> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.guito.pt/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Goals

> Create continuous and one-off goals and automate how your savings are allocated.

Use goals to set money aside with a purpose (emergency fund, a trip, a house deposit) and let guito track the progress for you. This page shows you how to create a goal and how to automate the way your savings are allocated. You'll find goals in the sidebar, under **Planning, Goals** (`/goals`).

guito doesn't move money between accounts: it places labels over the balances you already hold, showing how much is allocated to each goal and how much is left.

<Info>
  Goals deal with savings and targets. Monthly spending caps live on a separate page, under **Planning, Budgets** (`/budgets`). This page covers only the goals side.
</Info>

## Two kinds of goal

The `/goals` page groups your goals into two sections:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Continuous (fund)" icon="https://mintcdn.com/guito/Z2-mKthyIORVPFl5/icons/infinity.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=Z2-mKthyIORVPFl5&q=85&s=7d27e0a19c8ac200c80d57ffb1a9feac" width="24" height="24" data-path="icons/infinity.svg">
    A perpetual goal with no finish line and a target amount in euros. For example: keep €1,600 allocated across accounts and certificates. You name it, set the amount, and the goal tracks it continuously. It never concludes.
  </Card>

  <Card title="One-off (savings)" icon="https://mintcdn.com/guito/Z2-mKthyIORVPFl5/icons/flag.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=Z2-mKthyIORVPFl5&q=85&s=f372fa1ad6abaa86c48abe308194c3f3" width="24" height="24" data-path="icons/flag.svg">
    A target with an amount and, optionally, a target date. For example: a trip to Japan, a house deposit, a new car. It concludes when reached.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Note>
  An **emergency fund** isn't a separate concept: it's simply a continuous goal you named "Emergency fund".
</Note>

## Creating a goal

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the goals page">
    In the sidebar, go to **Planning, Goals** (`/goals`).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click + New goal">
    Choose between a continuous goal (fund) or a one-off goal (savings).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Give it a name and a target amount">
    Enter the name, pick an icon, and set the target amount in euros. On a one-off goal you can also add a target date.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose how to fund the goal">
    Set the allocation (see below) and, for manual allocation, which accounts and assets (e.g. Certificados de Aforro) feed the goal. Each one tracks its value, up to the target; set an optional max to cap how much it counts. You can adjust everything later, on the goal's page.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Allocation: automatic or manual

Accumulation goals (continuous and one-off) measure progress from your cash-equivalent balances: bank accounts and Certificados de Aforro (Portuguese savings certificates). How they read that progress depends on the allocation.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Automatic (funds only)">
    The goal counts **all the liquid money you have available**, with no need to pick accounts. It answers the question "is the money I already have enough?". It's the typical choice for an emergency fund.

    You can have only **one automatic continuous goal** per user, so the same money is never counted twice. In this mode, the account editor is hidden.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Manual">
    You pick the accounts and assets (e.g. Certificados de Aforro) that feed the goal. Each one tracks its value, up to the target; set an optional max to cap how much it counts. It answers the question "is the money in these specific sources enough?".

    You can have as many manual goals as you like, because each one sums its own allocations.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

A **one-off goal** always behaves like a manual one: until you allocate an account, it shows 0. It's a forward-looking target, so nothing counts until you explicitly allocate it.

## Allocation: track the balance, with an optional max

In each goal's **Funding** section, you choose which accounts and assets fund it (the **Manage accounts** button). Each source you pick **tracks its value**, up to the target amount, and updates itself: an account follows its balance, a Certificado de Aforro follows its current redeemable value (which grows as lots mature and interest accrues). Once it reaches the target it stops counting, and whatever's left over becomes available for other goals. The same source can fund several goals.

