The words we use

A few ideas sit behind everything ftrme does. Here they are, defined plainly. You’re welcome to use them. A link back is appreciated.

The shame tax

The money you lose by not looking at your finances because looking feels bad: late fees, interest you could have negotiated, forgotten subscriptions, savings that never started. You pay it every month you avoid the number.

The buried answer

Good money advice that exists in a thread or a search result but sits under jokes, judgment or noise, so the person who needed it never sees it or acts on it. From ftrme’s 2026 study of 48 Reddit money-help threads.

Same paycheck, two futures

The idea that two people on the same income can end up in very different places because of a few habits. For example, saving 2% vs 9% of $1,800 a month for 20 years at an illustrative 7% a year: about $18,753 vs $84,390.

Present Me

In ftrme, an honest, kind picture of where your money goes today, in percentages: out of every 100 you earn, how much goes where.

Future Me

In ftrme, you 20 years from now, the version who made it. A mentor who shows the road and never lectures.

The gap

The distance between Present Me and Future Me. In ftrme it’s treated as a road to walk, not a verdict on you.

One small step

A single action that takes about three minutes, given one per day, instead of a full budget or a lecture.

48-hour cooldown

Waiting 48 hours before a non-essential purchase. If you still want it after two days, buy it without guilt. If not, the money counts toward future you.

Danger zones

Places where your money tends to leave fast, like a mall or a favourite bar. In ftrme you mark them yourself and get a kind nudge there. Location stays on your phone.