Getting started with Granite in five minutes

Start with the four pieces behind your budget

Granite helps answer a practical question: how much may be safe to spend today while still respecting the rest of your financial plan?

To create that view, Granite needs four kinds of information: reliable monthly income, recurring expenses, the savings and investment amounts you want to protect, and activity from the accounts you use for spending. You can update each of these later. Your first setup only needs to be accurate enough to create a useful starting point.

• Your usual monthly take-home income
• Rent, utilities, subscriptions, debt payments, and other recurring expenses
• The monthly savings and investment contributions you want to protect
• The checking accounts and credit cards you use for everyday spending

Step 1: Add reliable monthly income

Enter the income you can reasonably expect during a typical month. Use take-home income rather than gross income so your plan begins with money that is actually available after taxes and payroll deductions.

If you receive income from more than one reliable source, include each source in your plan. If your income varies, begin with a conservative amount you can reasonably plan around and update it when your circumstances change.

Step 2: Add recurring expenses

Add the bills and obligations that should be accounted for before everyday spending begins. Focus on expenses that are predictable enough to include in your monthly plan. One-time purchases can appear through connected transactions or be added manually when needed.

• Rent or mortgage payments
• Utilities, phone, and internet service
• Insurance and subscriptions
• Minimum debt payments
• Regular childcare, transportation, or other household obligations

Step 3: Protect savings and investments

Enter the amount you intend to save or invest during the month. These amounts tell Granite how much of your income you want to protect before determining what remains available for everyday spending.

A savings or investment target is not a requirement to move money on a particular day. It is part of the plan Granite uses to preserve room for the priorities you chose. You can adjust these amounts whenever your goals or financial circumstances change.

Step 4: Connect the accounts you use for spending

Connect eligible checking accounts and credit cards through Granite’s secure bank-connection experience. Choose the accounts that contain the activity you want Granite to use when keeping your budget current.

Your financial institution and Plaid handle the authentication experience. After you approve the connection, Granite can retrieve the eligible account and transaction information needed for supported budgeting features.

Step 5: Check today, this week, and this month

Once your financial plan is in place, Granite can turn those monthly inputs into daily, weekly, and monthly spending context. Each view answers a slightly different question.

• Today gives you context for a decision you are making now
• This Week helps you think across the next several days
• This Month shows the larger direction of your current plan

Review the first activity that arrives

As connected activity becomes available, review recent transactions for anything that does not match what happened in real life. A small correction early can prevent a confusing budget later.

• Income that appears more than once
• A recurring bill that may already be included in your financial plan
• A transfer or credit-card payment that looks like everyday spending
• A pending purchase with a temporary date or amount
• A refund or reimbursement that has not posted yet
• A purchase assigned to an unexpected category

Expect the first budget to keep catching up

A new connection may finish before every available transaction is ready. Your institution and Plaid determine when activity becomes available, and pending purchases can change before they post.

During the first few days, additional history may arrive, pending purchases may be replaced by posted versions, and merchant names, dates, or amounts may change. Your budget can move as Granite processes that newer eligible information. Movement does not necessarily mean something is wrong—it often means the plan is catching up with real life.

Your five-minute setup check

You do not need a perfect financial model before using Granite. Start with accurate major inputs, review what changes, and refine the plan when real life moves.

• Monthly take-home income is directionally accurate
• Major recurring expenses are present and not duplicated
• Savings and investment targets reflect your current intentions
• The accounts you use for spending are connected
• Recent transactions do not contain obvious duplicates or surprises
• Today, week, and month views look reasonable for your current plan

If your first budget does not look right

Start by checking income, recurring expenses, savings, connected accounts, and recent transactions. These are the most useful places to look when a first budget is unexpectedly high or low.

If the number still looks incorrect, contact Granite with what you expected to see, what Granite displayed, the approximate date the issue began, and whether you recently changed an account or financial input. Never include passwords, verification codes, or full account numbers.