Financial Operating Manual

At Incline Financial Planning, we created our Financial Operating Manual for one simple reason:

Highly trained professionals — especially American Airlines pilots — deserve a financial system that is just as structured, repeatable, and dependable as the procedures they rely on in the cockpit.

Through our education, industry training, real-world advisory experience, and firsthand experience inside the airline system, we’ve found that two proven financial processes consistently fit the unique needs of American Airlines pilots:

  • A purpose-driven investment structure that assigns every dollar a specific future job

  • A behavioral operating system that creates momentum, discipline, and long-term consistency

When combined, these systems create clarity, reduce stress, and produce repeatable financial outcomes — regardless of market conditions or career phase.

This Financial Operating Manual is not a marketing document.

It is the framework we use personally and professionally to guide every client relationship and ensure nothing important is missed.

Because lasting financial success is not built through luck, perfect timing, or hot investments.

It is built through:

  • Clear systems

  • Proven principles

  • Consistent execution

  • Disciplined behavior

When those elements work together, financial progress becomes predictable.

The FOM Framework

Our Financial Operating Manual is built around two core operating systems:

1. An Investment Process Built Around the Bucket Strategy

Every dollar you save is assigned a specific purpose and time horizon — which then determines how those dollars are invested.

This structure helps:

  • Reduce emotional decision-making

  • Improve long-term outcomes

  • Support income planning and early financial freedom

  • Protect near-term lifestyle stability

2. The Dave Ramsey Baby Steps

A structured progression that builds stability first, then growth, then long-term freedom.

Together, these systems allow pilots to grow wealth while maintaining flexibility, stability, and career optionality.

The Behavioral Engine

The Dave Ramsey Baby Steps (Customized for American Airlines Pilots)

We use the Dave Ramsey Baby Steps as our core behavioral framework — customized specifically for the compensation structure, benefits, and real-world realities of American Airlines pilots.

We use this system personally.
We teach it professionally.
And we’ve watched it consistently create momentum, clarity, and peace for our clients.

Life throws curveballs.
Markets change.
Contract provisions change.

Human behavior should not.

The Baby Steps provide a simple operating system that keeps progress moving forward — regardless of market conditions, career phase, or life events.

The 7 Baby Steps

Step 1: Build a Cash Flow Plan and a Starter Emergency Fund

Step 2: Pay off all debt (except the house) using the debt snowball

Step 3: Save 3–6 months of expenses in a fully funded emergency fund

Step 4: Invest 15% of household income for retirement

Step 5: Save for your children’s college fund

Step 6: Pay off your home early

Step 7: Build wealth and give

Protecting the Plan

Building wealth is only half the job.

Protecting what you’ve built is just as important.

Throughout every stage of the Financial Operating Manual, we ensure your foundation is properly protected through proactive risk management and legacy planning.

Insurance Planning

We help American Airlines pilots evaluate and structure the insurance coverage that actually matters:

  • Term life insurance

  • Disability income protection

  • Umbrella liability coverage

  • Aviation and career-specific risk considerations

The goal is simple:
One unexpected event should not undo decades of disciplined financial progress.

Estate Planning

Every client relationship includes coordination around a proper estate plan to ensure your wishes are clear and your family is protected.

This includes guidance around:

  • Wills and guardianship planning

  • Healthcare directives and powers of attorney

  • Beneficiary alignment across accounts

  • Legacy and inheritance planning

Your family deserves clarity, not confusion — and certainly not court involvement.