Tax savings you may be missing
How much annual tax you might save — band-based, not fantasy numbers.
Money ManualGerman Financial Planning · logans.tools
MVP liveDigital money manual · Personal walkthrough on call
STARTPLATZ AI Hackathon — May 2026
Nobody handed you the money manual when you moved to Germany.
Germany offers real money to people who live and work here: tax savings, government support, employer top-ups, and long-term pension upside. Most expats never get a plain-English map. This manual shows what is possible, then walks through your numbers on a call.
Logan Williams is an expat financial coach in Cologne. He moved to Germany, navigated the bureaucracy, and helps international professionals understand subsidies, tax posture, and long-term wealth — without product pitches or jargon.
Ship target: Sun 31 May 2026, 12:00 · Demo: Sun 31 May 2026, 14:00 · Updated: 31 May 2026, 14:30 CET
Teaser manual (after submit)
Sample · May 2026
Full itemised manual — personal walkthrough on call only
69/ 100 illustrative score
- Kindergeld (2026)100
€259 / child / month
- Elterngeld estimate72
Band-based · verify on call
- Kita / subsidy frame58
NRW illustrative band
- Tax posture flag45
Qualitative until income captured
Your call unlocks line items and full numbers. Educational illustration only — not financial, tax, or legal advice.
Your digital Germany money manual
Answer a few questions about family, income band, and stay intent. We prepare your personal numbers for a video call. You see a short teaser after submit; the full manual is screen-shared when we meet. Live landing: go.germanfinancialplanning.de/money-manual.
Retirement upside
How much your retirement income could increase if you use what is available.
Government support
Support you may qualify for — with or without children.
Three pains the landing page hits before personalisation on the call.
Everything — sales letter, dossier copy, report framing — maps to three core pains.
01
Nobody explained what you qualify for
Kindergeld, Elterngeld, Kita subsidies — expats often discover these by accident, or never.
02
Tax leakage without a map
Steuerklasse, bands, and payslip confusion. Money left on the table — structurally, not through shady tricks.
03
Advisers sell; friends explain
You need someone who has been here, done this, and will walk you through your numbers on a call.
A funnel with teaser now, full manual on the call.
Inspired by structured report products like demo ramp: clear scores, audit dimensions, and a ranked action list — adapted for expat benefits and tax clarity.
- 01
Long-form sales letter
/money-manual — three pains, coach story, CTA to dossier.
Open route - 02
Questionnaire (dossier)
/money-manual/start — family, income band, stay intent (~5 min).
Open route - 03
Teaser after submit
/money-manual/teaser — headline themes, not full line items.
Open route - 04
Book call · full manual live
/money-manual/book (Calendly) → personalised manual on call.
Open route
One-day sprint — Saturday 30 May
Logan starts ~10:00. Sunday is pitch polish only.
| Time | Focus | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 10:00–11:00 | GFP repo + calculator-config.json + go. subdomain | done |
| 11:00–13:00 | Sales letter (live at /money-manual) | done |
| 13:30–15:30 | Dossier wizard + income bands (/start) | done |
| 15:30–17:00 | Calculator v0 (Kindergeld, Elterngeld, Kita) | done |
| 17:00–18:30 | Teaser + discovery themes (/teaser) | done |
| 18:30–19:15 | Admin full manual + Calendly (/book) | done |
| 19:15–20:00 | Ship — smoke test + disclaimers | in progress |
P0 — must demo by Sat 20:00
- Money Manual landing live (go.germanfinancialplanning.de/money-manual)
- Dossier wizard → Neon Postgres leads
- Calculator with 2026 config (calculate-advantages.ts)
- Teaser after submit (/money-manual/teaser)
- Full manual template + admin leads view
- Calendly book-call CTA (/money-manual/book)
- Impressum / Datenschutz on GFP site
- Build log published (logans.tools/expat)
Tech stack & credits
What powers Money Manual and this build log. Updated as tools go live during the hackathon.
| Layer | Tools | Role | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product app | Next.js 15 · React 19 · TypeScript · Vercel | Money Manual funnel — landing, dossier, teaser, book, admin | Live |
| Product host | go.germanfinancialplanning.de | Campaign subdomain via middleware + campaigns/config.ts | Live |
| Leads & CRM | Neon Postgres · Attio sync | Campaign leads repository + optional Attio handoff | Live |
| Build log | logans.tools · Next.js · Vercel | This page — sprint plan, stack, locked decisions | Live |
| Calculator config | calculator-config.json · calculate-advantages.ts | 2026 Kindergeld, Elterngeld, Kita bands — cited in report footer | Live |
| Call booking | Calendly embed | Primary CTA — book walkthrough for full manual | Live |
| Hackathon platform | Base44 (sponsor credits) | Explored during hackathon — not primary product stack | Planned |
| Resend | Teaser delivery + follow-up after questionnaire | Planned | |
| Dev & AI | Cursor · Claude / GPT agents | Build, copy, calculator logic, this build log | Live |
| UI reference | demo-ramp.com | Report-card layout, score dimensions, checklist patterns | Live |
Team
- Logan WilliamsProduct · coach · integrator
Event
STARTPLATZ AI HackathonMay 2026 · Köln
Sponsors & learning
- Base44Hackathon sponsor · app platform · MAY100EDU credits
- Pirate SkillsBuilder Codex · build in public · pitch framing
Brand
German Financial PlanningMoney Manual
PRD: Atlas/docs/ideas/active/expat-funnel-hackathon-may-2026/PRD.md
Product repo: german-financial-planning
Locked decisions (§16)
Calculator constants and boundaries — sourced from German law where applicable.
| Item | 2026 assumption | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergeld | €259 / month / child | BKGG §6 |
| Elterngeld (Basis) | €300 – €1,800 / month | BEEG §2 |
| Blue Card threshold | €50,700 gross (2026) | §18g AufenthG |
| Retirement age | 67 (30yr fallback if no age) | PRD §16 |
| Projection rate | 2.5% real · 2% inflation disclosed | PRD §16 |
UI reference
Look-and-feel from demo ramp: hero + report card, numbered pains, process steps, score dimensions, action checklist.