Our Approach
The Financial Operating Manual (FOM)
At Incline Financial Planning LLC, we operate from a simple belief:
American Airlines pilots deserve a financial system that is as structured and reliable as the procedures they trust in the cockpit.
The cockpit runs on discipline.
Checklists.
Standard operating procedures.
Repeatable execution.
Your financial life should operate the same way.
Why a Financial Operating Manual?
Aviation does not rely on guesswork.
It relies on systems.
We built the Financial Operating Manual (FOM) to serve the same purpose in your financial life:
A clear, sequential, behavioral framework that produces predictable progress — regardless of markets, contracts, or schedule volatility.
This is not a collection of financial tips.
It is the exact framework we use:
Personally
Professionally
With every client relationship
It is also the operating philosophy behind The Financial Operating Manual — our step-by-step system for building stability first, then wealth, then freedom.
Because lasting financial success is not built on timing.
It is built on:
Clear structure
Proven principles
Consistent execution
Disciplined behavior
The Design Principle
The FOM follows one core progression:
Stability → Wealth Building → Freedom
In that order.
Not reversed.
Not rushed.
Not customized around market predictions.
The FOM Framework
This system is designed specifically for the realities of flying for American Airlines.
Your income structure is unique.
Your retirement plan is unique.
Your career volatility is unique.
A generic financial plan does not account for those realities.
The FOM does.
The Financial Planning Process
The steps are sequential.
Each builds on the previous one.
No skipping ahead.
Many people try to optimize investments before fixing the fundamentals. That approach usually leads to complexity without progress.
At Incline Financial Planning, we follow a simple rule:
Build the foundation first.
Each step removes financial friction so more of your income can be directed toward long-term wealth, flexibility, and freedom.
Step 1: Eliminate Consumer Debt
Remove all non-mortgage debt using a disciplined payoff strategy (the Debt Snowball).
Consumer debt quietly steals future income. Every payment going toward credit cards, car loans, or personal loans is money that cannot be invested for your future.
For high-income professionals, the most common justification for keeping debt is the argument that the interest rate is “low” and the money could earn more if invested instead. In practice, this rarely works as intended.
The truth is simple: you make too much money to need debt for consumer purchases. Borrowing often becomes a way to justify spending more than you otherwise would.
After reviewing many financial plans for airline pilots, a clear pattern appears. The pilots who reject consumer debt consistently build more wealth than those attempting to manage the interest-rate arbitrage.
During this step, we recommend pausing additional personal investing contributions so every available dollar can be directed toward eliminating debt as quickly as possible.
However, this does not mean you have stopped saving for the future; you are still receiving the company contribution of 18% of your income to your 401(k), which continues to grow retirement savings automatically, while the focus remains on eliminating consumer debt.
Once debt is gone, personal investing contributions resume, and the wealth-building process accelerates.
Before we start building wealth, we stop the leaks.
Step 2: Invest 15%
Once consumer debt is eliminated, the next priority is building wealth systematically — 15% of your household gross income saved every year, on top of the 18% American Airlines contributes automatically to your 401(k).
That combined 33% savings rate is the foundation every other step in the FOM is built on.
The 15% is funded in a specific order, designed to maximize tax efficiency and long-term flexibility:
Roth IRA first — via the Backdoor Roth strategy for pilots whose income exceeds the direct contribution limits. The Roth provides the widest range of investment options and produces tax-free growth that will never be taxed again.
401(k) next — for both you and your working spouse, at each employer. Roth contributions are the default recommendation for most pilots, given the reality of retirement-era income stacking from pension, Social Security, and required minimum distributions.
Taxable brokerage for any overflow — beyond the 15% that doesn't fit into tax-advantaged accounts. This account serves a specific purpose: accessible wealth before age 59½, without the penalties that apply to retirement accounts.
The Health Savings Account (HSA) is maxed separately for pilots who elect the High Deductible Health Plan. It is the only triple tax-advantaged account in the tax code, and it stands apart from the 15% calculation.
The result is three distinct buckets of wealth — pre-tax, Roth, and taxable — each serving a different purpose across accumulation and retirement. This tax diversification is one of the most valuable features of the FOM and a capability most pilots never build on their own.
Contributions are automated. Investments are allocated according to a disciplined long-term strategy. Successful investing is not about prediction. It's about consistency and time.
