Question 1

How does the savings projection work?

Accepted Answer

Each savings goal uses monthly compound interest. Your starting balance plus any extra one-off contributions earns interest each month at (annual rate / 12). Monthly deposits are added before each compounding step, giving you an accurate year-by-year projection of your balance.

Question 2

What CSV files are supported for import?

Accepted Answer

The importer supports Chase Bank checking/savings account statements and Chase Credit Card statements. It auto-detects the format from the CSV header row and maps transactions to income or expense categories automatically.

Question 3

Is my financial data private?

Accepted Answer

Yes — completely. All data is stored exclusively in your browser's localStorage. No account, no server, no cloud sync. If you clear your browser cache the data is gone. Nothing is transmitted to any server.

Question 4

Can I export my budget data to Excel?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Both the monthly cash-flow projection table and the transactions list can be exported as Excel (.xls) or CSV files using the Export button. The Excel file uses SpreadsheetML format and opens natively in Excel, Numbers, and Google Sheets.

Question 5

What is a recurring item and how does it affect the projection?

Accepted Answer

Recurring items are income sources or expenses that repeat on a fixed schedule (biweekly, monthly, every 6 months, or yearly). The planner converts each item to its monthly equivalent and uses it to build a 12-month cash-flow forecast, letting you see your running balance for any month of any year.