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SplashMoney for BlackBerry
User Guide
Table of Contents
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SplashMoney is a personal finance application for BlackBerry and Windows
that allows you to:
- Record checking, savings, credit card and cash transactions.
- Track your account balances.
- Download bank data from online banks.
- Reconcile your bank statements.
- Generate budgets, reports and charts.
- Synchronize data between your handheld and desktop computer.
Launch the SplashMoney Installer and follow the on screen instructions.
You will be required to connect your BlackBerry and use the BlackBerry
Desktop Manager to complete the installation. The installer installs
the following files to the SplashMoney program folder:
- SplashMoney - This is the BlackBerry application
installed on your Handheld, composed of:
- SplashMoney.alx, SplashMoney.cod, SplashMoneyLib.cod,
and SplashMoneyService.cod
- SplashMoney Desktop - A desktop application used
to view and edit information on the desktop, composed of:
- SplashMoney Desktop.exe, PlatformSync.dll, SDPlatformMgr.dll
- SplashMoney User Guide - This user guide.
- SplashMoney Read Me.txt -- General license info.
To complete installation, connect your BlackBerry to your desktop
as you normally do to sync.
- Launch the BlackBerry Desktop and double-click the Application
Loader.
- Click the Add button and browse to select this file:
c:\Program Files\SplashData\SplashID BlackBerry\SplashMoney.alx
- Scroll down through the list of programs and check the box at the
bottom for SplashMoney to be installed.
- Click Next and SplashMoney will be installed on the device.
- On your handheld, find the SplashID application and launch. It
may be found in the Applications folder.
When you launch SplashMoney, you will be prompted to enter a registration
code or to run in Trial mode. You may run the software for 30-days in
full-functioning Trial mode. The Trial software and Registered software
are identical. Once the trial period ends you must purchase and enter
a registration code to continue using the software. You do not need
to re-install the software. Simply enter a registration code and your
Trial version will be converted into a Registered version and all your
data will remain intact.
Quick Start
Handheld:
- Launch SplashMoney on the handheld after completing installation.
- Select one of the default accounts to open, such as Checking, and
enter the
Register View.
- To add a new transaction, press the menu button (or click wheel)
and select New Transaction.
- Enter a Payee, an Amount, and select a Category from the list (e.g.,
"The Gap", $25, Clothing) and select OK from the menu options to
close the New Transaction dialog. You'll return to the Register and
the transaction you entered will be displayed and your ending balance
will be updated.
- When you Sync, the data you entered on your handheld will be
copied to the desktop.
- You may enter data on both the handheld and the desktop
and synchronize the two. All features are available on both platforms
including recording transactions, online banking,
budgeting, reporting,
and reconciling.
Desktop:
- Launch SplashMoney Desktop.
- Select one of the default accounts, such as Checking, to enter
the Register View.
- To add a new transaction, click the new button .
- Enter a Payee, an Amount, and select a Category from the list (e.g.,
"The Gap", $25, Clothing) and click OK to close the New
Transaction dialog. You'll return to the Register and the transaction
you entered will be displayed and your ending balance will be updated.
- Sync with the BlackBerry by selecting Sync from the Sync menu,
when the device is connected of course.
Users of Previous Versions
If you previously used SplashMoney on Palm OS, Windows Mobile, or
Desktop Only, you can easily transfer your data. Follow these steps:
- Launch the SplashMoney Desktop for BlackBerry once. This will create
the data folder for the BlackBerry device PIN. Then exit.
- Find
this folder:
- My Documents\SplashData\SplashMoney\<device ID>\
- <device ID> = Palm username, Windows Mobile device ID, or Standalone
- Select All files in the folder (Ctrl-A), and copy (Ctrl-C).
- Go up a level and find the BlackBerry PIN folder in the same SplashMoney
folder.
- Open the PIN folder and paste (Ctrl-V).
- Launch the SplashMoney Desktop for BlackBerry and you should see
all of your previous data.
- Sync with the BlackBerry, with the Sync settings set to desktop
overwrites handheld.
Account View
Account Info Dialog |
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Account View
When you first launch SplashMoney you are presented
with the Account View. Several sample accounts will appear.
You can edit these accounts or create new ones. SplashMoney
supports the following account types:
- Checking - for tracking checking accounts
- Savings - for tracking savings accounts
- Credit - for tracking credit card accounts
- Cash - for tracking your cash expenditures
- Asset - for tracking assets such as Home Equity, Vehicles
or Retirement Accounts
- Liability - for tracking liabilities like Mortgages and
Auto loans
- Money Market - for tracking your money market accounts
- Line of Credit - for tracking your line of credit accounts
Editing Accounts
You may create new accounts or edit/delete existing ones by
selecting New Account, Edit Account, or Delete Account from
the menu options. The Account Info Dialog appears for the account
that was selected in the Account View.(see next).
Account Info
You can create an unlimited number of accounts. The Account
Info dialog lets you enter the following information:
- Name: The name of the account (e.g., Checking).
- Type: Checking, Savings, Cash, Credit, Asset, Liability,
Money Market or Line of Credit.
- Bank: The name of the Bank (optional, will be filled automatically
in online banking).
- Account #: The account number (optional, will be filled
automatically in online banking).
- Beg. Bal.: The beginning balance. Note: You must enter
the beginning balance for Credit and Liability accounts as
a negative amount.
- Currency: The currency used for this account. Each account
may use a different currency.
- Icon: Click to select a custom icon.
- Include in Account View Total: Select this checkbox if
you want the account balance to be included in the Total
Balance (Net Worth) that appears on the bottom of the Account
View.
- Select Online Setup from the menu options to edit settings
for or enable online
banking.
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Online Banking
SplashMoney can connect to many online banks using OFX "Direct
Connect" technology. Ask your bank if you are able to use their
online service with Direct Connect. They will probably want to hear
that you are using it with Quicken 2000 or later, since many banks
have business relationships with Quicken. But in most cases, if it
works with Quicken, it will work with SplashMoney since we are employing
the same technology.
