---
aliases: ["Quarterly Financial Planning"]
Is A: Procedure
Belongs to: "[[responsibility-personal-finance]]"
Cadence: Quarterly
Owner: "[[person-luca-rossi]]"
---
# Quarterly Financial Planning

The quarterly financial planning session zooms out from the monthly portfolio checks to examine the full financial picture: income trends, expense patterns, savings rate trajectory, and progress toward long-term net worth targets. Running an indie business means revenue can be lumpy and expenses unpredictable — this quarterly discipline ensures financial decisions are intentional rather than reactive, and that the business remains financially sustainable on a longer time horizon.

## Steps

- [ ] Aggregate the past quarter's income by source: sponsorships, consulting, digital products, and any other revenue streams
- [ ] Compare quarterly income against the prior quarter and the same quarter last year to identify trends and seasonality
- [ ] Review total expenses for the quarter, categorized by business operations, tools/subscriptions, team compensation, and personal
- [ ] Calculate the quarterly [[measure-savings-rate]] and compare against the annual target — if behind, identify the top 3 expense categories to address
- [ ] Update the [[measure-net-worth]] tracker with the quarter-end snapshot and plot the trend line
- [ ] Assess whether the current net worth trajectory is on track to meet the annual target — if not, model what needs to change (higher income, lower expenses, or both)
- [ ] Review [[measure-sponsorship-mrr]] trend over the quarter and project next quarter's expected revenue based on the pipeline
- [ ] Identify any large planned expenses or investments for the coming quarter and factor them into the cash flow plan
- [ ] Set 2-3 specific financial goals for the next quarter with measurable targets
- [ ] Document the quarterly financial summary and any strategic decisions made

## Notes

- This is the session where you make big-picture financial decisions: whether to invest in a new tool, hire help, or adjust pricing. Monthly reviews are too reactive for these choices; quarterly gives the right perspective.
- Revenue concentration risk is real. If more than 40% of income comes from a single source (e.g., one large sponsor), flag it and actively diversify in the coming quarter.
- Compare [[measure-savings-rate]] across quarters to see if lifestyle creep is eroding savings. A slowly declining savings rate is easy to miss month-to-month but becomes obvious quarterly.
- Keep the planning session under 90 minutes. If it takes longer, the financial tracking system needs simplification — automate data collection so the session focuses on analysis and decisions.
- The output of this session should inform [[procedure-quarterly-sponsor-outreach]] targets — revenue goals and sponsorship pipeline need to be aligned.
