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Comment by mdoerneman | Hacker News Reader

Safe-to-spend balance is great but will it be enforced? I currently calculate my safe to spend balance but nothing stops me from over spending. I don't have the willpower. It would be great if the bank simple card will only let me spend my safe-to-spend balance. So if my safe-to-spend balance is $20 and I go to an ATM and try to withdraw $50, it will decline.

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That's exactly what we're doing. If you tell us about your savings goals, you can then "lock" the goals that you really don't want to dip into if you're overspending. We'll prevent transactions from going through, in that case. We keep you honest :)

Your presentation mentioned that goals may be allocated to CD ladders and the like - if so, what happens if you 'dip into' this? Wouldn't you be hit with an unexpected CD early withdrawal fee then?

This sounds like an interesting concept but could be quite dangerous in emergencies or other situations.

But if you don't have the money, you don't have the money. I guess you could still carry an "emergency" credit card; maybe one with a high interest rate to deter you from using it unless its really an emergency.

Safe-to-spend is about your current obligations, and other stuff that would reduce your "really available" balance; there's more money physically in the account, in a true emergency you'll rob from tomorrow to pay today's emergency room visit.

Of course, now you need a way to pay for tomorrow, but there's still options: skip a bill or two this month, borrow money (from friends, credit card, payday loan, sell your internal organs), work overtime, or whatever.

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