In order to use Online Banking on the handheld, you need a data connection
(ie. BlackBerry Internet Service). Carrier charges may apply.
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To set up online banking on your handheld or
desktop, open the Account Info dialog. On the handheld this can
be accessed from the Account View or Register menu options.
You will then check the box to enable online
account access. In the Online Setup dialog, you will need to
enter:
- Bank Name (if your bank is supported it will appear on
the list)
- Customer ID - Enter your online banking Customer ID provided
to you by your bank.
- Password - Enter your online banking Password provided to
you by your bank.
- Account - after entering your login data, you can select
your account
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Note: In some cases the username/password you use to log into your
bank's web-site is different than the username/password required for
"direct connect" online banking as found in SplashMoney and
Quicken. Check with your financial institution to see if you need a
special username/password for direct connect online banking and whether
any fees apply.
Once you have set up an account for online access, you can select
the Go Online from the menu options to download recently cleared transactions
from your bank directly into your SplashMoney register.
Note: When transactions are downloaded from your bank SplashMoney will
attempt to match those transactions with any existing transactions in
your register, or will add them as New transactions. You will be prompted
to Review the downloaded transactions and verify whether they are Matching
or New transactions.
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Once your are finished editing your accounts, return to the
Account View and select an Account to open its Register View.
The Register view displays a list of transactions. The following
menu options are available when you press the menu button (or
click wheel) in the Register View:
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Status Filter
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The Status Filter menu displays the following options:
- All: Displays all of your transactions - no filter
applied.
- Reconciled: Beginning Balance amount plus
all Reconciled transactions (should be equal to last
month's
statement).
- Unreconciled: A zero Beginning Balance
plus all Cleared and Uncleared transactions (this will show
you a total of what you spent since your last statement).
- Cleared: Beginning Balance amount plus all Reconciled
and Cleared
transactions (should be equal to your bank's online balance).
- Uncleared: A zero Beginning Balance plus all Uncleared
transactions (this will essentially show you a total of what
you've spent that hasn't cleared your bank yet).
- Downloaded: A zero Beginning Balance plus
all downloaded transactions that haven't been accepted yet
(this will show you a total of the transactions recently downloaded).
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Preferences
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You can customize the appearance of the Register View by changing
the columns shown, showing/hiding decimals and changing the font
size. Select Preferences from the menu options to edit:
- Sort By -- Select which column by which to sort the
list of transactions.
- Sort Type -- Change the direction of sorting.
- Select Font -- Select the size of the font to fit more or
less rows of transactions.
- Row Color -- Change the row color.
- Header Color -- Change the register header color.
- Show Decimal -- Select if you wish to display
decimals in the Register View. The Amount field in the Transaction
dialog (see Transactions, below) will continue to display decimals.
- Show Year: Select if you wish to include the year
in the Date Column (mm/dd/yy). Otherwise the date will be displayed
without the year (mm/dd) to conserve space.
- Show Columns: Select which columns you wish to display in
the Register View:
- Cleared - A checkmark indicating cleared/not-cleared
status.
- Icon - The icon associated with assigned category.
- Date -
The date of the transaction.
- Type - The transaction type (Check#,
Deposit, Withdrawal, ATM, EFT, etc.).
- Payee - Name of the Payee.
- Category - The Category the transaction
is assigned to.
- Class - The Class the transaction is assigned
to.
- Amount - Amount of the transaction.
- Balance - The running
Balance.
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Adding/Editing Transactions
To create a transaction, select New Transaction from the menu
options in the Register View. The Edit Transactions dialog
appears. You may fill in the following fields:
Date: Date of transaction. Payee: The name of the Payee. You may enter a name or
select from the popup list of memorized Payees (see Auto-Fill).
Type: Type of transaction (check, deposit, withdrawal,
ATM, etc.). Note: if you choose check#, the next check number
will be automatically entered but you can change the check
number if desired. You may also create custom transaction types
(see Transaction Types). |
Amt: The amount of the transaction. The amount is recorded
in your home currency, known as your base currency. You may enter
a foreign currency and its exchange rate by selecting Convert Currency
from the menu (see Multiple Currencies).
Cat: You may enter a Category (e.g.,
Auto, Dining, Groceries, etc.) and/or Class (e.g., Personal, Business,
etc.) in the Category field. You can also split a transaction over
multiple Categories and Classes by selecting SPLIT
from the Category popup menu. You may enter the Category and Class
using the keyboard or select from the popup menus of memorized items
(see Auto-Fill).
SplashMoney includes predefined categories and classes,
which you can modify. You may also transfer money to another Account
by selecting the Account name enclosed in brackets (e.g., [Visa])
from the bottom of the Category menu (see Category
Transfers).
State: Select the state of your transaction: Uncleared if the
transaction has yet to clear your bank, Cleared, Reconciled if the transaction
has been verified against your statement, and Void to disallow the transaction
(see Balancing Accounts).
Memo: Enter a
memo, such as a reminder for yourself what a particular expense was for.
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SplashMoney makes it easy to enter transactions
that occur frequently. It remembers transactions you've entered
previously and auto-fills them for you.
After selecting the previously used Payee from the menu, SplashMoney
will fill in the Type, Amount, Category, and Class that you used
last time for the Payee. |
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SplashMoney includes several
built-in transaction types (check, deposit, withdrawal, ATM,
etc.) and you can create additional custom transaction types.
To create a custom transaction type, select Manage from the
menu options, and select Edit Transaction Types.
Select New,
then choose Deposit or Withdrawal and enter a name. Once you've
created a custom transaction type, its name will appear in
the Type menu options in the Edit Transaction dialog. |
SplashMoney supports Scheduled Transactions, enabling you to setup
transactions that occur on a regular basis. Once you setup a Scheduled
Transaction, you will
be reminded when it's time to record the transaction upon launching
the SplashMoney application.
