Considering a person’s financial situation holistically — including not only the current state (such as current savings balance), but also future plans (i.e. is that savings balance being set aside for a down payment on a house?) and future assets and net worth- is important to give appropriate advice. Spending patterns, including seasonality, whether someone is more inclined to spend or save, how they react to new infusions of capital, etc. are relevant in creating a more accurate profile of how achievable future goals are, like having kids, sending them to college, buying a home, changing careers, retiring, etc. To fully understand what advice is best for someone today today in terms of whether to save, pay down debt, optimize a 401k, put money in a taxable account etc creating this comprehensive view of their situation is key.