News
How to split your monthly income between pesos and dollars
Every month, the same rushed decision is repeated: how much to exchange into dollars and how much to leave available in pesos. Here, we tell you how to set up a fixed criterion by spending layers, automate the distribution, and adjust it when your income changes.
Download the belo app and automate the distribution between pesos and dollars according to your account and current conditions.
Dividing income between pesos and dollars without improvising
Every first of the month, the same scene is repeated. The salary comes in, fixed expenses appear, and at some point, you have to decide how much to exchange into dollars and how much to leave available.
That decision, made in a rush or by intuition, ends up costing more than any bank commission. Dividing income between pesos and dollars consistently requires a system with clear rules that works on its own, not improvisation every thirty days.
Dividing salary into two currencies requires making a financial decision every thirty days, and most people do not have a fixed criterion to do so.
Some months there is surplus, other months it is not enough, and currency savings are left as "whatever is left". That inconsistency accumulates a silent cost that is only noticed when the dollars are needed and they are not there.
How much to leave in pesos according to how you spend?
The answer depends on the real expenses of each month. The most useful criterion is to separate three spending layers and assign a currency to each one.
The three layers to assign a currency to each expense
Fixed expenses in local currency, which include rent, services, transport, and basic food, are paid in pesos and should not be converted to dollars because they generate unnecessary friction at the time of payment.
A liquid cushion in pesos equivalent to one or two months of fixed expenses covers unexpected events without forcing you to sell dollars at a bad time.
Everything left over those two layers is a candidate to go into foreign currency.
Someone who earns $1,200,000 per month and has fixed expenses of $700,000 needs those $700,000 in pesos plus a cushion of between $350,000 and $700,000 for unexpected events.
If the cushion is already built, the monthly surplus can go entirely to dollars. If they are still building that cushion, it is advisable to allocate 60% of the surplus to dollars and 40% to complete the reserve in pesos.
How does the calculation vary depending on the profile?
Profile | Recommended cushion | Suggested percentage to dollars |
|---|---|---|
Variable income (freelancer, commission agent) | At least 3 months of fixed expenses | Surplus only after building it |
Frequent traveler with expenses in foreign currency | 1 to 2 months | Higher proportion, adjusted to future expenses |
Conservative profile with stable income | 1 to 2 months | From 20%, increasing as the cushion solidifies |
How to automate the monthly income distribution?
Having a clear criterion is half the job. The other half is not depending on memory or discipline to execute it each month. Automation transforms a good intention into a financial habit that happens without manual intervention.
Two ways to configure the automatic distribution
By fixed amount: each month a specific amount is moved to a separate space in dollars (for example, USD 100 or the equivalent in USDT). This works well for people with stable incomes who know exactly how much they can allocate.
By percentage: 20%, 30%, or the corresponding figure of the total income is diverted. This option adapts better to variable incomes because the amount automatically adjusts to the size of each payment.
In belo, money boxes allow you to create separate spaces with a defined purpose, and automatic deposit is configured to move funds into them as frequently as each person chooses.
Those who get paid once a month can schedule a monthly move. Those who get paid per project or have weekly income can configure more frequent transfers.
Funds allocated for savings in foreign currency are kept as USDT, which avoids loss of value against the Colombian peso or any other local currency that tends to depreciate.
The setup takes minutes. A money box is created with a name (it can be "USD Savings" or something more specific like "Trip" or "Emergency Fund"), the amount or percentage is defined, the frequency is chosen, and it is activated.
From then on, every time income enters, the distribution happens without manual intervention.
What to adjust when the month changes?
A distribution system that cannot be modified breaks with the first change of context. Therefore, it is useful to have two or three adjustment rules defined beforehand, which function as automatic triggers.
Three adjustment rules to keep the system active
Review the distribution when income rises or falls by more than 15% compared to the previous month. If a freelancer who gets paid in dollars received more than usual, the entire surplus can go to the dollar money box without changing the spending flow. If income fell, it is convenient to pause the automatic deposit for one cycle instead of dismantling it, because reconfiguring it costs more than skipping a month.
When an extraordinary expense in pesos appears, before stopping savings in foreign currency, it is advisable to evaluate if the liquid cushion can absorb it. If it can, the distribution is not touched. If it cannot, the percentage allocated to dollars is temporarily reduced until the cushion is rebuilt, and then it returns to the original scheme.
Reviewing the numbers every three months is what separates a functional financial system from a forgotten spreadsheet on the cell phone. Fixed expenses change, income fluctuates, and a distribution that worked in March can become outdated in June. For those who need to convert dollars to pesos in some cycle, that review moment is ideal to evaluate the available exchange rate.
Download the belo app and check the current conditions according to your account.
Frequently asked questions on how to divide your monthly income between pesos and dollars
How much of my salary should I allocate to dollars each month?
There is no universal percentage, but a reasonable starting point is to divert to dollars everything that exceeds monthly fixed expenses and the emergency cushion in pesos. For conservative profiles with stable incomes, 20% of total income is usually a sustainable start.
If incomes are variable, it is advisable to wait until the cushion is built before starting to divert surplus to foreign currency. The order matters so that the system does not break at the first unexpected event.
What happens if one month I cannot meet the amount I set out to save in dollars?
It is convenient to pause the automatic deposit for that cycle instead of canceling it, because resuming it has less friction than reconfiguring it from scratch. If the mismatch is repeated two months in a row, it is a sign that the defined amount is oversized and requires a review.
In that case, adjusting the percentage downwards is not a step backward: it is part of keeping the system working in the long term. A smaller but constant amount yields more than an ambitious one that is frequently cut short.
Does it make sense to save in dollars if my daily expenses are all in pesos?
Yes, because foreign currency savings serve a different function than the cushion in pesos. It protects purchasing power against the depreciation of the local currency and serves as a reserve for future expenses that are denominated in dollars, such as trips or imported purchases.
Keeping both funds separate also prevents an unexpected event in pesos from consuming foreign currency savings, which are harder to rebuild if used for day-to-day expenses.
When is it convenient to use USDT instead of physical dollars to save?
USDT allows you to move, save, and program automatic deposits from an app without depending on cash or a bank account in dollars. For those who automate the monthly distribution, it is more operational than the physical bill and maintains parity with the US dollar.
In addition, operating from an app like belo, the conversion and deposit occur in the same flow, without intermediate steps or the need to transfer cash.
How often should I review my distribution scheme between pesos and dollars?
A quarterly review is sufficient for most profiles, unless income varies more than 15% compared to the previous month, in which case it is advisable to adjust immediately. That periodic review prevents a scheme that worked in one context from becoming outdated when expenses or income change.
The review moment is also useful to evaluate if the cushion in pesos is still adequate or if fixed expenses changed enough to recalculate the entire scheme.