Scheduled Transaction List
Edit Scheduled Transaction
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Creating/Editing Scheduled
Transactions
SplashMoney makes it easy to enter transactions
that occur frequently. It remembers transactions you've entered
previously and auto-fills them for you.
After selecting the previously used Payee from the menu,
SplashMoney will fill in the Type, Amount, Category, and Class
that you used last time for the Payee.
Select Manage from menu options, then Edit Scheduled Transactions.
The Scheduled Transactions list appears.
Select New from the menu. The Edit Scheduled Transaction
dialog appears.
Enter the Account this transaction will affect from the Acct
popup menu.
Select the Date field and then select Change Repeat to open
a dialog to specify the date and frequency of the transaction
(see Repeat Frequency below).
Complete the rest of the fields in the dialog (Payee, Type,
Amount, Category, etc.) and select OK from the menu to complete
the setup of the scheduled transaction. |
Repeat
Frequency |
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Repeat Frequency
There are several options available for the frequency of
Scheduled Transactions and how you want to enter them in your
register, as follows:
Next
Date: The date of the next (or first) occurrence.
Frequency: Monthly,
Twice a month, Quarterly and so on.
Repeat: Select
Indefinitely for a transaction that is ongoing (e.g., Cable
TV) or # of Times for a transaction that occurs a specified
number of times (e.g., car loan or mortgage).
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Upcoming Transactions Dialog |
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Recording Scheduled Transactions
Scheduled Transactions prompt: If you have one or more
transactions that are due you will be prompted to view them when
you launch SplashMoney. If you select Yes, you will be taken
to the Upcoming Transactions dialog where you can record them.
If you select Later, you will be reminded again the next time
you launch SplashMoney.
Upcoming Transactions dialog: You may view and record
scheduled transactions by selecting Upcoming Transactions from
the Account Menu. The Upcoming Transactions dialog displays all
scheduled transactions thru the date specified in the Thru popup
menu. You may select a scheduled transaction and select one of
the following menu commands:
- Edit: Opens the selected transaction where you can
make a change (e.g., the amount or date) to that specific transaction
and record it. Note: If you wish to edit all occurrences of
the scheduled transaction you may do so in the Edit
Scheduled Transactions dialog.
- Record: Records the selected transaction.
- Skip: Allows you to delete that specific occurrence
of the scheduled transaction. Future transaction will still
occur. Note: If you wish to delete all occurrences of the scheduled
transaction you may do so in the Edit
Scheduled Transactions dialog.
- Record All: Records all transactions currently in
view.
- OK: Closes the dialog.
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Transfer Funds Dialog
Category Transfer |
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You may transfer funds between your accounts using one of
the following methods.
Transfer Funds
Select Transfer from the menu options in
the Account View.
- Date: Enter the date of the transaction.
- From: The Account the funds will be withdrawn from.
- Amount: The amount of the transfer.
- To: The Account the funds will be deposited into.
- Cleared: Whether or not the Transfer is cleared.
Category Transfers
SplashMoney displays the name of each Account in brackets
at the end of the Category list (similar to Quicken and Microsoft
Money). This enables you to transfer funds to an account from
within the Edit Transaction dialog. For example, when writing
a check for your Visa bill, you could create a new transaction
in your Checking account and select [Visa] from the Category
popup. This will create a corresponding deposit in the Visa
account in the same amount. These two corresponding transactions
are dynamically linked and if you change the data in one, it
will be reflected in the other. |
Transactions may be split across multiple
categories, by selecting --SPLIT from the menu options. The
Splits dialog will be displayed where you can select up to 10
categories to split the transaction across. Following are some
examples of why/how you would perform a Split Transaction: |
Splits Dialog |
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Example 1: You write a check to your mortgage
company that includes mostly interest and some principal. You want
to track each separately in a Mortgage Liability account, and a
Home Equity Asset account. |
Type |
Check # |
Payee |
MortCo |
Amount |
$1000 |
Category |
--SPLIT-- |
[Mortgage Acct] |
$900 |
[Home Equity] |
$100 |
Total |
$1000 |
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Example 2: You bought some groceries with
a debit card and withdrew additional cash. You want to track the
amount you spent on groceries, and track the cash deposit in your
Cash Account. |
Type |
EFT |
Payee |
Thriftway |
Amount |
$50 |
Category |
--SPLIT-- |
Groceries |
$30 |
[Cash Acct] |
$20 |
Total |
$50 |
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Edit Currency
Convert Currency |
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SplashMoney supports multiple currencies allowing you to track
accounts in different currencies as well as recording individual
transactions in different currencies and converting them to your
account currency. You must specify a Base Currency, and all other
currencies will have a conversion rate relative to the Base Currency.
Each account can use a different Account Currency, but there
is only one Base Currency. In the Account View, each account
balance is displayed in its own currency. But the Total Balance
(Net Worth) at the bottom of the Account View is calculated by
converting each account total to the base currency and summing
the account totals.
Editing Currencies
You may create up to 15 currencies, each with its own conversion
rate. One currency must be defined as your Base Currency with
a conversion rate of 1.0. All other currency conversion rates
will be in relation to the Base Currency. Conversion rates
are dynamically updated as you create new transactions and
edit the Conversion rate in the Set Currency dialog, discussed
below. To edit/create a Currency:
- Select Manage from the menu, then select Edit Currencies.
- Specify one of the currencies as your Base currency by
selecting it and then selecting Base from the menu.
- Select an existing currency and select Edit, or select
New to create new Currency.
- Enter a currency symbol (up to 4 characters).
