SmartHelping / Personal Finance / Excel
Saving for a Home Financial Planner
Estimate when your savings could cover a down payment while keeping your chosen cash reserve. Build a 60-month plan for income, taxes, and living expenses, then see your projected cash flow before and after the home purchase.
Immediate download after purchase. By purchasing, you agree to the Terms of Service.
Video walkthrough & spreadsheet preview
See how the planner connects savings to a home purchase.
Review the walkthrough and screenshots to follow the assumptions, purchase timing, and cash flow forecast.
Monthly inputs for your situation
Build the savings plan around your income and expenses.
Update the light-yellow input cells. Income, taxes, and living expenses can vary month by month across the five-year forecast.
Gross monthly income
Enter the income you expect to receive in each month of the forward 60-month plan.
Monthly taxes
Enter your expected federal, state, and city tax amounts so the savings forecast reflects income after those taxes.
Monthly living expenses
Plan your living costs over time, including the existing rent or mortgage payment that will be replaced when the modeled home purchase occurs.
Down payment & cash reserve
Define the down payment needed and the cash reserve you want to retain. The planner tests projected savings against those criteria.
From a monthly budget to purchase timing
See when the savings plan could support your purchase.
The estimated purchase month follows the assumptions you enter for cash coming in, cash going out, and the savings required.
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Enter your monthly plan
Fill in the light-yellow cells with your income, tax, living expense, and home purchase assumptions.
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Review the estimated purchase month
The model calculates expected savings and checks when they can cover the down payment while meeting your cash reserve criteria.
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Compare cash flow before and after
Review the projected monthly cash flow on both sides of the purchase. Adjust the inputs to explore how a different income or expense plan changes the result.
A built-in change in housing costs
The new mortgage replaces your existing rent or mortgage payment.
When the modeled purchase occurs, the planner dynamically removes the old housing payment and replaces it with the new mortgage. That change flows into the monthly cash flow forecast so you can see how your ongoing savings may change after buying.
Cash position & annual savings
Look beyond the down payment.
Review the cash you expect to retain over the full 60 months, including the period after the home purchase.
After-tax cash position chart
See the projected ongoing cash position after taxes across the five-year forecast, based on the income and expense assumptions you enter.
Expected annual savings
Review annual savings alongside the monthly cash flow detail to see how the plan develops from year to year.
Spreadsheet formats & access
Plan in Excel. A Google Sheets version is also available.
Immediate download after purchase
The Excel planner is available to download after the $45 one-time purchase. The template is also available in Google Sheets. Use the light-yellow input cells to adapt the plan to your situation.
Related personal finance spreadsheets
Explore tools for the other parts of your financial plan.
Own vs. Rent Home Analysis
Explore a separate financial analysis for comparing homeownership and renting.
Explore the modelMultiple Loan Repayment Planner
Review the separate planner for organizing repayment across multiple loans.
Explore the plannerMortgage Repayment with Extra Principal
Explore a mortgage calculator focused on additional principal payments.
Explore the calculatorPersonal Wealth Builder
Review the broader personal wealth planning spreadsheet.
Explore the spreadsheetQuestions before you buy
A few useful details.
How long does the planner cover?
The planner covers 60 months, or five years, with monthly assumptions and cash flow detail plus expected annual savings.
Can income and expenses change each month?
Yes. Gross income, tax amounts, and living expenses can be adjusted monthly across the forecast.
How does it estimate when I can buy?
It calculates expected savings from your inputs and tests them against the down payment required and your cash reserve criteria. The purchase month is an estimate based on those assumptions.
What happens to my current rent or mortgage payment?
The planner removes the existing rent or mortgage payment and replaces it with the new mortgage when the modeled home purchase occurs.
Does it show cash flow after the purchase?
Yes. You can review monthly cash flow before and after buying, along with the ongoing after-tax cash position chart and annual savings.
Is there a Google Sheets version?
Yes. The template is also available in Google Sheets.
Build your home savings plan
Connect today's budget to the cash flow after you buy.
Get the Saving for a Home Financial Planner. Have a question? Contact SmartHelping.
