Goals in Forbidden Finance
An overview of how financial goals work in Forbidden Finance, including goal types, progress tracking, and how goals connect to your budget.
Overview
Goals in Forbidden Finance help you save for specific targets -- whether that is an emergency fund, a vacation, paying off debt, or reaching financial independence. Each goal has a name, a target amount, a target date, and a progress tracker that shows exactly how close you are. Goals are available to all tiers, with some advanced goal types reserved for higher plans.
Goals work alongside your budget, not as a replacement. Your budget controls how you allocate money each month. Goals give that allocation a purpose by connecting specific budget items and bank accounts to concrete targets, so that saving $200 into your emergency fund shows up as progress without you tracking it by hand.
What Goals Track
Every goal in Forbidden Finance displays:
| Metric | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Current balance | How much you have saved or paid toward this goal so far |
| Target amount | The total amount you are working toward |
| Progress percentage | Current balance divided by target amount |
| Target date | When you want to reach the goal |
| Projected completion | When you will actually reach the goal based on your current contribution rate |
| Required monthly contribution | How much you need to contribute each month to hit your target date |
Goal Types
| Type | Description | Tier |
|---|---|---|
| Savings target | Save toward a specific amount (vacation, down payment, new car) | All tiers |
| Debt payoff | Track progress paying down a specific debt | All tiers |
| Emergency fund | Build a safety net, typically 3-6 months of expenses | All tiers |
| Sinking fund | Save for a known future expense (insurance premium, holiday gifts) | All tiers |
| Investment target | Reach a specific invested portfolio value | Pro+ |
| FIRE target | Track progress toward financial independence | Premium |
How Goals Connect to Your Budget
Goals become powerful when you link them to your budget. Here is how the connection works:
- Link a budget item to a goal. For example, link your "Emergency Fund" budget category to your Emergency Fund goal. The category states what you plan to put in, and the goal is credited as far as real deposits into the linked account justify it, so a month you did not save does not show up as a month you did.
- Link a bank account. Connect the savings account where the goal's money actually lives. Linking an account is also what lets you choose how the goal is tracked.
- Add manual contributions. Record one-time contributions that happen outside your regular budget flow.
How a Goal Is Tracked
Every goal has one tracking mode. It decides what is allowed to move that goal's balance, and nothing else about the goal changes with it.
- You record the money. Contributions you record, plus any linked budget item. This is the default, on every plan.
- Mirror an account balance. The goal becomes the linked account's live balance, with nothing recorded by hand. Starter or higher.
- Share an account with other goals. Several goals divide the money arriving in one account, each taking a share you set. Pro or higher.
Switching into mirroring or sharing depends on your plan; switching out of them never does. See Goal Tracking Modes.
Savings Pockets
A single savings account often holds money set aside for several different things at once -- an emergency fund, a holiday fund, next year's insurance premium. Savings pockets let you divide one real account into named sub-allocations so you can see how much is reserved for each purpose without opening a separate bank account for every goal.
Pockets do not move your money. They are simply a way to label what the balance in one account is already for -- nothing is transferred between accounts. Pockets also stay anchored to reality: their total is reconciled against the account's actual balance. If the balance is higher than your pockets expect (for example, after interest or a fresh deposit), Forbidden Finance prompts you to distribute the difference across your pockets so the numbers always add up.
Savings pockets and sinking funds work on every plan.
Tips
Frequently Asked Questions
How many goals can I have?
There is no limit on the number of goals you can create on any tier. Create as many as you need.
Do goals work without a budget?
Yes. You can create and track goals using manual contributions and linked bank accounts, even without an active budget. However, linking goals to budget items provides the most seamless tracking.
Can I share goals with my partner?
If you are on a plan that supports household sharing (Pro or Premium), shared goals are visible to all household members. Each person can contribute toward the same goal.
What happens when I reach a goal?
The goal is marked as complete with a celebration animation. You can archive it, keep it visible, or set a new target to keep going.
Related Articles
Create a Goal
Step-by-step goal creation guide.Goal Types
Detailed guide to each goal type.Tracking Progress
Reading your goal metrics and projections.Linking Budgets and Accounts
Connect goals to your budget and bank accounts.Goal Tracking Modes
The three ways a goal's balance can move.Goal Spending Plans
Plan what a goal's money is for, and spend from it.Need more help? Contact us at [email protected].