The Defense Arc answers one question: am I safe? Its five levels are sequential — each builds the floor the next one stands on — and every criterion is a measurable fact about your data, detected automatically wherever the app can see it.
Level 1 — Know Your Numbers
Criterion: log transactions on 10 different days. Not consecutive — a Set of unique calendar days, so a missed week resets nothing. L1 is deliberately standalone: it tracks your habit with this app while later levels progress independently from your finances themselves.
Level 2 — Starter Shield
Criterion: savings balance ≥ 1× your average monthly essential expenses. Both sides come from your data — savings account balances on one side, your recorded essential spending on the other. The target updates as your real cost of living does.
Level 3 — Free Money First
Criterion: employer match confirmed, or 3 months of investment contributions. Some compensation the app can't see from transactions alone — whether you're capturing your full employer retirement match (the vehicle varies by country; the principle doesn't). So L3 accepts a one-tap confirmation, or detects three months of contributions into an investment account.
Level 4 — Debt Purge
Criterion: all high-interest debt cleared. "High-interest" is measured against your own threshold setting; qualifying debt includes loans above it and revolving credit-card debt. If you have no qualifying debt at all, L4 auto-skips — no ritual required for a problem you don't have.
Level 5 — Full Fortress
Criterion: savings ≥ 6× your average monthly essential expenses. The capstone. Confidence has a number, and this is yours — computed from how you actually live, not a rule of thumb. Completing L5 unlocks the Offense arc: see Levels 6–9.