- Enter a conversion rate. The conversion rate is relative
to the base. For example, if your base is a dollar ($) and
you want to enter the conversion rate for the Euro (E) and
the conversion rate is 0.633 Euros to the Dollar, the
conversion rate is calculated by dividing 0.633 Euros
by 1 Dollar (0.633/1) resulting in a conversion rate of
1.58.
- Select OK.
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Entering a Foreign Currency in a Transaction
While entering a transaction in the Edit Transaction dialog, and with
the cursor in the Amount field, select Convert Currency from the menu
options.
- Select a Currency from the Currency Popup.
- Enter a Currency Amount in the From field.
- Enter the Conversion Rate.
- Click OK. The converted amount in your Account Currency appears
in the Amount field.
Since conversion rates change daily, they can be edited while entering
a transaction in the Convert Currency dialog. When you edit the conversion
rate for a transaction, you are only editing the conversion rate for
that specific transaction. It will not affect the conversion rate for
any previously entered transactions. When you enter future transactions,
however, the last conversion rate entered for that currency is recalled.
You can balance your SplashMoney account so that it matches the closing
balance on your bank statement using one of the two following methods:
Reconciling
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Select Reconcile from the menu options
and enter the beginning and ending balance from your printed
bank statement.
Check off each of the items that match your printed statement.
You can return to the Register by clicking the Close button
and add or modify transactions if there are missing transactions.
Then return to the Reconcile dialog to pick up where you left
off.
Once you've marked all the items that match your statement
the Difference displayed at the bottom should = 0. If it does
not, SplashMoney will create an Adjustment transaction to reconcile
the accounts. Select Done and the marked items will be marked as Reconciled
in the Register. |
Adjusting Ending Balance
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As a simpler alternative to Reconciling, you can easily change
your Ending Balance by selecting Adjust Ending Balance from
the menu in the Register View and entering a new amount.
When you do this, SplashMoney actually adjusts the Beginning
Balance by the appropriate amount to get the Ending Balance
to equal the desired amount. This method is the quickest and
easiest way to make sure your SplashMoney register reconciles
with your bank statement or a desktop application like Quicken
or Microsoft Money, but it does not provide any record of the
adjustment you made to the register. |
A note about the difference between Balance and Cleared Ending balances:
- Balance: This is the total of all
transactions in your register, both Cleared and Uncleared.
- Cleared Balance: This is the total
of all Reconciled and Cleared transactions in your Register. These
transactions have cleared your bank and should match your bank's
online balance or your bank's printed statement.
SplashMoney provides several methods for removing transactions, each
with unique characteristics, as follows:
Deleting Transactions
When you delete a transaction it removes it from your register and
it is no longer calculated into your account balance. You should not
delete valid transactions as it will alter your balance and potentially
cause problems when reconciling. It is recommended that you purge valid
transactions instead.
Purging Transactions
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When you purge a transaction, it is removed from your register
but your beginning balance is adjusted by the amount of the
transaction being purged. The end result is that your ending
balance will be accurate even though the purged transaction
is no longer listed in the register. For example, you can purge
all cleared transactions or all transactions over 3 months old,
and still have an accurate ending balance.
These commands are available in the Account Register menu:
- Purge Transaction -- purges the highlighted transaction
individually
- Purge Options -- purges transactions in batches as follows
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Purge Before: As an alternative to purging all cleared or reconciled
items, you may wish to keep several months worth of transactions on
your handheld for your records. Using the Purge Before command you can
purge transactions before a specified date. Note: Any items that are
purged will be automatically cleared and your Beginning Balance will
be adjusted so that the Ending Balance will remain accurate.
Purge all Cleared: SplashMoney will remove the cleared transactions
from your register and adjust your Beginning Balance by the total
amount of the purged transactions, so that your Ending Balance will
remain accurate.
Purge all Reconciled: SplashMoney will remove the reconciled
transactions from your register and adjust your Beginning Balance by
the total amount of the purged transactions, so that your Ending Balance
will remain accurate.
Voiding Transactions
If you void a transaction, the transaction will remain in your register,
so you have a record of it, but its amount will be ignored and not calculated
in your account balance.
Report View
Chart View
Define Report Dialog |
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Report View
SplashMoney will generate reports showing how you are spending
your money over a specified period of time. Select the Reports
menu option to generate
a Report. The default report shows spending by Payee for the
last 90 days. You can generate reports based on Payee, Category
or Class.
Pie Chart View
Select Pie Chart from the menu to switch to the Pie Chart
View. It will first show Income until you select View Expenses
from the menu. Slices are color coded by a legend table below
the pie.
Define Report
You may customize the report by selecting Define Report from
the menu, which opens the Define Report dialog. In this dialog
you can specify which Accounts to include, the type of report
(Payee, Category or Class), and the time period.
Drill-down Report
In the Report View , you may drill-down
on any item in the report by highlighting it and selecting
View Details. For instance, if you are viewing a report by
Category, you can select "Groceries" and then Menu > View Details
to generate a Drill-down report showing all the transactions
that are assigned to the Groceries category in that time period.
Tip: You can find all the transactions that are not categorized
by generating a Category Report and selecting Menu > View Details
on the total for <Unassigned>.
This will create a Drill-down report for all the Uncategorized
transactions. You can then open each transaction and assign
categories to them. |
Budget View
Define Budget Amount |
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Budget View
SplashMoney allows you to view reports comparing budgeted
amounts to actual amounts. Select Budget from the menu options
to open the Budget
View. The default Budget shows spending by Category for the
current month. You can create budgets for each Category, Class
and Payee.
Define Budget
You may specify the Budget definition by changing the menu
selections in the top right of the screen. Here you can specify
the Budget type (Payee, Category or Class), and the time period.
Budget Preferences
You may specify which columns to show in the Budget view by
selecting Preferences from the menu.
Budget Amount
You specify the budget amount for each item (Category, Class
or Payee) by highlight the row you wish to edit and selecting
Budget Amount from the menu. This will open the Budget Amount
dialog where you specify a monthly budget amount for that item.
