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I was eventually invited to the beta barely a month before the platform launched, so I don't really have a way to know how good/bad it is. This is what I experi
by trebor 5y ago
I was eventually invited to the beta barely a month before the platform launched, so I don't really have a way to know how good/bad it is. This is what I experienced:
1) Bank account data sync was first class, after I got through the access/pairing process.
2) Credit card sync was terrible, laughable. As a CapitalOne CC user, first it wasn't supported at all. Then it was supported, but never worked. I need an app that unifies my spending between bank/credit, so that not working was a no-go.
3) Up front there was no estimated price or anything to set my expectations. I barely got the app working before the period ended, the beta app was yanked, and all functionality terminated. Then I saw the $10/mo pricetag and balked. What I had experienced wasn't worth $10 a month, let alone $90/year.
I don't remember having an opportunity to offer feedback when the beta ended.
On a money philosophy note, I do try to take the approach of budgeting where you have a full paycheck saved up. To me, it's the simplest way. You project based on past expenses, add margin where needed, and then allocate your spending "buckets" that way.
I understand that doing budgeting software right is hard. (Who here wouldn't, honestly?) But I'm still kind of skeptical that paying so much would really help me budget better.
Question: how does Monarch handle the once a year expense (sinking fund) type budgeting such as car insurance? Or even web hosting that I might pay on a 1, 2, or 3 year schedule?
- Ozzie_osman 5y agoHi! Co-founder here. A few responses: 1) When we launched we had issues with Capital One. We've since fixed those and have thousands of customers who have successfully linked CapOne accounts. 2) Sorry about the beta experience, it may have just been bad timing and communication on our part. We are no longer in beta and definitely list our price more clearly on our website now. We do still charge $10/month or $90/year, though Beta users received a 50% discount.. Our paying users see us as much more than a budgeting tool—more of a holistic, all-in-one personal finance tool. Budgeting and cash flow analysis are just a piece of that, but it also goal-planning, investment analysis, and more. 3) I'd love to get your feedback! We do regularly survey both existing and churned users, but if there's a way to contact you, I'd be happy to hear more (and if you're willing to give us another chance now that we've improved our integration, I can make sure we figure out a way there and that you get the beta user discount). 4) We're currently working on the "sinking fund" budgeting and plan to launch that later this year.
- trebor 5y agomy personal email address is robert at 3fishonawire dot com.