The Thing We Never Talk About

Easy Cash Flow: What's Your “Invisible Number”?


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In this episode, Tim explains why cash flow is the foundation of every financial plan — and introduces a simple technique to make saving money easier and more consistent. By identifying your “invisible number,” the small amount you can save automatically without ever noticing, you can improve your cash flow, build long-term security, and reduce friction in your financial life. Tim breaks down how this approach works, why automation matters, and how small, steady habits can quietly transform your financial trajectory.

5 Key Takeaways:

  1. Cash flow is the foundation of financial planning. Every major financial decision — investing, buying a home, planning for retirement — depends on knowing what you earn, spend, and save.
  2. Income = spending + saving. This simple equation underpins every cash-flow conversation and highlights the trade-off between what you use today and what you set aside for the future.
  3. Your “invisible number” makes saving effortless. This is an amount of money small enough to transfer automatically without affecting your daily life — your savings grow without conscious effort.
  4. Increase your invisible number slowly. After a few months, bump it up in small increments until you begin to notice it — then dial it back slightly and automate that amount indefinitely.
  5. Tie your number to something you buy without thinking. A daily coffee, a sandwich, a beer — if you’d spend it without hesitation, you can likely save it without noticing, too. Small, automated transfers add up meaningfully over time.

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The Thing We Never Talk AboutBy Timothy Iseler

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