On each source you can set an optional **Max**, to cap how much of it counts toward this goal (useful for splitting one source across several goals). The max is just the ceiling you declare: it can be higher than the source's current value (it counts up to that max as the source grows). guito computes what's actually **allocated** today, which never exceeds the source's available value.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the goal">
    Click the goal in the list to open its detail page (`/goals/[id]`).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Manage accounts">
    In the **Funding** section, click **Manage accounts** and pick the accounts and assets. Each new source starts tracking its balance (counts its value, up to the goal).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Adjust each row">
    Leave the **Max** empty to track the source's whole value, or set a max to cap its contribution (for example, €5,000 even if the source only holds €2,000 today, counting up to there as it grows).
  </Step>
</Steps>

## The allocated amount grows on its own

You don't need to configure anything for the allocation to track the balance. Each source's **Allocated** amount is computed in real time from its current value, climbing toward the **Max** you set (or the source's whole value, if you set no max) and always capped at the goal's target amount. The **Reserve growing** badge shows while the allocated amount is still below the limit you declared, that is, while there's room to climb as the balance grows.

Rules worth knowing:

* The **allocated amount follows the live value** of the source: it rises as the balance grows, up to the max, and falls if the balance drops. It's never frozen above the source's real value.
* To **reduce** a source's contribution, lower its **Max**. If the new max falls below what's already allocated, guito shows a confirmation dialog before saving.

<Tip>
  Setting a max above the target is harmless: an allocation never exceeds the goal's target amount. A max above the source's current value just lets it count up to there as it grows.
</Tip>

## Priority between goals

When several goals compete for the same account, the one **higher up the list** fills first. Continuous goals always rank above one-off goals.

To change the order, use the **Priority** button on `/goals` and drag the goals. When you save the new order, allocations follow the new priority.

## Minimum balance per account

Every bank account has an optional **Minimum balance to keep** field, under **Accounts**, when editing the account. It's the amount you never want allocated automatically.

* The automatic allocation **never** dips below that minimum. The headroom the automation sees is: balance, minus active allocations, minus the minimum balance.
* **Manual** allocations can go below the minimum, but guito shows a confirmation dialog before going ahead.

<Note>
  Typical use cases: protecting a Revolut vault you don't want to touch (set the minimum balance to the vault's value) or keeping a cushion for unexpected expenses. The minimum balance exists only on accounts, not on products.
</Note>

## A one-off goal's lifecycle

A savings goal goes through four states:

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="In progress">
    The goal has sources set, and the allocated amount grows toward each source's max (always capped at the target) as the balance allows.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Reached">
    The total allocated reaches the target amount. The accounts keep funding the goal until you complete it.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Completed">
    You clicked **Complete goal**. The allocations are released so other goals can use the balance, and the card switches to "Goal completed" with Restart, Archive, and Delete actions.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Restarted">
    If you click **Restart goal**, it returns to the start with the same sources and maxes, and the allocated amount grows again from the balance.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

<Warning>
  **Complete the goal once you're done.** While allocations are active, they take up headroom on the account and block other goals from growing; completing it returns that headroom to the remaining goals. The action doesn't touch your money, it only removes the labels.
</Warning>

<Note>
  The complete-and-restart cycle is only for one-off goals. Continuous goals (funds) are perpetual and never conclude: even when they reach the target amount, it's a positive milestone, not an ending, and there's no complete action.
</Note>

## Frequently asked questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Why isn't my goal growing?">
    Check, in this order: insufficient balance on the account (no headroom to grow), a minimum balance set too high, another goal with higher priority competing for the same account, or the goal already reached or concluded.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why does the account show less available than the real balance?">
    Almost always because of the minimum balance to keep plus the active allocations. The amount available to allocate is the balance minus those two figures.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does guito move money between my accounts?">
    No. Allocations are just labels over balances that already exist. No money is moved, and guito never touches your bank.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related pages

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Budgets" icon="https://mintcdn.com/guito/qyCDktPAmiF08sQd/icons/gauge.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=qyCDktPAmiF08sQd&q=85&s=bbc9fd1caad46615fed5e5d5ad39cc35" href="/en/features/budgets" width="24" height="24" data-path="icons/gauge.svg">
    Monthly spending caps by category.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Accounts" icon="https://mintcdn.com/guito/Z2-mKthyIORVPFl5/icons/wallet.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=Z2-mKthyIORVPFl5&q=85&s=fe7531f58f311ad5a6aad3bb2cfe062e" href="/en/features/accounts" width="24" height="24" data-path="icons/wallet.svg">
    The accounts and certificates that feed your goals.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>
