Help · Overview, spending and bills

WHERE THINGS
STAND.

Overview answers one question first: is this month in the positive? Transactions, Spending and Bills & Calendar show the detail behind it.

The month outlook

The card at the top of Overview works out how the month is likely to end: the money that came in so far, what you have spent, and what is still expected (paychecks, bills and your usual everyday spending). It always covers all your accounts.

In the positive: On this pace the month ends ahead.
Close to break-even: Little room either way.
Heading for a shortfall: On this pace the month ends short.
Checking may run short: The month adds up, but a bill or your spending could take checking below zero before the next deposit. This is a timing problem.
Too early to call: There is less than a full earlier month on record, so Northwise shows the figures so far without calling the month end.
Not enough records yet: Add or link an account to see where the month stands.
No income on record, or this month: No paycheck is on record yet, so Northwise cannot say whether the month ends ahead.
Paycheck is late, or No income arriving: A regular deposit has not arrived when expected, or has stopped.

How this is worked out opens every figure behind the verdict.
Early in the month the verdict is marked a rough guide: a few days say little about the rest.
Under the verdict, Worth a look suggests up to three things to check, each with a button that takes you there.
The privacy screen hides the card entirely.

The rest of Overview

Getting started, while you are setting up. See the Getting started list.
Account chips (All Accounts, then each account) filter the cards below them. They do not change the month outlook.
Net worth, Monthly spend so far and your Checking balance before upcoming bills.
Income vs Expense by month, your Budgets, and Recent Activity.

Every chart has a “View … as a table” link with the same figures in a table.

Transactions

Every transaction, ready to search, sort and tag.

All, Income, Expenses, Recurring switch the list. Filter narrows it further.
Choose a column heading to sort. The list shows 25 at a time.
Fix a category by choosing it in the list. Leave “Always” ticked and the correction sticks for past and future transactions with that description. Rules lists these corrections and lets you delete one. A category you set by hand is never overridden.
Add tags links a transaction to a goal or a debt, and Find by tag or linked plan filters by them.
Bank names are cleaned up: Northwise shows a readable name, and the bank’s full description when you hover over it.
On a phone each transaction is a card. Its more button holds Change category, Edit tags, Link to a savings goal, Mark as a debt payment and Delete transaction.

Transfers: tell Northwise what they are

A bank cannot tell a move to savings from a card payment, so Northwise does not guess. Two tools in Plan & AI tools let you say once, and Northwise remembers:

Where your transfers go

For each destination, choose Savings (it was saved, not spent), A debt payment (it counts as spending), A bill (rent, a utility), such as rent sent by Zelle (it counts as spending), or one of your own accounts (neither). You can pick an existing goal or debt, or create one from the same screen. Only rows you tick are saved. Until a transfer is placed it counts as neither, and Overview asks.

Cash taken out at an ATM always counts as spending, so it is not listed here.

Who sends you money

Money from a person can be regular (about the same amount most months: counted as income and expected again), occasional (counted when it arrives, never expected) or not income at all. Northwise suggests a reading for each sender; your choice settles it. Money moved between two of your own accounts never counts as income.

Spending

Spending shows where it all goes over a date range you choose: Last 30 Days, This Month, Last Month or This Year. It shows the exact dates and how many transactions are included.

Spending by Category: each category keeps its own colour.
Income vs Expense over the range.
Top Merchants, ranked by total spend in the range.

Budgets

On Overview, Set budgets (or Manage) puts a monthly limit on the categories you choose. Each budget shows what is spent so far and, mid-month, warns when you are on pace to go over, before it happens. Categories without a budget are listed underneath.

Bills & Calendar

Add a bill

Add Bill: a name, the amount, how often (Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Every 6 months or Yearly) and the next date.
See it on the calendar

Each bill appears on its date, and in Upcoming Bills as Scheduled, or Paid once the payment is on record, even when the bank names it differently. A bill paid in parts, such as rent sent in two halves, shows Paid once the parts add up.
Read the forecast

Cash Flow Forecast looks 35 days ahead: your next expected paycheck, the bills due before it, the projected low point for checking, and what is safe to spend beyond committed bills.

Settings › Notifications › Bill Reminders shows an alert in the app when a bill is due within three days.

Next Goals, monthly room and debt

WHERE THINGSSTAND.