Note: You may only specify a monthly budget amount for each
item. When you are viewing a budget report for a time period
of a Quarter, the monthly amount will be multiplied by three,
and when viewing by a time period of a Year, the monthly amount
will be multiplied by 12.
Drill-down Report
If you select View Details from the menu in the Budget view,
it will open the Drill-Down Report for the selected item (Payee,
Category, or Class). The drill-down report will show all the
transactions associated with that item in that time period
(Month, Quarter or Year). |
Set Password Dialog
Security Options |
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You can secure your data in SplashMoney so that
a password must be entered to access the application. You will
be required to enter the password when launching SplashMoney,
or when you turn on your handheld if SplashMoney was last running
when it was turned off.
Setting a Password -- Select Manage from the menu options,
then Set Password. The Set
Password dialog is displayed. Enter a password in the New Password
field, and verify the password by entering it again in the Confirm
field.
Entering a Password -- You will be required to enter
your password each time you launch SplashMoney, or when you
turn on your handheld if SplashMoney was last running when
it was turned off.
Changing a Password -- Select Manage from the menu
options, then Set Password. The Set
Password dialog is displayed. Enter your
Old Password, then enter and confirm the New Password.
Removing a Password --Select Manage from the menu
options, then Set Password. The Set
Password dialog is displayed. Enter your
Old Password, then leave the New Password and Confirm fields
blank.
Security Options -- To specify the period
of time that must elapse before SplashMoney auto-locks, select
Manage from the menu options, then Security Options. Once
SplashMoney locks, you must enter your password to open SplashMoney.
The default setting will auto-lock SplashMoney
3 minutes after you exit the application or leave your handheld
idle. If you wish, you may specify a longer delay, at the risk
of less security. If you have specified a longer delay (e.g.,
10 minutes) but then desire to lock SplashMoney immediately,
you may select Lock Now from the menu options. |
Accounts
When launch SplashMoney you are presented with the Accounts
Pane on the left. Several sample accounts will appear. You can edit
these accounts or create new ones. SplashMoney supports the following
account types:
- Checking - for tracking checking accounts
- Savings - for tracking savings accounts
- Credit - for tracking credit card accounts
- Cash - for tracking your cash expenditures
- Asset - for tracking assets such as Home Equity, Vehicles or Retirement
Accounts
- Liability - for tracking liabilities like Mortgages and Auto loans
- Money Market - for tracking your money market accounts
- Line of Credit - for tracking your line of credit accounts
Account Info
You can create an unlimited number of accounts. The Account Info dialog
lets you enter the following information:
- Name: The name of the account (e.g., Checking).
- Online: Click the selector to enable/disable online
banking.
- Type: Checking, Savings, Cash, Credit, Asset, Liability, Money
Market or Line of Credit.
- Bank: The name of the Bank (optional, will be filled automatically
in online banking).
- Account #: The account number (optional, will be filled automatically
in online banking).
- Beg. Bal.: The beginning balance. Note: You must enter the beginning
balance for Credit and Liability accounts as a negative amount.
- Currency: The currency used for this account. Each account may
use a different currency.
- Icon: Click to select a custom icon.
- Include in Account View Total: Select this checkbox if you want
the account balance to be included in the Total Balance (Net Worth)
that appears on the bottom of the Account View.
Online Banking
SplashMoney can connect to many online banks using OFX "Direct
Connect" technology. Ask your bank if you are able to use their
online service with Direct Connect. They will probably want to hear
that you are using it with Quicken 2000 or later, since many banks
have business relationships with Quicken. But in most cases, if it
works with Quicken, it will work with SplashMoney since we are employing
the same technology.
To set up online banking, open the Account Info dialog by double-clicking
the account you wish to edit.
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Then click Online Setup. In the Online Setup
dialog, you will need to enter:
- Bank Name (if your bank is supported it will appear on
the list)
- Customer ID - Enter your online banking Customer ID provided
to you by your bank.
- Password - Enter your online banking Password provided
to you by your bank.
- Account - after entering your login data, you can select
your account.
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Note: In some cases the username/password you use to log into your
bank's web-site is different than the username/password required for
"direct connect" online banking as found in SplashMoney and
Quicken. Check with your financial institution to see if you need a
special username/password for direct connect online banking and whether
any fees apply.
Once you have set up an account for online access, you can click the
Go Online button to
download recently cleared transactions from your bank directly into
your SplashMoney register.
Note: When transactions are downloaded from your bank SplashMoney
will attempt to match those transactions with any existing transactions
in your register, or will add them as New transactions. You will be
prompted to Review the downloaded transactions and verify whether they
are Matching or New transactions.
Register
Tabs are used on the desktop to allow quick access to the Register,
Reports, Budgets, and Reconcile tool. The Account
View on the handheld application is constantly available in the
Accounts pane on the left of the desktop application.
Menu Options
The following menu options are available in the SplashMoney
Desktop.
File
- New Account - Create a new account.
- Delete Account - Delete selected account.
- Account Info - Edit selected account settings.
- Go Online - Download transactions from online
bank.
- Adjust Ending Balance - Open the ending balance dialog.
- Purge Transactions - Open the purge dialog.
- Upcoming Transactions - Open the Upcoming Transactions dialog.
- Set Password - Set a password to encrypt and protect your
data.
- Import - Import QIF, OFX, or CSV data from other applications
or backup.
- Export - Export QIF or CSV data.
- Print - Print the displayed data.
- Print Preview - View preview of the document before
sending to the printer.
- Print Setup - Edit the settings for the printer.
- Exit - Quit the SplashMoney Desktop.
Edit
- Undo - Cancels the last action.
- Cut - Deletes selected data and places it on the clipboard.
- Copy - Copies selected data to the clipboard.
- Paste - Pastes data from the clipboard.
