How to Handle Your Venmo Transactions
Every Venmo payment shows up in your budget twice. Here’s the one-line rule that fixes it, and why “transfer” is the most underrated category in any budgeting app.
Small Victories Monarch Budget Model 03
Three groups, sixteen categories, one question per transaction: is it a need, a want, or your future?
Use Last Year's Spending to Pick Next Year's Benefits
Most people re-pick last year’s plan in five minutes. Here’s how to use a year of real spending to choose your health plan, FSAs, and 401(k) rate instead.
A Month in Monarch: 10 Minutes a Week, One Sit-Down a Month
Setting up a budget is the easy part. Here’s the routine that keeps it working: a 10-minute check on your phone each week, and one sit-down at your computer when the month ends.
Small Victories Monarch Budget Model 02
A budget works when it's sorted by how money behaves, not what it's for. Here's the three-layer structure we use with clients: groups, categories, and tags.
How to Use Tags in Monarch (and When to Reach for One)
Categories tell you what kind of spending it was. Tags tell you what it was for — and they’re the easiest way to answer “what did that trip actually cost?”
Flex Budgeting on Monarch
Flex Budgeting is a simpler alternative to traditional budgeting. Instead of tracking every spending category separately, you organize everything into three buckets. Less noise, more clarity.