Get-Out-of-Debt Roadmap

What it does

Builds a step-by-step plan to get out of debt and start investing — sequenced into 4 phases (starter emergency fund → debt snowball → full emergency fund → invest). Computes a target date for each milestone and the month you become debt-free, given your monthly surplus and your debt list.

Who this helps

Someone with multiple debts, a tight monthly surplus, and a vague sense that "I should be paying down debt." Replaces "someday" with a concrete calendar pin: "I'm debt-free in 3 years 2 months — by July 2029." The Phase 1 starter EF prevents new debt from emergencies; the snowball builds momentum by clearing small debts first; the full EF graduates you out of survival mode; Phase 4 is the wealth-building era.

How to use it

1. Enter your monthly surplus (take-home minus essentials minus debt minimums).
2. Enter your necessary monthly expenses — used to size the full emergency fund.
3. Add each debt: balance, APR, and minimum payment. Order doesn't matter — the tool sorts smallest-first for the snowball.
4. Adjust the targets if you want a bigger starter EF (e.g., $2K instead of $1K) or a longer full EF (6 months instead of 3).
5. Read the Milestones table for target dates and the Phase Timeline chart for the relative weight of each phase.

What it doesn't do

Doesn't auto-import from Budget or Debt Payoff — you re-enter here. Doesn't model windfalls (tax refund, bonus); manually bump the surplus higher to simulate. Uses the snowball strategy (smallest-balance-first) for psychological momentum; the Debt Payoff Planner compares all 6 strategies side-by-side if you want pure interest minimization.