That’s You in the Spotlight

You’re a YNABer, which means you’re all about intentional spending. You’ve got goals and the confidence to make your money work for you.

But even with a solid spendfulness plan, it helps to have a clear view of what needs your attention right now—so you can stay focused and keep making progress.

Enter Spotlight: the new area in YNAB that brings your financial priorities into focus.

Whether it’s covering overspending, tracking key categories, or making sure you’re on track to get a month ahead, Spotlight puts the most important pieces of your plan front and center. Because when your money reflects your priorities, that’s you in the spotlight. 

Think back to MTV Cribs... I’m excited to show you around this brand-new space.

Spotlight: The grand tour

Imagine Spotlight as a command center for what matters most to you. This new area of the app is all about clarity—highlighting your top priorities, surfacing key actions, and tracking your progress toward big goals.

Right at the top, you’ll see action banners (like “Cover Overspending” or “Review Transactions”) that guide your next steps and keep your plan up to date. No more wondering what needs attention. Spotlight makes it clear, so you can take action and move forward like a boss.

Your money, at a glance

Spotlight is designed to keep your financial priorities clear and actionable. And while there’s a lot of power packed into this space, you’ll find yourself coming back to three key sections again and again:

Top Priorities – Pin the categories that matter most to you.

Summary – See where you stand this month and adjust as needed.

Assigned in Future Months – Track your progress toward getting a month (or months!) ahead.

Let’s take a closer look at each!

Top Priorities: Your immediate goals

You know what they say: where your attention goes, energy flows. The Top Priorities section is where you can pin the categories that matter most to you right now, keeping your focus (and your dollars) exactly where you want them.

Trying to rein in your takeout spending before your favorite delivery driver knows your order by heart? Add it here for quick access when you’re deciding between cooking at home or keeping the local sushi place in business.

These are your top priorities. What’s going to give you peace of mind? What’s going to help you make progress on your goals? Add those categories here to keep them front and center.

Summary: A snapshot of your month

The Summary section gives you a quick, clear picture of how things are going this month. It’s also a gateway to powerful tools that help you build a strong, flexible plan focused entirely on your values.

Total Targets: Your plan at a glance

At the top, you’ll see the Total Targets card, which shows the total of all the targets you’ve set for the current month. But there’s more than meets the eye—tap on it to open the Edit Plan screen.

At the top of Edit Plan, you’ll find your Cost to Be Me, the total amount you’ve planned to spend this month across all your targets. We all know how much we earn, but do we know how much we plan to spend? Now you do. Total game-changer!

Below that, you can add your expected income for the month and instantly see if your plan is feasible or if you have extra dollars to assign.

Just below that, you’ll see the maximum your targets could add up to next month, helping you prepare for what’s ahead. Keep scrolling, and you can view and adjust every target in your plan. You can add, edit, and move categories as needed.

If your Cost to Be Me is below your income, it might be time to dream bigger. Maybe add a category for that Hawaii vacation now that you know you have the margin to handle it.

Underfunded & Assigned: What dollars still need jobs?

The Underfunded card shows how much you still need to assign this month to fully fund your targets.

The Assigned card shows how much you’ve assigned to your categories this month. Tap it to enter Assign Mode, where you can put every dollar to work. Then, return to Spotlight and enjoy the satisfaction of a fully funded plan.

Spent: See where your money went‍

The Spent card tracks how much you’ve spent so far. Tap on Spent to go to the Reflect tab, where you can dig into your spending and see if it matches the plan you created.

Plan, spend, reflect, repeat. That’s the power of Summary.

Assigned in Future Months: Build more margin

Everyone’s financial situation is unique, and you are the expert on what jobs your dollars should be doing. But there’s one milestone that we know is life-changing for absolutely everyone: getting a month ahead.

Imagine being fully funded on the 1st. You’ll have the breathing room to face the unexpected (because there’s always something unexpected!) and the stability to make spending decisions with the kind of conviction that makes you stand taller.

This section shows how much money you’ve assigned in future months and tracks your progress toward fully funding your targets.

Not sure how to get started? Tap “How to Get a Month Ahead”, and Hannah will walk you through it. We’ve been calling this “Pocket Hannah” because, honestly, who wouldn’t want a little Hannah wit and wisdom on demand?

Getting a month ahead is one of the best ways to build resilience into your plan—it’s like stepping back from the financial edge and finally exhaling.

Give it a shot. You can do this!

Step into the Spotlight

Did the grand tour just make you want to open YNAB and pin your Top Priorities? Go on—Spotlight is ready when you are.

This is a brand-new space in YNAB, and we’re just getting started. Expect updates and improvements as we hear from you about what would make it even better.

While you’re here, why not get to know your spending style? Take our Spending Personality Quiz and see what your habits say about your values!

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