Managing money doesn’t have to be a full-time job.
In our house, the whole system runs in the background, mostly on autopilot.
I spend about 5 minutes a week checking in. Maybe 15-20 minutes each month.
That’s it.
Here’s exactly how it works.
1. Paycheck → Fifth Third Checking
This is our main hub. Every dollar we earn lands here first.
I like having a local brick and mortar bank as main account.
2. Automatic Sweep to Wealthfront (Cash Savings)
We use Wealthfront Cash to monitor our checking account.
Once it rises above ~1.5 months of expenses, Wealthfront automatically moves the excess into a high-yield savings account.
We use the waterfall feature to automatically sort our money into categories.
No manual transfers. No money sitting idle. Just better interest.
(I used to invest through Wealthfront too, but the fees added up. That’s why we pivoted.)
3. Investing → Robinhood (Low Fees)
We’ve set up recurring transfers to Robinhood, where we automatically invest in:
VTI – Total U.S. stock market
Bitcoin & Ethereum – Small, consistent positions
No active management. No fees. Just steady, long-term growth.
Is it perfect? Maybe not. Does it work? Absolutely.
4. Credit Cards
We use our Chase Sapphire and Southwest cards for almost everything.
Points stack up
Paid off in full from our Fifth Third checking automatically
No interest. Ever.
5. Bills = Fully Automated
Mortgage & utilities are paid around the first of the month
Credit card balance paid near the 15th
No missed payments. No mental clutter.
6. Tracking = Monarch Money
We use Monarch to track our full financial picture:
Spending
Investments
Net worth
Trends over time
The rhythm:
5 minutes/week reviewing transactions
15-20 minutes/month checking budget & progress
1 big annual (or quarter) planning session to zoom out
We’ve tried Rocket Money, spreadsheets, you name it.
They all work but Monarch has been the best fit for us.
7. Optional: Rental Properties
We occasionally invest in rentals, but that’s outside our core system.
The backbone of our wealth-building strategy is simple:
VTI, Bitcoin, Ethereum. That’s it.
📈 Why It Works
No daily decisions
No budget guilt
No guesswork
Just clear rules and clean systems.
Question of the Week:
What part of your finances do you wish you could automate?
Hit reply—I’d love to hear it.
— Jake