Step 3: Save for College
If you plan to help children with college, this is the stage to begin saving intentionally.
We do not recommend borrowing for your kids’ education. Instead, families save in a structured way that avoids putting retirement at risk.
The objective is to prepare for future education costs without compromising retirement security.
By focusing on saving rather than borrowing, you create a clear, disciplined plan that balances generosity with long-term financial stability.
Step 4: Eliminate the Mortgage
Once investing and education savings are on track, attention shifts to the final major liability: the mortgage.
Paying off a low-interest mortgage often raises eyebrows. The common argument: “Why not invest the money and earn more than my 3–5% mortgage rate?”
Let’s break this down:
Leverage risk vs. peace of mind: If you truly believed in leveraging the mortgage to invest, why not constantly borrow against the house to invest even more? Most people wouldn’t. Carrying a large mortgage introduces stress, obligations, and complexity that compound faster than any interest calculation.
You’re already investing heavily: By this point, disciplined contributions to 401(k)s, Roth IRAs, and HSAs likely exceed six figures per year. Your future wealth is already being built. Additional mortgage leverage is unnecessary.
Taxes reduce returns: The accounts left for extra investing are taxable. A nominal 10% return in a taxable account is closer to 7% after federal and state taxes. The math favors security over theoretical gains.
Psychological benefits: Freedom from a mortgage provides immediate, tangible security. No monthly house payment means lower required income, less stress, and more flexibility in your 40s or 50s. Every client who has followed this plan reports no regret — only relief and freedom.
Your risk profile just changed: Without a fixed debt obligation, you can safely take on a more aggressive investment strategy if you choose. Aggressive portfolios generally produce higher expected long-term returns. Plus, with more dollars available to invest and no debt obligations, compounding accelerates.
Eliminating the mortgage reduces fixed obligations, increases flexibility, and provides control, peace of mind, and strategic positioning that theoretical investment gains can’t replicate.
Step 5: Fly on Your Terms
At this stage, work becomes optional — and that is not just a metaphor. The combination of disciplined investing, college funding, and a mortgage-free home gives you true financial flexibility.
If you’ve followed the plan, by this point you likely have:
A paid-off house
No consumer debt
Been saving $100k or more per year for a decade
At this stage, it’s reasonable to say that most pilots are completely financially independent. The difference between this and traditional retirement planning is clear: you now have the choice to work, reduce hours, or retire entirely, based on preference rather than necessity.
Paying off the mortgage changed your risk profile:
You can safely take on a more aggressive investment strategy.
You have more dollars available to invest because you no longer have a monthly house payment.
You can pursue opportunities or career changes without financial pressure.
Some pilots continue flying full schedules. Others reduce hours, switch to preferred routes, or retire earlier than they imagined. The difference is choice — the ability to make decisions based on preference, not necessity.
This is the ultimate goal of the Incline Financial Planning process:
freedom to live life on your terms while continuing to grow wealth strategically.
No regrets. More options. The ability to focus on what matters most — personally, professionally, and financially.
Protecting the System
Building wealth is only half the mission.
Protecting it is equally critical.
Throughout every stage of the FOM, we integrate risk management and legacy planning to ensure one unexpected event does not undo decades of disciplined progress.
Insurance Planning
We evaluate and structure coverage appropriate for American Airlines pilots:
Term life insurance
Disability income protection
Umbrella liability coverage
Aviation-specific considerations
The objective is simple:
One event should not compromise the mission.
Estate Planning
Every client relationship includes coordination around a proper estate plan:
Wills and guardianship planning
Healthcare directives and powers of attorney
Beneficiary alignment
Legacy and inheritance planning
Your family deserves clarity — not court involvement.
The Operating Standard
Markets will change.
Contracts will change.
Schedules will change.
Your financial direction should not.
The Financial Operating Manual replaces guesswork with structure.
It replaces emotion with process.
It replaces complexity with disciplined execution.
Financial progress becomes predictable when behavior becomes repeatable.
If This Aligns With How You Operate
The FOM is not designed for everyone.
It is designed for American Airlines pilots who value:
Structure over speculation
Discipline over intensity
Long-term freedom over short-term performance
If that aligns with how you operate in the cockpit —
it should align with how you operate financially.
The next step is simple.