⚡ What To Do With Your Money
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Route April commission when it lands (Apr 11). You'll have ~$1,920 above your nut. Move $1,200 → house fund, $720 → brokerage.AFTER APR 11
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$6,360 sitting idle in checking. You only need ~$2,000 as a buffer. That's $4,360 earning nothing. Move it.DO NOW
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House fund: 34% to goal. At $1,200/mo + surplus routing, you hit your down payment by mid-2028.TRACK
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401k maxes out ~October. Net pay jumps ~$480/mo. Decide now where that goes so it doesn't sit idle.PLAN AHEAD
🔍 What You Actually Hold
Your Position$8,500
Expense Ratio0.59%
5-Year Avg Return16.2%
Risk LevelHigh Growth
Actively managed large-cap growth fund. Heavy in tech — top holdings include Apple, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Amazon. Outperforms the S&P in bull markets but drops harder in downturns. You're paying 0.59% for active management vs. ~0.03% for a passive index.
Your Position$5,675
Expense Ratio0.03%
5-Year Avg Return11.8%
Risk LevelBroad Market
Owns a slice of the entire U.S. stock market — ~4,000 companies. The gold standard for "set it and forget it" investing. Boring, reliable, diversified. Your anchor.
Your Position$22,350
Expense Ratio0.08%
5-Year Avg Return9.4%
Risk LevelAuto-adjusting
A "fund of funds" that shifts from stocks → bonds as you approach 2060. Right now ~90% stocks, ~10% bonds. Zero maintenance. For a 401k you won't touch for 34 years, it's a solid set-and-forget choice.
Your Position$7,450
Expense Ratio0.015%
5-Year Avg Return12.6%
Risk LevelLarge Cap
Tracks the 500 largest U.S. companies. You already get S&P exposure through VTI — holding both means you're overweight large-cap. Not dangerous at 27, but worth knowing.
📚 Concepts That Apply To You
BASICS The Surplus Problem
You earn more than you need to live. That's the good news. The bad news: surplus sitting in checking earns 0%. The copilot exists to make "route the surplus" a 30-second decision, not a research project.
BASICS The 45-Day Lag
You close a deal in January, you get paid mid-March. This 45-day arrears cycle means your bank account never reflects your actual performance in real time. The copilot forecasts around this lag so you always know what's coming and can pre-decide where it goes.
INTERMEDIATE Down Payment: 15% vs. 20%
On a $375k Chicago home:
15% down = $56,250 — PMI adds ~$150-200/mo until 20% equity. Total PMI cost: ~$5,400.
20% down = $75,000 — No PMI, but 12+ more months of saving.
The math: Chicago homes appreciate ~4-5%/yr. Waiting 12 months to avoid $5,400 in PMI means missing ~$11,600 in net appreciation. Getting in sooner wins.
INTERMEDIATE The 401k Max-Out Bonus
At 12% of ~$155k total comp, you'll hit the $23,500 cap around October. When contributions stop, net paycheck jumps ~$480/mo. This is predictable free cash flow — pre-route it to house fund or brokerage so it never sits idle.
ADVANCED The Accelerator Wealth Effect
When you hit 100% quota (~September at current pace), every incremental dollar pays 1.5x. If you hit 125%, it's 2x. Q4 commission checks could be dramatically larger than Q1-Q3. The copilot forecasts this as a "wealth event" — a predictable window where surplus spikes and routing decisions matter most.
ADVANCED Chicago First-Time Buyer Programs
IHDA SmartBuy: Up to $7,500 in forgivable down payment assistance (10 years).
City of Chicago DPA: Up to $10,000 in certain neighborhoods.
Income limits: Most cap at ~$150k household. At ~$155k, you're at the edge — apply timing matters.
Action: Research 6+ months before target buy date. Some have waitlists.
🧠 Knowledge Check
Hover to reveal answers
Question 1
You have $6,360 in checking. How much is idle?
~$4,360. You need about $2,000 as a buffer. The rest is earning 0% — move it to house fund, brokerage, or emergency.
Question 2
You close a $200k deal on April 15. When does commission hit?
Around June 1 — the Friday closest to the 15th, 45 days later.
Question 3
Why might 15% down beat waiting for 20%?
Chicago homes appreciate ~4-5%/yr (~$17k). Waiting 12 months to avoid ~$5,400 in PMI costs you ~$11,600 in net appreciation. Get in sooner.
Question 4
Your 401k maxes out in October. What happens and what should you do?
Net pay jumps ~$480/mo for Nov-Dec (and until Jan reset). Pre-decide where it goes — house fund or brokerage — so it doesn't get absorbed into lifestyle.
Question 5
What's the difference between FBCG (0.59% fee) and VTI (0.03% fee)?
FBCG is actively managed — a team picks stocks (mostly big tech). VTI passively tracks the entire market. FBCG has outperformed in bull markets but charges 20x the fee. On $8,500, that's ~$50/yr vs. ~$2.50/yr. Over 20 years the fee gap compounds significantly.