Budget

Budget translates strategy into monthly behavior.

Its role is to make cashflow visible, controlled, and reviewable.

Core Purpose

Use Budget to:

• Track what is planned vs. what is happening
• Keep spending and income categories disciplined
• Close months with intentional review, not guesswork

Typical Workflow

1. Select the active month
2. Review month status (active or closed)
3. Add or update transactions
4. Classify by account, category, and status
5. Check summary and dashboard views
6. Close month when execution cycle ends

Key Behaviors

• Prioritize consistency over perfect categorization
• Keep pending vs. paid status accurate
• Use category color and grouping to spot drift quickly
• Treat month close as a review ritual, not only a button action

What Good Usage Looks Like

• Transactions are updated close to event time
• Category labels remain stable across months
• Month-to-month comparisons reveal behavior patterns
• Adjustments are made early, not at month end

Common Mistakes

1. Backfilling too many transactions at once
2. Ignoring pending items until month close
3. Changing categories every week
4. Looking only at totals without status distribution

Monthly Review Prompts

Use these prompts before closing a month:

• Which category exceeded expected behavior, and why?
• What was predictable but not planned?
• Which adjustments should become next-month defaults?
• What should be removed to simplify execution?

Cross-Module Connection

• Use Investments to connect monthly behavior with long-term allocation
• Use Assistant to review variances, pending expenses, and month-close context before changing anything
• Use Reports when a month creates important insights worth preserving

Assistant may prepare supported Budget changes as reviewable proposals. Review every proposal before confirming it.