Budget and Spending Modes

cinder.fi offers three ways to set your annual spending for the retirement projection. Each produces a more accurate plan than the last.

Three Spending Modes

Manual

Enter one annual spending number. This is the default and the simplest option. Use it when you have a rough estimate.

Budget Plan

Set monthly spending targets across 16 categories:

The category totals are annualized and fed into the projection. This is more accurate than a single number because you have to account for each spending area.

By default a budget is a standing target per category, with your bills filling the fixed part on their own and one number for the month: how much is left to spend. The Assign every dollar switch in Settings › Plan & budget adds the zero-based tools (the Budget plan tab says which style is on and links to it): month budgets, a “left to assign” figure, rollover and per-category target types. It is off for a new budget and on for a budget that already uses those tools. Turning it off hides them and keeps your data. A budget imported from YNAB starts with it on, unless you already chose.

Actual

Uses real transaction data from imported files (CSV, OFX, YNAB) to calculate your actual annual spending. This is the most accurate mode: the projection uses what you spend, not what you think you spend.

Importing Transactions

cinder.fi supports multiple import formats:

CSV (Bank Exports)

Auto-detects format for 5 major Canadian banks (RBC, TD, BMO, CIBC, Scotiabank) and a generic CSV format. Export transactions from your bank’s website and drag the file into the import area.

OFX/QFX (Financial Exchange Format)

Most banks and brokerages offer OFX or QFX export. Drag the file in and cinder.fi parses it.

YNAB (You Need A Budget)

Connect directly to YNAB with a personal access token for live transaction sync. cinder.fi pulls transactions, category budgets, and account balances automatically. Supports incremental sync (only new transactions on each sync).

Manual Entry

Use Add transaction at the top of the Transactions page to enter a transaction by hand, such as a cash purchase. The form opens over the page and stays open after each one, so you can add several in a row; close it when you’re done. With a bank connected the button reads Add by hand.

Transaction Categorization

Imported and bank-synced transactions are categorized automatically, first by your own rules, then by merchant name patterns. You can recategorize any transaction by hand. Categories match the 16 budget plan categories.

A rule is a short sentence: when the payee contains “Netflix”, file it as Subscriptions. Rules are checked from the top of the list down and the first match wins, so you can put a specific rule above a general one. cinder.fi suggests rules after you file the same payee the same way twice, and the same list tracks your regular bills (rent, subscriptions, loan payments) and whether each one has been paid this month. See Money Patterns: Bills and Rules for how rules, bills, suggestions and merging work.

Income Transactions

Enter negative amounts to tag transactions as income. Six income categories are available: Employment Income, Investment Income, Government Benefits, Rental Income, Side Income, Other Income. Income transactions are tracked separately and don’t inflate your spending figures.

Deduplication

When importing from multiple sources or re-importing the same file, cinder.fi detects and removes duplicate transactions by matching date, amount, and description. A preview screen shows potential duplicates before import so you can confirm.

How Spending Affects Your Projection

The active spending mode determines the annual spending number used in the projection engine. You can see which mode is active and the effective amount in the spending section of the Retirement tab’s Inputs.

The Retirement Impact Card on the Budget tab shows how your actual spending compares to your planned amount and translates the difference into months earlier or later for retirement. For example: “Your actual spending is $1,200/month more than planned. This delays retirement by 14 months.”

Tips

• Start with Manual, then build a Budget Plan as you get more precise about your spending categories
• Import 3+ months of transactions to get a reliable annualized actual spending figure
• Use YNAB sync if you already budget in YNAB. It’s the fastest way to get accurate spending data
• Review categorization after the first import. Auto-categorization is good but not perfect
• Track income alongside spending to see your savings rate, which feeds your cinder score