After including the proposed decision, the lowest projected cash remains at least 10% above the protected safety reserve.
HELP CENTRE
Use the Decision Assistant without needing finance knowledge
The tool is designed to answer one practical question: Can the academy safely make this decision while protecting its cash reserve? Start with the four steps below and use the detailed sections only when needed.
FIRST-TIME SETUP
Four steps before the first real decision
1Set the current position
Open Settings. Enter current cash, expected monthly tuition income, collection rate, growth assumption and the amount you want protected as the safety reserve.
2Review the expense plan
Open Expenses. Tick only the predefined expenses that currently apply and update their amounts, frequency and due timing.
3Save a baseline forecast
Open Budget & Forecast, review the 6-month Expected scenario and save a snapshot. Home can then show What Changed? against this baseline.
4Run the decision
Open Decision Check, enter what you want to spend, the planned month and scenario. Read the recommendation and save the eventual action in History.
WHAT THE RESULT MEANS
Safe, Caution and Not Advisable
Projected cash stays above the reserve, but by less than the 10% comfort buffer. Review timing, amount and assumptions before proceeding.
The proposed decision would take projected cash below the protected safety reserve at some point in the selected forecast horizon.
Important: These are transparent management rules, not accounting, investment or financial advice. The recommendation is only as reliable as the current cash, income and expense assumptions entered into the tool.
WHICH PAGE DO I USE?
Screen-by-screen guide
HomeSee current cash, safe-to-use amount, 6-month outlook, warnings and What Changed?
Decision CheckTest a new purchase or commitment before deciding whether to proceed.
Budget & ForecastReview 3, 6 or 12 months under Conservative, Expected or Better scenarios and save snapshots.
ExpensesMaintain the current predefined expense plan. One-time items need an exact month to enter the forecast.
HistorySee earlier decisions and forecasts, record Proceed / Delay / Cancel, add outcome notes and print records.
SettingsUpdate the current financial position, assumptions, protected reserve, backups and readiness checks.
KEY NUMBERS
What the important figures mean
- Current Cash
- The cash / bank balance entered in Settings.
- Protected Safety Reserve
- Money you do not want normal decisions to consume. It drives the Safe / Caution / Not Advisable boundary.
- Safe to Use
- Current cash minus this month’s planned expenses minus the protected reserve, never shown below S$0. Future expected income is deliberately not counted.
- Lowest Projected Cash
- The lowest closing-cash point found anywhere in the selected forecast period.
- Comfortable Spend Limit
- Approximate maximum additional spending at the selected timing while still retaining the 10% comfort buffer above reserve.
- Absolute Reserve-Limit Capacity
- Approximate maximum additional spending before projected cash reaches the reserve boundary. This is not the preferred spending target.
- Safer Timing
- A later month where the same proposed amount improves to a better decision status, when the forecast finds one.
EXPENSES
How to maintain the predefined expense list
Use
Tick an expense when it should be included in the current plan. Untick it when it does not apply to this run.
Monthly
The amount is included every month.
Quarterly
The amount repeats every three months starting from the selected due-month number.
Annual
The amount is included once each year in the selected due-month number.
One-time
Enter an exact YYYY-MM month. Without that month the item is deliberately excluded from the forecast and a warning appears.
Active
Use this to keep an item in the master catalogue but temporarily disable it. Avoid creating duplicate names.
ROUTINE USE
A simple working rhythm
- When reality changes: update current cash / income assumptions or expense values.
- Before a meaningful spend: run Decision Check rather than deciding from bank balance alone.
- Every month: save a fresh 6-month Expected forecast so Home can compare the latest outlook.
- After the real decision: mark Proceed, Delay or Cancel in History and add a short outcome note.
- Regularly: download a JSON backup, especially before major changes or restore operations.
WHEN A RESULT LOOKS WRONG
Check these first
- Is Current Cash up to date?
- Is Expected Monthly Tuition Income realistic?
- Is the Collection Rate realistic rather than ideal?
- Are all relevant expenses ticked as Use?
- Do annual / quarterly expenses have the correct due month?
- Do one-time expenses have an exact month?
- Is the Safety Reserve set to the amount you genuinely want protected?
- Are you looking at the appropriate Conservative / Expected / Better scenario?
HISTORY & DATA SAFETY
Why the tool keeps history
Saved decisions and forecast snapshots preserve what was known at that time. History helps answer: What did I know? What did the tool recommend? What did I decide? What happened? Changing today’s settings does not rewrite an already saved decision snapshot.