View
- Show Columns - Select which columns of data are
displayed.
- Row Color - Opens the Choose Row Color Dialog.
- Set Font - Opens the Select Font Dialog.
- Preferences - Show/hide decimals, set the date
and number formats.
- Status bar - Shows/hides the Status bar.
Transaction
- New - Opens the Edit Transaction dialog for a new transaction.
- Edit - Opens the Edit Transaction dialog for the selected
transaction.
- Delete - Deletes the selected transaction.
- Transfer - Opens the Transfer Dialog for transferring money
between 2 accounts.
List
- Edit Payees - Opens the Edit Payees Dialog.
- Edit Categories - Opens the Edit Categories Dialog.
- Edit Classes - Opens the Edit Classes Dialog.
- Edit Currencies - Opens the Edit Currencies Dialog.
- Edit Transaction Types - Opens the Edit Transaction Types
Dialog.
- Edit Scheduled Transactions - Opens the Scheduled Transactions
Dialog.
User Menu - a list of the Palm user names that synchronize
with your desktop. Make sure you have the correct one selected to ensure
synchronization.
Help
- About SplashMoney Desktop - Opens the About Dialog.
- User Guide - This User Guide.
Edit Transaction Dialog |
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Adding/Editing Transactions
To create a transaction, click the New button in
the Register View. The Edit Transactions dialog appears. You
may fill in the following fields:
Account: In the top right, you may select which
account to add the transaction to. The default selection will
be the account in which you initiated the transaction.
Date: Date of transaction.
Payee: The name of the Payee. You may enter a name or
select from the popup list of memorized Payees. |
Type: Type of transaction (check, deposit, withdrawal, ATM,
etc.). Note: if you choose check#, the next check number will be automatically
entered but you can change the check number if desired. You may also
create custom transaction types (see Transaction Types).
Amt: The amount of the transaction. The amount is recorded
in your home currency, known as your base currency. You may enter a
foreign currency and its exchange rate by clicking the Currency Converter
(X) icon (see Multiple Currencies).
Cat: You may enter a Category (e.g., Auto, Dining, Groceries,
etc.) and/or Class (e.g., Personal, Business, etc.) in the Category
field. Just as in Quicken and Microsoft Money, Categories and Classes
are separated by a slash (/) and you can also split a transaction over
multiple Categories and Classes by selecting SPLIT from
the Category popup menu. You may enter the Category and Class or select
from the popup menus of memorized items. The Category menu appears
on the left and the Class menu appears on the right. SplashMoney includes
predefined categories and classes, which you can modify. You may also
transfer money to another Account by selecting the Account name enclosed
in brackets (e.g., [Visa]) from the bottom of the Category menu (see Category
Transfers).
Memo:
Enter a memo, or click the memo icon to enter more information.
State: Select the state of your transaction: Uncleared if the
transaction has yet to clear your bank, Cleared, Reconciled if the
transaction has been verified against your statement, and Void to disallow
the transaction (see Balancing Accounts).
Delete: This button only appears when editing an existing transaction
(see Deleting Transactions).
Purge: This button only appears when editing an existing transaction
(see Purging Transactions).
SplashMoney includes several built-in transaction types (check, deposit,
withdrawal, ATM, etc.) and you can create additional custom transaction
types. To create a custom transaction type, select Edit Transaction
Types from the List Menu, click New, choose Deposit or Withdrawal and
enter a name. Once you've created a custom transaction type, its name
will appear in the Type popup menu in the Edit Transactions dialog.
SplashMoney supports Scheduled Transactions, enabling you to setup
transactions that occur on a regular basis. Once you setup a Scheduled
Transaction, you will
be reminded when it's time to record the transaction upon launching
the SplashMoney application.
Creating/Editing Scheduled Transactions
- Select Edit Scheduled Transactions from the List Menu. The Edit
Scheduled Transactions dialog appears.
- Click New. The Edit Scheduled Transaction dialog appears.
- Enter the Account this transaction will affect from the Acct popup
menu.
- Click the Date picker to open the Change Repeat dialog and specify
the date and frequency of the transaction (see Repeat Frequency below).
- Complete the rest of the fields in the dialog (Payee, Type, Amount,
Category, etc.) and click OK to complete the setup of the scheduled
transaction.
Repeat Frequency
There are several options available for the frequency of Scheduled
Transactions and how you want to enter them in your register, as follows:
Next Date: The
date of the next (or first) occurrence.
Frequency: Monthly,
Twice a month, Quarterly and so on.
Repeat: Select
Indefinitely for a transaction that is ongoing (e.g., Cable TV) or
# of Times for a transaction that occurs a specified number of times
(e.g., car loan or mortgage).
Recording Scheduled Transactions
Scheduled Transactions prompt: If you have one or more transactions
that are due you will be prompted to view them when you launch SplashMoney.
If you click Yes, you will be taken to the Upcoming Transactions dialog
where you can record them. If you click Later, you will be reminded
again the next time you launch SplashMoney.
Upcoming Transactions dialog: You may view and record scheduled
transactions by selecting Upcoming Transactions from the File Menu.
The Upcoming Transactions dialog displays all scheduled transactions
thru the date specified in the Thru popup menu. You may select a scheduled
transaction and click one of the following buttons:
- Record All: Records all transactions currently in view.
- Record: Records the selected transaction.
- Edit: Opens the selected transaction where you can make
a change (e.g., the amount or date) to that specific transaction
and record it. Note: If you wish to edit all occurrences of the scheduled
transaction you may do so in the Edit Scheduled
Transactions dialog.
- Skip: Allows you to delete that specific occurrence of the
scheduled transaction. Future transaction will still occur. Note:
If you wish to delete all occurrences of the scheduled transaction
you may do so in the Edit Scheduled Transactions dialog.
- Done: Closes the dialog.
Transfer Dialog |
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You may transfer funds between your accounts using one of the following
methods.
