Managing Accounts
Managing Accounts 🏦
Section titled “Managing Accounts 🏦”While the Ledger tracks your daily spending, the Accounts tab is your financial command center. This is where you track your total wealth across different banks, credit cards, cash stashes, and even the physical value of your van.
Keeping your account balances accurate is what allows the app to calculate your master Runway and predict exactly how long you can stay on the road.
➕ Adding a New Account
Section titled “➕ Adding a New Account”To add an account, navigate to the Accounts tab (via the building icon on your main dashboard) and tap the + button.
You can track almost anything: Current Accounts, Savings, Credit Cards, Cash, and even Loans. When you select the Account Type, the app will automatically organise it into Assets (money you have) or Liabilities (money you owe).
The Golden Toggles
Section titled “The Golden Toggles”When creating an account, you will see two very important toggles:
- Include in Net Worth: Does this account count towards your total wealth? (You might turn this off for a shared joint account where the money isn’t entirely yours).
- Include in Forecast (Runway): Can you actually spend this money to survive? (For example, you might include a locked “Property” asset in your Net Worth, but turn OFF “Include in Forecast” because you can’t buy diesel with a house!)
📈 Interest Rates & Passive Income
Section titled “📈 Interest Rates & Passive Income”If you are tracking a high-yield savings account or a loan, enter the Interest Rate (% AER). The app will automatically calculate and display exactly how much money that account is earning (or costing) you daily, monthly, and yearly!
🔐 Secure Bank & Card Details (The Flip Card)
Section titled “🔐 Secure Bank & Card Details (The Flip Card)”Vanlife often means booking ferries or paying for visas on your phone. Instead of digging through your physical wallet for your debit card, you can securely store your card details directly inside the account profile.
- Front of Card: Store your Account Name, Sort Code, and Account Number.
- Back of Card: Tap the card in the app to watch it physically flip over! Here, you can store your Long Card Number, Expiry, CVV, and PIN.
🛡️ Security Note: Your sensitive banking data is never sent to our servers. In fact as a reminder, NOTHING is shared with us. We believe your data is yours and yours alone. It is securely encrypted and stored locally on your device and in your private Apple iCloud. You can use the “Eye” icon to hide the CVV and PIN from view, and tap the “Copy” icon to instantly copy your card number to your clipboard for online shopping.
🧮 The Quick Balance Calculator
Section titled “🧮 The Quick Balance Calculator”Sometimes your bank charges you a small foreign transaction fee, or you earn a few pennies of interest, and your app balance drifts slightly out of sync with your real bank.
You don’t need to log a fake transaction to fix this!
- Go to the Accounts tab.
- Tap the Balance Number of any account.
- A large Quick Calculator will slide up. Simply type in the new, exact balance from your banking app, hit Update Balance, and the app will instantly correct itself.
🚐 Vehicles as Fixed Assets
Section titled “🚐 Vehicles as Fixed Assets”At the top of your Accounts list, you might notice a Vehicles section. Because your van is likely your biggest financial asset, the app automatically pulls your van’s current value directly from your Van Profile! Just like a bank account, you can decide whether your van’s value should be included in your Net Worth and Runway calculations.
What’s Next?
Section titled “What’s Next?”Now that your accounts are set up, let’s look at how the app visualizes your wealth over time. 👉 Check out Net Worth and Asset Distribution.