Budget and Spending Modes
Cinderfi offers three ways to set your annual spending for the retirement projection. Each produces a more accurate plan than the last.
Three Spending Modes
Manual
Enter a single annual spending number directly. This is the default and the simplest option. Use this when you have a rough estimate of your retirement spending needs.
Budget Plan
Set monthly spending targets across 16 categories:
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Housing | Rent, mortgage, property tax, condo fees |
| Groceries | Food, household supplies |
| Transportation | Car payment, insurance, gas, transit |
| Dining | Restaurants, takeout, coffee |
| Medical & Dental | Prescriptions, dental visits, therapy |
| Fitness & Wellness | Gym, sports, wellness |
| Insurance | Life, health, home, auto |
| Utilities & Phone | Electricity, water, internet, phone |
| Subscriptions | Streaming, software, memberships |
| Travel | Flights, hotels, vacations |
| Personal & Shopping | Clothing, electronics, hobbies |
| Pets | Food, vet, grooming |
| Gifts & Donations | Birthday gifts, charitable giving |
| Education | Courses, books, tuition |
| Childcare & Family | Daycare, child activities |
| Miscellaneous | Everything else |
The category totals are annualized and fed into the projection. This is more accurate than a single number because it forces you to account for each spending area explicitly.
Actual
Uses real transaction data from imported files (CSV, OFX, YNAB) to calculate your actual annual spending. This is the most accurate mode — your projection uses what you actually spend, not what you think you spend.
Importing Transactions
Cinderfi supports multiple import formats:
CSV (Bank Exports)
Auto-detects format for 5 major Canadian banks (RBC, TD, BMO, CIBC, Scotiabank) and a generic CSV format. Export transactions from your bank’s website and drag the file into the import area.
OFX/QFX (Financial Exchange Format)
Most banks and brokerages offer OFX or QFX export. Drag the file in — Cinderfi parses it automatically.
YNAB (You Need A Budget)
Connect directly to YNAB with a personal access token for live transaction sync. Cinderfi pulls transactions, category budgets, and account balances automatically. Supports incremental sync (only new transactions on each sync).
Manual Entry
The Quick Add Bar lets you enter individual transactions manually — useful for cash purchases or quick additions.
Transaction Categorization
Imported transactions are automatically categorized based on merchant name patterns. You can manually recategorize any transaction. Categories match the 16 budget plan categories.
Income Transactions
Enter negative amounts to tag transactions as income. Six income categories are available: Employment Income, Investment Income, Government Benefits, Rental Income, Side Income, Other Income. Income transactions are tracked separately and don’t inflate your spending figures.
Deduplication
When importing from multiple sources or re-importing the same file, Cinderfi automatically detects and removes duplicate transactions based on date, amount, and description matching. A preview screen shows potential duplicates before import so you can confirm.
How Spending Affects Your Projection
The active spending mode determines the annual spending number used in the projection engine. You can see which mode is active and the effective amount in the Strategy Bar on the Planning view.
The Retirement Impact Card on the Budget tab shows how your actual spending compares to your planned amount and translates the difference into months earlier or later for retirement. For example: “Your actual spending is $1,200/month more than planned — this delays retirement by 14 months.”
Tips
- Start with Manual, then build a Budget Plan as you get more precise about your spending categories
- Import 3+ months of transactions to get a reliable annualized actual spending figure
- Use YNAB sync if you already budget in YNAB — it’s the fastest path to accurate spending data
- Review categorization after the first import — auto-categorization is good but not perfect
- Track income alongside spending to see your savings rate, one of the most powerful leading indicators of retirement readiness