171
```text
---
name: savings-goals
description: "Plan and track savings for specific financial goals including retirement, education, and home purchase. Use when the user asks about required savings rates, 529 plans, retirement accumulation targets, down payment planning, or goal prioritization. Also trigger when users mention 'how much do I need to save each month', 'am I on track for retirement', 'college savings', 'safe withdrawal rate', '4% rule', 'FIRE savings rate', 'catch-up contributions', 'employer match', or ask how to balance competing savings goals."
---

# Savings Goals

## Core Concepts

### Required Monthly Savings
To accumulate a future value FV in n periods at rate r per period:

PMT = FV × r / [(1+r)^n - 1]

This is the sinking fund formula (future value of annuity solved for PMT).

### Inflation-Adjusted Targets
Always compute goals in future (nominal) dollars:

FV_nominal = FV_today × (1 + inflation)^years

Then solve for the required savings using the nominal return, or use the real return with today's dollars.

### Education Funding
- **529 plans**: tax-free growth for qualified education expenses, state tax deductions in many states
- **Current costs** (2025-26, total cost of attendance, College Board Trends in College Pricing): ~$30K/year (public four-year in-state) to ~$65K/year (private nonprofit), growing ~5%/year
- **Front-loading**: maximize early contributions for compound growth
- **Superfunding**: 5-year gift tax averaging (contribute 5× annual exclusion at once)
- **Financial aid impact**: parent-owned 529 assets are assessed at a maximum of 5.64% in the federal Student Aid Index (SAI) formula — FAFSA has used the SAI in place of the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) since the 2024-25 award year

### Retirement Accumulation
- **Target nest egg**: annual spending need / safe withdrawal rate
  - Example: $80K/year spending / 0.04 = $2,000,000
- **Safe withdrawal rate**: traditionally 4% (Bengen rule), adjusted for fees, taxes, longevity
- **Required savings rate**: depends on starting age, current savings, expected returns
- **Employer match**: always capture full match — it's an immediate 50-100% return
- **Catch-up contributions**: additional 401(k)/IRA contributions allowed after age 50

### Down Payment Saving
- Typical target: 20% of home price (avoids PMI)
- Timeline: typically 2-7 years → conservative allocation (HYSA, short-term bonds)
- Include closing costs (2-5% of purchase price) in savings target

### Goal Priority Framework
Recommended priority order:
1. Emergency fund (3-6 months expenses)
2. Employer 401(k) match (free money)
3. High-interest debt payoff (>6-8% rate)
4. HSA (triple tax advantage if eligible)
5. Max retirement accounts (401k, IRA, Roth)
6. Education funding (529)
7. Other goals (home, vacation, etc.)

### Multiple Goal Balancing
```
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