What CheckAffordability measures
CheckAffordability evaluates how comfortably a specific purchase fits into a person's financial situation. We consider several dimensions that together paint a complete picture of financial impact.
Cash-flow capacity
How much financial capacity remains after normal obligations and the purchase.
Debt burden
How existing and new debt payments compare with gross income.
Financial resilience
How much liquid savings remains relative to essential expenses.
Upfront burden
How much liquid savings the purchase consumes immediately.
Recurring burden
How much the purchase changes ongoing monthly expenses.
Total financial cost
The broader cost of the purchase beyond the initial price.
Change in financial position
How the purchase changes the user's overall financial position.
Research foundation
CheckAffordability's methodology is informed by established research and financial measures. We draw from authoritative sources including:
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) — research on financial well-being and financial security
- Financial Health Network — frameworks for understanding financial health across spend, save, borrow, and plan dimensions
- Academic and institutional research — established financial measures and indicators
The research informs our choice of concepts and indicators. However, the final 0–100 CheckAffordability Score is our own composite model, designed specifically to evaluate purchase affordability rather than overall financial well-being.
Important: CheckAffordability uses established financial concepts and research to inform its analysis. The CheckAffordability Score is a proprietary composite model. It is an educational estimate, not financial advice, a lending decision, or a guarantee that a purchase is financially appropriate for you.
About the score
The CheckAffordability Score is not a measure of overall financial health. It specifically evaluates how comfortably a contemplated purchase fits within the user's current financial position.
The score considers multiple dimensions including cash flow, debt burden, savings resilience, and total financial impact. Each dimension is measured independently and then combined to produce the final score.
The model is designed to be transparent: we explain what factors helped and hurt the score, and we show the specific financial changes that underlie the assessment.