Why I built Notion Finance Tracker
Hey there!
I'm Yusuf, and I want to share why I created Notion Finance Tracker.
A few years ago, I dove into personal finance. The key lesson appeared to be know where your money goes and how it grows. This means tracking spending, savings, and net worth.
I started with Google Sheets. It was functional but tedious (for obvious reasons). Then came YNAB, Monarch, Mint, and others. They worked, but were packed with "power-user" features I never needed. I just wanted to track my net worth and budget, without all the fluff. Was that too much to ask?
As a long-time Notion user, I thought, "Why not manage finances here too?" After all, I use Notion for everything else - project management, notes, you name it.
I tried several Notion finance templates (including the premium ones). But I quickly realized the shortcomings of a standard Notion template. They have no access to real-time financial data (meaning no investment tracking) and there is no support for visual ways to track your finances. Most of them felt like just a collection of Notion blocks and databases with clever hacks.
My Solution: Notion Finance Tracker
So, I decided to build what I needed: a Notion template supercharged by an API. This would allow for real-time data, visualizations, and more. That's Notion Finance Tracker. It's two things:
- A Notion template for inputting and tracking financial data
- An API that processes and updates this data in the background
Core Values
Here are the core values that will guide the development of Notion Finance Tracker:
- Simplicity: I want to keep it as simple as possible. I want to use it and I want you to use it.
- Practicality: I want to reduce the friction of tracking finances as much as possible.
- Aesthetics: Everything should look beautiful and feel intuitive.
Roadmap
I will update this section regularly to keep you informed about what's coming next. You should know that I am always listening to you, dear user, and constantly iterating based on your feedback.
I am currently working on these features:
- Reconciliation Wizard: It is easy to lose track of your transactions sometimes. I am building a reconciliation wizard that will help you to bring your accounts in sync in a few easy steps.
Here's what I am planning to work on next (in no particular order):
- Mobile Optimization: I want to create a mobile-optimized page where you can quickly add transactions to accounts. This will be potentially a Progressive Web App (PWA) that you can add to your home screen.
- Time-series Analysis: I want to create a time-series analysis page where you can see your financial data trends over time.
- Forecasts: I want to create a forecasting page where you can see your financial data forecasts over time (e.g. investment forecasts towards retirement).
As a solo developer, I am quite passionate about this project. I personally use Notion Finance Tracker everyday. So I am personally invested in making it the best it can be.
Thanks for joining me on this journey!
— Yusuf
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