Accounts & register
Where money lives: account types, starting balances, transaction kinds, running totals, and splits.
What an account is
An account represents a real place cash or investments sit—your checking account, a savings account, cash on hand, a brokerage balance, retirement account, and so on. Accounts answer: where is the money?
Starting balance
When you create an account, set a starting balance and starting balance date. That pair is the opening figure for the register. Enter transactions that occur on or after that date so the running total stays consistent with the real world.
The register
The register lists transactions for one account (or a filtered set) with date, payee, memo, amount, and kind. A Balance column shows the running total after each transaction, computed from the opening balance and amounts in chronological order (newest rows display first).
Transaction kinds
| Kind | Use when |
|---|---|
| Normal | Everyday inflow or outflow (paychecks, purchases, fees). |
| Transfer | Moving money between accounts (paired transfer group). |
| Adjustment | Correcting the balance without inventing a fictional purchase. |
| Reverse | Undoing a prior transaction cleanly. |
Splits to bucket items
A single register transaction can be split across multiple bucket items. That is how a grocery run or paycheck deposit is reflected in the purpose ledger. Splits carry amounts (and optional memos) per item.
From items: You can start a transaction from a bucket item list or detail view. The item is pre-selected so logging is faster.
Account lifecycle
- Archive hides accounts you no longer want in the primary views.
- Close marks an account as closed while retaining history.
Related
- Buckets & items — what money is for
- Holdings & transfers — purpose sitting in specific accounts
- Getting started