Finance
Current Version: 10.1.1
Works with: macOS 14.0+ & iOS / iPadOS 17.0+
Improved data entry
Finance has long provided time-saving methods for quickly entering info. These include displaying only relevant fields or options for the specific account or transaction type, automatically setting today’s date when creating a new transaction, custom credit and debit descriptions and categories that can be entered once and selected with a simple tap or click, auto-incrementing check numbers, and the ability to auto-generate a credit in another account, or a debit from a budget fund, or distribute money into multiple budget funds from a single credit transaction.
iOS and iPadOS have grouped forms that provide a consistent structure that adapts well to change. Apple implemented a version of this in macOS 13 and now Finance 10 takes advantage of this throughout the entire interface. Not only does this give things a sleek new look in macOS, it makes changes easier and offers greater consistency across all platforms.
I didn’t stop there. I considered the placement of elements within the forms. While notes can be helpful, you don’t really use them in every transaction and yet they had a prominent spot above the amount (something far more important). It made sense to group potential transfers to or from other accounts with the amount. While such changes may not seem like much, on a smaller screen like an iPhone this can mean not having to waste time scrolling past something you don’t need to enter to get to something you do.
Duplicate transactions
It is easier than ever to enter data in Finance, but sometimes you might find yourself needing to create a transaction that is virtually identical apart from the date or some other minor detail to one you already made. In Finance 10 you can now select any original transaction (that isn’t auto-generated from another account) on macOS and choose “Duplicate Transaction” from the Edit menu or swipe such a transaction to the right on iOS and iPadOS to reveal a “Duplicate” action. Finance will then open a copy of the transaction with today’s date and all of the details and options already set up. Make any minor alterations if you have to and then simply save it and you’re done.
But it gets better. If your original transaction was set to credit or deduct from another account or apply to your budget, all of the transactions auto-generated as part of the original transaction are now performed exactly the same way when you save the duplicate!
Currency formatting
Finance has always automatically formatted amounts based on your local region settings. For the majority of users that works great and you don’t have to do anything. The money in your bank is local to where you live so everything matches up. However, in some rare cases, you might have an account with funds in a different currency. While Finance does not perform currency conversions, the incorrect formatting of the values can be understandably frustrating, for instance, $10.00 does not equal €10.00 or £10.00, and so on.
In such instances, Finance 10 now provides a preference that enables you display a new currency format menu within the account editor, allowing you to select from any formats supported on your device. This selection is saved directly into your account and synced across all of your devices with iCloud (even if the option to display the currency format menu is later disabled). Transactions are also updated to only allow transferring money into accounts with the same format.
iCloud sync status
Finance 9 added iOS and iPadOS versions of the app alongside macOS. With that came the ability to sync your data on your Mac, iPhone, and iPad through iCloud. It is still almost magical to watch as you enter or delete something on one of your devices and moments later that change is reflected on all of your other devices logged in with your Apple ID. But sometimes if there is a larger amount of data to sync, such as if you are upgrading to a brand new device and opening Finance for the first time, you may be left nervously wondering if it is actually working as you wait for all of your data to appear.
Finance 10 adds a subtle indicator when a sync is in progress to take the guesswork out of what is going on while also ensuring uninterrupted productivity.
Search all
Finance 10 adds a new “Search All” section that appears in the sidebar when you have created more than one searchable account (checking, savings, or credit card). The new section enables you to use the search and filtering options you’ve had available in individual accounts to find matches from all of your transactions neatly grouped in a list by the account they were located in.
You can also edit and duplicate transactions directly from the search list. If your changes result in a transaction that no longer matches the search or filtering criteria, it vanishes from the list (for example, if you filter by transactions that are not cleared and then check one or more off as being cleared).
Filter preference
In Finance 9 filters have always been independent of searching (though the two can work together seamlessly). In some cases this makes sense as you may wish to move from one account to another viewing only recent activity (within the last 30 days for example) or transactions only assigned to a particular category until you change the filter selection or close the app. In other cases, this might cause a moment of panic if you don’t notice the “filtered” status as you click into a different account and see an empty list and think that somehow your transactions have been lost.
Finance 10 adds a new filter preference setting that lets you decide how you want the filtering to work. You can keep it enabled and it will maintain your filter selections across multiple accounts and the new search all section until you quit the app, or you can disable it and as soon as you make another selection in the sidebar the filters will turn off automatically. The choice is yours and if it reduces some anxiety (isn’t there enough of that already in the world?) all the better.
Improved sidebar navigation
In the process of adding the new “Search All” section to the sidebar in Finance 10, I took advantage of some improvements in SwiftUI and re-evaluated how things work. The button to add a new account has been moved into the “Accounts” header. This makes more sense and provides greater consistency across macOS, iOS, and iPadOS.
On iOS and iPadOS selecting the Options section now appears as content rather than as a sheet opening over the top. This restores the original intended behavior from early versions of Finance 9. Additionally on iOS, the app icon, welcome message, and tip to help you get started using Finance (that appear to the right of the sidebar on macOS and iPadOS until a selection is made) have now been added to the top of the sidebar. It gives the iOS app a whole new look right from the start and is practical in answering the “Where do I go from here?” question first time users might have.
Finally, when you select a budget from the sidebar and then open a fund to see the individual transactions it contains, Finance now uses the expected navigation to reveal that and handles things properly when a new sidebar selection is made. This was also original behavior in early versions of Finance 9 and it is awesome to be able to restore it to work as intended.
A new way of looking at things
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. See your budget like never before. Finance 10 can now display a chart illustrating the current distribution of funds within your budget (accessible via the account info pop-up menu in the toolbar) and version 10.1 makes it even better by matching the chart colors to your budget funds, eliminating the need for a chart legend. This design choice results in a cleaner and more intuitive interface, particularly on mobile devices like the iPhone.
Furthermore, the chart has been updated to ensure that General Funds are consistently displayed at the end, aligning with the order of funds in your budget. With the new chart feature, you gain a real-time snapshot of your financial status, allowing you to identify areas where your money is being utilized and where it may be lacking. This enhanced visibility empowers you to make informed financial decisions and take proactive steps to manage your finances effectively.