A small but growing blog with practical guides and honest product updates on budgeting, net worth tracking, investment records, and privacy-first personal finance — written by the team building NorthVault for iPhone.
Long-form reference guides covering each core area of personal finance. Start here.
How to calculate and track your net worth manually — covering assets, liabilities, investment accounts, and property. No bank login needed.
Category budgets, flexible periods, salary-cycle alignment, and budget-vs-actual tracking — making budgeting work for how you actually get paid.
How to track holdings, monitor allocation, record dividends, and review portfolio activity manually. Investment record tracking is in NorthVault beta today.
Why data ownership matters, how local-first apps work, and what to look for when evaluating apps that handle your most sensitive financial information.
Budgeting, wealth tracking, and investment records — on iPhone, privately, without a bank login. Now in public beta, with some areas still being refined.
Monthly budgets don't fit every household. This guide covers category budgets, salary-cycle planning, flexible periods, and how budgeting connects to your wider money picture.
Read articleAutomatic bank sync feels convenient until you notice how much you're giving up for it. There's a growing case for entering your own numbers — and knowing exactly what you track.
In progressIf you get paid fortnightly or weekly, a monthly budget can create an awkward mismatch between when money arrives and when you plan to spend it. Here's a clearer approach.
Read articleA practical look at manual-first budgeting on iPhone, with no required bank connection or account creation for core use.
In progressNet worth is assets minus liabilities — but knowing which accounts to include, how to value them, and how to track them over time is where most people get stuck.
PlannedNet worth context can be useful, but it can also mislead. Here's how to think about progress without turning comparison into stress.
In progressReal estate is often the largest single item in a household's net worth, but it's also the hardest to track accurately. A practical approach to including it.
PlannedTracking investment records doesn't need to be complicated. Here's how to get started manually and what to look for in a clear portfolio tracking workflow.
In progressA practical look at tracking your investment portfolio on iPhone with a manual-first approach that keeps your records clear and under your control.
In progressFund portfolios are easier to understand when purchases, distributions, and allocation are recorded consistently over time. Here's how to do it.
PlannedYour financial data is among the most sensitive information about you. Local-first apps offer a different model — one where your data never leaves your device by default.
In progressConnected finance features can involve sensitive permissions. A clear breakdown of what to consider before enabling them anywhere.
In progressLocal-first is a design principle, not a marketing phrase. Here's the specific reasoning behind why NorthVault stores data on your device and what it means for how the app works.
PlannedConnected account import is on the roadmap, but it isn't in NorthVault today. Here's an honest explanation of why — covering privacy, reliability, consent, and what we'd need to get right before adding it.
PlannedCloud sync is a future direction, not a current feature. This article explains our thinking: what it would take to add it responsibly, and why we haven't rushed it.
PlannedStarting fresh with a new finance app doesn't have to mean losing your history. Most banks let you export transactions as CSV — here's how to use that to hit the ground running.
PlannedStructured tracking works best when it fits the way you manage money. The right setup depends on what you're tracking and how much time you want to spend on it.
PlannedCategory budgets, salary cycles, flexible periods
Net worth, assets, liabilities, wealth trends
Portfolio tracking, holdings, dividends, allocation
Local-first, data ownership, no bank linking
CSV import, export, backup, restore
Honest writing about building NorthVault — what we've learned, what changed, and where we made mistakes.
An honest look at what went differently than expected — features that took longer, decisions we revisited, and the feedback that changed the direction of the app.
PlannedInvestment record tracking didn't arrive fully formed. Here's the development story — what we built first, what changed, and how the current beta design emerged.
PlannedSome of NorthVault's budgeting decisions — including salary-cycle support — came directly from beta tester feedback. Here's what changed and why we listened.
PlannedWhat's new in NorthVault and what's being worked on.
Holdings, allocation, dividend tracking, and portfolio review tools are now available in beta. Here's what's available today and what's being refined.
See featureA look at what's actively being worked on: smarter categorisation suggestions, performance improvements for larger datasets, investment analytics refinements, and improved onboarding clarity.
In progressNorthVault started as a personal project after struggling to find a finance app that handled budgeting, wealth, and investments together — without requiring a bank login or account creation.
Read storyBudget by category, track your net worth, and maintain investment records — privately, on your iPhone, without a bank login. NorthVault is in active public beta. Some features are still being refined, and feedback from testers directly shapes what gets built next.
