Diagnosis

Financial Health Checklist

12 simple signs to diagnose where you stand. Check off the ones you meet today.

Monse Team· Financial Content
Published on 7 min read

Financial health is not about how much you earn. It’s about what you decide with what you earn. The 12 signs below measure decision, not income. Use them as a thermometer. There is no minimum score, only a diagnosis.

Block 1: Visibility (Signs 1-4)

  1. You know your exact net income (after taxes and deductions).
  2. You know your top 3 expenses from last month without checking anything.
  3. You know how many active subscriptions you have today.
  4. You review the closed month within 5 days of the billing cycle end.

Block 2: Control (Signs 5-8)

Visibility enables control. These four signs separate those who react to money from those who decide with it.

  1. You pay your credit card bill in full every month (no revolving credit).
  2. You set aside money to save before spending (not at the end of the month).
  3. You have a defined budget cap for at least 3 categories.
  4. You have no overdraft or revolving credit card debt.

Block 3: Protection (Signs 9-10)

  1. You have an emergency fund of at least 3 months of your fixed costs.
  2. You have health, life, or property insurance suitable for your context (not necessarily expensive, just well-thought-out).

Block 4: Project (Signs 11-12)

  1. You have at least one financial goal with a 12-month timeline (e.g., trip, car replacement, seed capital).
  2. You know how much of your salary goes each month towards building wealth (savings, investment, debt reduction).

How to Read Your Results

Signs MetWhat It Means
0-3Critical. Start with visibility. The first 4 signs are worth more than the last 8.
4-7In Progress. You’re moving away from being reactive. Now focus on control (Block 2).
8-10Healthy. The next step is protection and project.
11-12Solid. Focus on optimization and quality of life, not more cutting.

Automatic Diagnosis of My MonthMonse calculates your financial health score from your statement.

Next Practical Step

Identify which block is weakest for you and commit to 1 action per block over the next 4 weeks. Then reassess. Financial health is a journey, not a snapshot.

Perguntas frequentes

How many of the 12 signs does a financially healthy adult typically meet?
The average among Brazilian adults aged 25 to 45 with formal income is 5 to 7 signs met. There is no "mandatory" number, the goal is upward trajectory, not a perfect score.
Does an emergency fund need to yield high returns?
No. An emergency fund needs to be liquid (redeemable in 1 business day) and secure (Treasury Selic, daily liquidity CDB, or a remunerated account from a large bank). Yielding more than CDI is not a criterion.
Is financial health only for high earners?
No. The 12 signs are about decision-making, not income. There are people with high salaries and poor financial health, and people with modest salaries and excellent financial health. Income changes speed, not direction.
How to track these signs over time?
Redo the checklist every 90 days. Monse calculates an automatic score month by month using your statement data, you track progress without needing to manually repeat the checklist.