Why Set Financial Goals?
Investing without a goal is like driving without a destination. You might enjoy the ride, but you won't know when you've arrived. The Financial Goals section on your dashboard lets you define specific targets — retirement savings, a house down payment, an emergency fund — and track how close you are.
Goals give your portfolio decisions context. "Should I sell this stock?" becomes easier to answer when you know you're 85% toward your college fund target and only 40% toward retirement.
How to Create a Goal
Expand the Financial Goals section on the dashboard and click "Add Goal." Fill in:
- •Goal Name: A short label like "Retirement," "Emergency Fund," or "House Down Payment."
- •Target Amount: The dollar amount you want to reach.
- •Target Date: When you want to reach it. The tracker calculates whether you're on pace.
- •Current Amount: How much you've saved or invested toward this goal so far.
Reading Your Progress
Each goal displays as a progress card showing a visual bar, your current amount, the target, and the percentage complete. Color coding makes status clear at a glance:
- •Green: On track or ahead of schedule.
- •Yellow: Slightly behind — may need to increase contributions.
- •Red: Significantly behind pace — consider adjusting your target date or savings rate.
AI-Powered Allocation Plans
Pro and Elite users can ask TrustAI for allocation advice tied to specific goals. For example: "How should I invest $50K for retirement in 20 years?" The AI considers your risk tolerance, time horizon, and current market conditions to suggest a mix of assets.
This connects directly to the Investment Goal Planning feature in the advanced learning path.
Collapsible for a Clean Dashboard
The Goals section is collapsible — click the header to show or hide it. Your preference is saved automatically, so it stays the way you left it. If you don't use goals, collapse it and your dashboard stays compact.