05 — Setup

Fifteenminutes to alive dashboard.

Three steps. No installation, no macros to enable, no account to create. Open the file and start typing into the blue cells.

Fast track

Three steps.

The order matters: assumptions first, because every other sheet reads from them.

STEP 01

Open & save a master copy

Open FutureProof.xlsx (or The_Ultimate_Wealth_Operating_System.xlsx) in Microsoft Excel, or import it into Google Sheets. Immediately save a working duplicate — something like My_Future_Plan_2026.xlsx — and keep the original as an untouched master template.

STEP 02

Configure 01_Setup_Assumptions

The master control centre, and the only sheet with genuine decisions on it.

Base currencyCode and symbol — USD, EUR, GBP, AUD, CAD, INR
Household structureDual-income couple or individual
Ages & milestonesCurrent, target retirement, statutory unlock
Return expectations9% nominal · 2.5% inflation · 5.5% mortgage
STEP 03

Populate cashflow & balance sheet

On 02_Monthly_Cashflow_Budget, enter monthly net take-home pay, housing costs and living expenses. On 03_Net_Worth_Asset_Tracker, enter current bank balances, investment accounts and the mortgage balance.

Then open 06_Executive_Dashboard and watch the net worth trajectory, asset allocation and mortgage freedom date calculate themselves.

The golden rule

Type in blue.
Never in white.

The workbook is colour-coded so you can never accidentally overwrite a formula. If a cell is not blue, it calculates itself.

Soft blue

User input field. Enter your customised numbers here. These are the only cells you should ever type into.

White / grey

Automated formula. Calculated for you from the inputs. Do not overwrite — this is where the model lives.

Soft green

Positive asset or surplus. Cash surplus, savings contributions, or net positive equity.

Soft red

Liability or expense. Living costs, debt balances and outflows.

Annual rollover

Once a year, ten minutes.

1

Update your current age and the year on 01_Setup_Assumptions.

2

Refresh bank and investment balances on 03_Net_Worth_Asset_Tracker.

3

Adjust living expense estimates on 02_Monthly_Cashflow_Budget for salary and lifestyle changes.

Troubleshooting

When something breaks.

Deleted a formulaCtrl+Z (Cmd+Z on Mac) immediately. If already saved, restore from your master copy.
#VALUE! / #REF!An input cell contains text or a typed currency symbol. Inputs must be pure numbers.
Charts look emptySheets 02 and 03 have not been populated yet — the dashboard has nothing to read.

The full data dictionary and formula logic live in USER-MANUAL.md, included with the download.