Debt-to-income measures how much of your monthly income is already claimed by debt payments before you spend or save a cent. Unlike the other measures, there's no upper band here - less is always better.
What it measures
Monthly debt service (mortgage, car, credit card and other loan payments, smoothed) divided by monthly income (also smoothed, to avoid a single irregular month distorting the picture).
The scale
This is a "descending" gauge on a 0-60% axis - the value only ever needs to go down, never up:
- Under 20% — comfortable. Green.
- 20% to 36% — manageable. Amber.
- 36% to 43% — stretched. Amber, deeper.
- Above 43% — critical. Red.
Why this range
These thresholds echo benchmarks lenders themselves use when deciding how much to loan someone: total debt-to-income around 36% is a common line for "comfortably affordable" underwriting, and 43% sits near the edge of what many mortgage programs will approve at all. Dispono applies the same logic to your own plan rather than a bank's approval decision, because the underlying problem is the same either way - debt service is a fixed, non-negotiable claim on your income. The more of your income it claims, the less is left to save, invest, or absorb a shock like a pay cut or a job loss, which is exactly why this measure has no "good" zone above zero and no upper band the way cash pool or liquidity pool do.
Figures and projections are illustrative estimates, not guarantees, and this guide is not financial advice. Discuss decisions with a licensed advisor.