How to get started right with PocketGuard

Choose the method

Choose your own way to start using PocketGuard. You can link bank accounts and track transactions automatically. Or you can create an account and add each transaction manually.

Bank accounts connection available anytime and brings more value such as suspicious transactions monitoring, real-time accounts balances, and money management tools.

Connect all your bank accounts

Choose over 30,000 U.S. and Canadian banks in PocketGuard to track transactions automatically. Connect your checking, credit, and savings accounts, as this is what makes your budgeting smarter and brings the full picture of your finances.

We can tell you what you're spending, where to save, and remind you when credit cards bills are due. The more accounts you link, the smarter your budgeting will be.

Set up your monthly income

Your monthly budget depends on your monthly income. Once you connect bank accounts, the PocketGuard sophisticated algorithm will automatically identify recurring expenses such as bills and income and categorize them accordingly. This part of the setup is crucial, as bills and paychecks are at the heart of every budget.

You can also add your income and set up its frequency manually.

Add your bills

Bills, subscriptions, and other recurring payments are a huge part of your budget. Once you connect bank accounts, the app starts working as a finance tracker.

All your bills and subscriptions will be identified automatically and included in your monthly budget. The bill organizer will help you never miss the due date again.

Set up spending categories

Category budgets may come in handy when you want to set enough money for essentials, like food or transportation.

To create a budget, you will need to allocate a portion of money from your income. Thus you can even create a zero-based budget and give every dollar a job.

Once you connect bank accounts, the app identifies your transactions broken down by category. Our smart algorithm shows the average amount of money you have spent in the top categories.

Set up your savings goal

Expense tracking is just a part of the story. Personal finance is made of financial goals. Set up your savings goal using the SMART framework. This means you have to make sure your target is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timely. SMART.

Start a short-term deposit or use a specific savings account to save your target monthly contribution. Make sure this money is untouchable until you have the needed amount.

Create a plan. Customize your monthly budget.

Congratulations! You have finished the main steps in your monthly budget setup. However, final customizations are up to you.

You can create as many sections as you need and categorize your bills and budgets under the purpose. Here’s the place where you can set up any budgeting technique or adjust your budget the way you want.