Transfer Funds
Click the Transfer button in
the Account View or select the Transfer command from the Accounts Menu.
Date: Enter the date of the transaction.
From: The Account the funds will be withdrawn from. |
Amount: The amount of the transfer.
To: The Account the funds will be deposited into.
Cleared: Whether or not the Transfer is cleared. (Chances are
the transfer has cleared your bank since they probably conducted the
transfer. But you can always mark it as cleared later when reconciling
your account.)
Category Transfers
SplashMoney displays the name of each Account in brackets at the end
of the Category list (similar to Quicken and Microsoft Money). This
enables you to transfer funds to an account from within the Edit Transaction
dialog. For example, when writing a check for your Visa bill, you could
create a new transaction in your Checking account and select [Visa]
from the Category popup. This will create a corresponding deposit in
the Visa account in the same amount. These two corresponding transactions
are dynamically linked and if you change the data in one, it will be
reflected in the other.
Splits Dialog |
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Transactions may be split across multiple
categories, by selecting --SPLIT-- from the Category popup. The
Splits dialog will be displayed where you can select up to 10 categories
to split the transaction across. Following are some examples of
why/how you would perform a Split Transaction: |
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Example 1: You write a check to your mortgage
company that includes mostly interest and some principal. You want
to track each separately in a Mortgage Liability account, and a
Home Equity Asset account. |
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Type |
Check # |
Payee |
MortCo |
Amount |
$1000 |
Category |
--SPLIT-- |
[Mortgage Acct] |
$900 |
[Home Equity] |
$100 |
Total |
$1000 |
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Example 2: You bought some groceries with
a debit card and withdrew additional cash. You want to track
the amount you spent on groceries, and track the cash deposit
in your Cash Account. |
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Type |
EFT |
Payee |
Thriftway |
Amount |
$50 |
Category |
--SPLIT-- |
Groceries |
$30 |
[Cash Acct] |
$20 |
Total |
$50 |
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SplashMoney supports multiple currencies allowing you to track accounts
in different currencies as well as recording individual transactions
in different currencies and converting them to your account currency.
You must specify a Base Currency, and all other currencies will have
a conversion rate relative to the Base Currency. Each account can use
a different Account Currency, but there is only one Base Currency.
In the Accounts Pane, each account balance is displayed in its own
currency. But the Total Balance (Net Worth) at the bottom of the Account
View is calculated by converting each account total to the base currency
and summing the account totals.
Editing Currencies
You may create up to 15 currencies, each with its own conversion rate.
One currency must be defined as your Base Currency with a conversion
rate of 1.0. All other currency conversion rates will be in relation
to the Base Currency. Conversion rates are dynamically updated as you
create new transactions and edit the Conversion rate in the Set Currency
dialog, discussed below. To edit/create a Currency:
- Select Edit Currencies from the List Menu.
- Specify one of the currencies as your Base currency by selecting
it and clicking Base.
- Select an existing currency and click Edit, or click New to create
new Currency.
- Enter a currency symbol (up to 4 characters).
- Enter a conversion rate. The conversion rate is relative to the
base. For example, if your base is a dollar ($) and you want to enter
the conversion rate for the Euro (E) and the conversion rate is 0.924275
Euros to the Dollar, the conversion rate is calculated by dividing
0.924275 Euros by 1 Dollar (0.924275/1) resulting in a conversion
rate of 1.08193.
- Click OK.
Entering a Foreign Currency in a Transaction
While entering a transaction in the Edit Transaction dialog, click
the Currency Converter button ,
which appears to the right of the Amount Field.
- Select a Currency from the Currency Popup.
- Enter a Currency Amount in the From field.
- Enter the Conversion Rate.
- Click OK. The converted amount in your Account Currency appears
in the Amount field.
Since conversion rates change daily, they can be edited while entering
a transaction in the Convert Currency dialog. When you edit the conversion
rate for a transaction, you are only editing the conversion rate for
that specific transaction. It will not affect the conversion rate for
any previously entered transactions. When you enter future transactions,
however, the last conversion rate entered for that currency is recalled.
You can balance your SplashMoney account so that it matches the closing
balance on your bank statement using one of the two following methods:
Reconciling
Start Reconciling
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Click the Reconcile tab and enter the beginning
and ending balance from your printed bank statement.
Check off each of the items that match your printed statement.
You can return to the Register by clicking the Close button
and add or modify transactions if there are missing transactions.
Then return to the Reconcile dialog to pick up where you left
off.
Once you've marked all the items that match your statement the
Difference displayed at the bottom should = 0. |
If it does not, SplashMoney will create an Adjustment transaction
to reconcile the accounts.
Click Done and the marked items will be marked as Reconciled in the
Register.
Adjusting Ending Balance
As a simpler alternative to Reconciling, you can easily change your
Ending Balance by clicking the Ending Balance amount in the Register
View and entering a new amount. When you do this, SplashMoney actually
adjusts the Beginning Balance by the appropriate amount to get the
Ending Balance to equal the desired amount. This method is the quickest
and easiest way to make sure your SplashMoney register reconciles with
your bank statement or a desktop application like Quicken or Microsoft
Money, but it does not provide any record of the adjustment you made
to the register.
A note about the difference between Balance and Cleared Ending balances:
- Balance: This is the total of all transactions
in your register, both Cleared and Uncleared.
- Cleared Balance: This is the total of all Reconciled
and Cleared transactions in your Register. These transactions have
cleared your bank and should match your bank's online balance or
your bank's printed statement.
SplashMoney provides several methods for removing transactions, each
with unique characteristics, as follows:
Deleting Transactions
When you delete a transaction it removes it from your register and
it is no longer calculated into your account balance. You should not
delete valid transactions as it will alter your balance and potentially
cause problems when reconciling. It is recommended that you purge valid
transactions instead.
