Why You’re Not Quite Ready for The Stash Plan (Yet)
(And Exactly How to Get There)
We see you.
You’re smart, driven, earning more each year, and doing so many of the “right” things. You’re saving when you can, you’re thinking about investing, and you’re finally hitting that moment when your career feels like it has real momentum.
So it’s natural to wonder: “Could Stash Wealth help me even if I’m not making six figures yet?”
Here’s the honest answer: not yet. And that’s not a judgment…It’s timing.
The Stash Plan® was built for people who are ready to design the next decade of their life with intention. That requires two things: income that can support the life you’re designing and a life stage where those decisions actually feel real.
Let’s break down what The Stash Plan really is, what to work on right now, and how you’ll know exactly when it’s time to take the next step.
1. The Stash Plan Is a Lifestyle Design Process
Why income and life stage both matter.
Most people think The Stash Plan is a fancy budget or a grown-up to-do list. It’s not.
It’s a lifestyle design process.
You map out the next chapter of your life on purpose:
Where you want to live.
What you want to build.
How you want to spend.
What your future actually looks like when you stop winging it.
And for that work to feel grounded instead of overwhelming, two things need to be true:
You’ve hit (or are very close to) six figures.
Not because six figures is magical, but because optimization requires excess. Our clients live full, rich lives. We’re not here to put you on a restrictive plan "until things get better." We’re here to make your money support the lifestyle you want - without forcing you to shrink it.
You’re far enough into adulthood that dreaming feels actionable, not abstract.
If you’re 23 or 24, you’re still figuring out who you are, where you’re going, and what your real priorities are. Designing a ten-year plan at that stage feels like trying on someone else’s coat.
When your income is growing and your life is taking shape, The Stash Plan becomes powerful.
Too early, and it feels premature.
Too lean, and it feels restrictive.
The magic happens when both readiness and resources line up.
2. What To Work On Right Now
Your pre-Stash Wealth season.
If you’re not quite ready for The Stash Plan, that doesn’t mean you’re behind. You’re in the chapter where you build the strength, stability, and momentum that make your future plan work ten times harder for you.
Right now, your focus should be on growing your income and tightening the fundamentals. This is the decade where your earning power jumps the fastest, so lean into it. Negotiate raises.
Switch roles if you’re being undervalued. Build the skills that make you harder to ignore and easier to pay well. Cutting back on iced lattes won’t change your trajectory - increasing your income will.
At the same time, you want to start laying down the habits that make your financial life steadier: paying your credit card in full each month, building (or rebuilding) your emergency fund, and automating the basics so your money doesn’t rely on willpower. The goal isn’t perfection. It’s momentum.
If things feel messy - like lingering high-interest credit card debt or a savings pattern that’s more "accidental" than intentional - this is the moment to clean that up.
The Stash Plan works best when you’re not fighting fires. It works best when the foundation is stable enough for us to optimize the fun stuff.
And while you’re building that foundation, get curious. Learn how taxes actually work. Understand what investing is (and isn’t).
Get familiar with the decisions you’ll eventually make inside The Stash Plan so nothing feels foreign later.
To help with that, here are some additional Stash Wealth resources to dig into now:
This is your pre-season. The work you do here doesn’t just prepare you for The Stash Plan - it ensures that when you are ready, your plan lands with real impact.
3. How You’ll Know You’re Ready for The Stash Plan
The moment everything clicks into place.
You’ll know it’s time when money starts to feel… slippery.
You’re earning well - maybe even close to (or at) six figures - and yet something still feels off. You’re not living paycheck to paycheck, but your account isn’t growing the way it should. You know your money could be working harder, you just don’t know how.
Here are the clearest signals you’re ready:
You’re earning around six figures (or trending there steadily).
You can pay off your credit card in full each month.
You have an emergency fund or are actively building one.
You shouldn’t feel “tight,” but you do.
You’re making good money and want to use it with purpose.
That’s when The Stash Plan stops being premature and starts being invaluable.
You’re not trying to survive anymore. You’re ready to optimize.
The Bottom Line
You don’t need The Stash Plan to reach six figures.
You need six figures to unlock what The Stash Plan can actually do.
We built this process for people who are ready to level up - not catch up. When you have income, stability, and a clear enough sense of where your life is going, we can help you design a plan that builds freedom, not friction.
But if you’re not there yet? Keep going.
Negotiate harder.
Earn more.
Strengthen your habits.
Build the version of your life that deserves a plan designed specifically for it.
And when you’re ready - we’ll be ready.
Not Ready for The Stash Plan (Yet)? Start Here:
Listen to The F. Word podcast. Free insights, zero jargon.
Read our blog. Learn to think like a six-figure earner before you become one.
Focus on your income leap. That’s your biggest wealth-building move right now.
Think You’re the Exception?
If you’re reading all this thinking, “No, seriously - I know myself, I’m ready even if I’m not at six figures yet,” we’re open to that conversation.
There’s an exception to almost every rule.
