DesignStep 0.6 · The router~4 min read

Choose Your Starting Phase

Find your starting line

Not everyone starts at Step 1, Freedom Builder. This diagnostic routes you to exactly where your system needs attention right now — and it's not a one-time task. Run it again whenever life changes, because life changes focus, not progress.

Your goal (WIG) Go from unsure to a committed starting step, within 1 day.

Why this comes first

One focus at a time. The system tells you which.

The system is built in order, but life isn't — and not everyone needs to start at Step 1. If you already have disability coverage and a safety net, the system will tell you that. If you're investing while a protection gap sits open, the system will flag that too. This diagnostic finds exactly where your system needs attention right now.

This is the recurring heart of the system

Run this diagnostic when you start. Run it again when life changes — a job loss, a new baby, a marriage. The system re-points your focus; it doesn't reset your progress. When life changes, your focus changes. That's not falling behind — that's the system working.

The entry test

Find your first "not yet"

Go down the list and answer honestly. The first question you answer "no" or "not yet" to is your starting step. Everything above it, you've already handled.

1Do you have disability insurance replacing ~60% of your income?No → Step 1

2If anyone depends on your income, do you have term life at 10–15× income?No → Step 2

3Do you have $2,500 set aside in savings?No → Step 3

4Are you capturing your full employer match?No → Step 4

5Are you free of debt above 6%?No → Step 5

6Do you have a 3–6 month emergency fund?No → Step 6

7Are your beneficiaries current on every account?No → Step 7

8Do you have a will, guardianship, and POAs in place?No → Step 8

All yes? Your foundation is set — start building wealth at Step 9 (Phase 2).

Run it · do this now

Your goal, your moves, your scoreboard

Pick a lead measure and start. The step-by-step walkthrough follows below if you need it.

Design Complete

On-ramp done. The system takes over.

You've named your Dream Build, measured where you stand, built the engine, and found where your system needs attention first. That's the Design phase done — now a Freedom Builder stops planning and starts building. Head to your starting step and begin. Return here whenever life changes.

WIG · locked

Unsure → a committed starting step, within 1 day.

Lead measures · pick 1–2

★ Answer the 8 questions honestly (start here)
Mark your first "not yet"
Write your start step where you'll see it
Tell your buddy

Scoreboard · locked

The entry-test checklist with your starting step circled.

How to do it, step by step

Answer, commit, write it down

Here's exactly how to work each move from the lead measures above — skip to whichever one you're on.

The recommended approach

This one takes minutes, not days.

Run the eight questions honestly, stop at your first "not yet," and write that step where you'll see it every day. Honesty is the whole game here — a generous self-grade just leaves a gap open behind you.

Answer the 8 questions honestly.

Use what you gathered in 0.2 and 0.5 — your numbers and your coverage map make most answers obvious.

Mark your first "not yet."

That's your starting step. Don't skip past it to something more exciting — gaps don't fill themselves.

Write your start step where you'll see it.

A sticky note, your phone wallpaper, the top of your tracker. Make the commitment visible.

Tell your buddy.

"I'm starting at Step ___." Saying it out loud is what turns a plan into momentum.

You're done with Step 0.6 when

The finish line

The system takes over from here

Once you know your start, the plan runs on rails — not willpower. You'll automate each step's action as you go: a payroll deduction here, a recurring transfer there, a premium on autopay. The work you do at each step is setup; after that, the engine handles it. Progress becomes inevitable because you removed the daily decision.

You've run all eight entry questions honestly.

You've identified your first "not yet" — your starting step — and written it somewhere visible.

You've told your accountability buddy where you're starting.

Questions, myths & mistakes

The hesitations — answered

Can I skip ahead to the investing steps? They're more fun.

Not past an open protection gap. The order exists because an uninsured disability or a missing safety net can wipe out years of investing gains in one event. Start where the diagnostic sends you; you'll get to the investing steps on solid ground.

What if I'm already through all of Phase 1?

Then you answered "yes" all the way down — your foundation is set. The system points you to Step 9 and Phase 2 begins. Running this diagnostic confirmed there are no quiet gaps — that's exactly what it's designed to do.

What if I'm honestly not sure on a question?

Treat "not sure" as "not yet" and start there. It's cheaper to confirm something you half-had than to discover a gap during an emergency.

Do I redo this after a big life event?

Yes — that's the point. A job loss, a new baby, a marriage: run the diagnostic again. It may re-point your focus to a phase that needs attention. That's not regression; that's the system working as designed. The house doesn't fail because a storm hit — you check the foundation and re-secure what needs it.

Do I work every step after my starting one, in order?

Yes — from your starting step forward, in sequence, one focus at a time. The steps above your start are already handled. You pick up the chain where you joined it and work forward.

Avoid these

Grading yourself generously to reach the exciting steps faster.
Skipping the test entirely and just guessing where to start.
Treating "not sure" as a "yes" — it's a "not yet."
Trying to work several steps at once instead of the one you're on.