Purging Transactions
When you purge a transaction, it is removed from your register but
your beginning balance is adjusted by the amount of the transaction
being purged. The end result is that your ending balance will be accurate
even though the purged transaction is no longer listed in the register.
For example, you can purge all cleared transactions or all transactions
over 3 months old, and still have an accurate ending balance.
You can purge transactions individually in the Edit Transactions dialog,
or in batches as follows:
Purge Before: As an alternative to purging all cleared or reconciled
items, you may wish to keep several months worth of transactions on
your handheld for your records. Using the Purge Before command you
can purge transactions before a specified date. Note: Any items that
are purged will be automatically cleared and your Beginning Balance
will be adjusted so that the Ending Balance will remain accurate.
Purge Cleared: SplashMoney will remove the cleared transactions
from your register and adjust your Beginning Balance by the total amount
of the purged transactions, so that your Ending Balance will remain
accurate.
Purge Reconciled: SplashMoney will remove the reconciled transactions
from your register and adjust your Beginning Balance by the total amount
of the purged transactions, so that your Ending Balance will remain
accurate.
Voiding Transactions
If you void a transaction, the transaction will remain in your register,
so you have a record of it, but its amount will be ignored and not
calculated in your account balance.
Report View in Pie Chart Format |
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SplashMoney will generate reports showing how
you are spending your money over a specified period of time.
Click the Reports tab to generate a Report. The default report
shows spending by Payee for the last 90 days. You can generate
reports based on Payee, Category or Class.
Define Report
You may customize the report by specifying which Accounts to
include, the type of report (Payee, Category or Class), the time
period, report type (Textual or Pie Chart), and the Amounts to
be displayed (Income or Expenses.
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Drill-down Report
In either the Report View or Pie Chart View, you may drill-down on
any item in the report by double-clicking on it. For instance, if you
are viewing a report by Category, you can double-click "Groceries" to
generate a Drill-down report showing all the transactions that are
assigned to the Groceries category in that time period.
Tip: You can find all the transactions that are not categorized by
generating a Category Report and clicking the total for <Unassigned>.
This will create a Drill-down report for all the Uncategorized transactions.
You can then open each transaction and assign categories to them.
Budget View
SplashMoney allows you to view reports comparing budgeted
amounts to actual amounts. Click the Budget tab to open the
Budget View. The default Budget shows spending by Category
for the current month. You can create budgets for each Category,
Class and Payee.
Define Budget
In the left pane, you can specify the Budget type (Payee, Category
or Class), and the time period.
Budget Amount
You specify the budget amount for each item (Category, Class or Payee)
by clicking on the Budget Amount in the Budget column. This will open
the Budget Amount dialog where you specify a monthly budget amount
for that item.
Note: You may only specify a monthly budget amount for each item.
When you are viewing a budget report for a time period of a Quarter,
the monthly amount will be multiplied by three, and when viewing by
a time period of a Year, the monthly amount will be multiplied by 12.
Drill-down Report
If you double-click the item name (Category, Class or Payee) in the
Budget view, it will open the Drill-Down Report for that item. The
drill-down report will show all the transactions associated with that
item in that time period (Month, Quarter or Year).
Enter Password |
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You can secure your data in SplashMoney so that
a password must be entered to access the application. You will
be required to enter the password when launching SplashMoney.
Setting a Password -- Select Set Password from the
File Menu. The Set Password dialog is displayed. Enter a password
in the New Password field, and verify the password by entering
it again in the Confirm field. |
Entering a Password -- You will be required to enter your password
each time you launch SplashMoney.
Changing a Password -- To change a password, select Set Password
from the File Menu, enter your Old Password, then enter and confirm
the New Password.
Removing a Password -- To remove a password, select Set Password
from the File Menu, enter your Old Password, then leave the New Password
and Confirm fields blank.
You can import QIF, OFX and CSV into the SplashMoney desktop. Select
Import from the File menu to access these commands. SplashMoney can
also export to QIF or CSV in order to backup and transfer data to other
applications. Following is a description of these formats:
- QIF - The old Quicken format. Quicken 2005 exports
to this format but will not import it.
- OFX - Also known as QFX (Quicken), Open Financial
Exchange (OFX) is the standard recently adopted by Quicken, Microsoft
Money, and many US online banks.
- CSV - Comma Separate Values; a widely supported
text format that can be opened in spreadsheets such as Excel and
text editors such as NotePad and Text Edit.
Data (Transactions) may be transferred into SplashMoney by importing
a QIF or QFX file. Most online banking institutions will allow you
to export transactions in QIF or QFX format. To import data to SplashMoney
from an online bank, do the following:
Download a QIF or OFX file - From your online bank, follow
the steps necessary to download transactions in QIF or QFX format.
Launch SplashMoney - Open the SplashMoney Desktop and drag
the QIF or QFX file into the Accounts Pane, or select Import from the
File Menu. Then you must select an Account to import the transactions
into or choose <New Account>
to create a new account for the transactions.
Sync
Synchronization for SplashMoney for BlackBerry is more similar to
SplashShopper than SplashID, if you are familiar with those products.
Instead of using a sync module in the BlackBerry Desktop Manager, SplashMoney
synchronizes from within the SplashMoney Desktop when you select Sync
from the Sync menu at the top of the window. Sync has the following
requirements to function properly:
- The handheld must be connected.
- The correct device PIN must be selected in the User menu of the
SplashMoney Desktop - check this against the PIN displayed at the
bottom of the BlackBerry Desktop Manager window when the device is
connected.
- The password (if any) must be the same on the desktop application
as on the handheld application.
- SplashMoney must be installed on the BlackBerry and must have been
run once prior to the first sync.
You can specify the direction of synchronization in the Sync Settings dialog, selected from the Sync menu as well. This can be a useful way to ensure that data is not accidentally erased after a failure on one device by setting the device that is intact to overwrite the other.
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