My (Subjective) Reflections after 12 Months of Simplifing

DannyB

December makes 12 months of using Simplifi for me... and 12 months of engaging in this community discussing, questioning, suggesting all things Simplifi. Based on this extended conversation it's obvious that Simplifi is not "perfect"... but what, in this world, is?

Overall, I am personally quite satisfied with Simplifi as my basic day-to-day money management app and plan to stick with Simplifi in the coming years. What I appreciate about Simplifi is the way it helps me visualize and organize my monthly income and spending. Simplifi gives my wife and I a way to look at and talk about our personal finances. But the main highlight for me and the main reason I'll be sticking with Simplifi - The Spending Plan - I love it!

A few caveats:

1. I don't need Simplifi to be a comprehensive financial management app. If I wanted or needed that I would still be using Quicken or one of it's "equivalents".
2. I don't need Simplifi to provide me with an in depth dive into the minutia of my day-to-day income and spending.  My personal finances just aren't that complicated and I'm not running a business or managing a company, organization or department that requires detailed financials and accountability.
3. I don't need Simplifi to provide me with detailed tax related information. Again, my tax returns just aren't that complicated.
4. I don't need Simplifi to give me up-to-the-minute balances that take into account the Foster Freeze ice cream cones I bought for my grandkids on the way home from school (don't tell their mom's we did that please!).  We are at a place in our lives where we have that 3-5 month cushion (actually we have close to a 30 year cushion based on our typical spending for the past 15 years, the past 5 with no mortgage payment (another reason our tax returns are not complicated)).
5. I don't need Simplifi to provide me with accurate (or even near accurate) cash flow projections either for individual accounts or for aggregated accounts (Simplifi can't do that anyway due to the limitations of what data is available to make those projections, i.e. inability to incorporate planned spending in cash flow projections).  I know what's in the bank, how much we typically spend, when our next income event is scheduled, etc.
6. I don't even really need Simplifi to calculate my net worth, either at this moment or over time - I have another source that does that in detail.

Now my Wish List:

1. My number one wish is for some means to incorporate non-monthly fixed and flexible expenses into the spending plan. The current workaround of using saving goals for these expenses is not ideal or at all practical and leaving out the means to incorporate, prepare and account for these necessary expenses is a weakness.  I do understand that Simplifi focuses on the present month and that is one of it's strengths, but irregular but regular recurring fixed and flexible expenses are part of everyone's financial picture.
2. A second wish is for a better way to handle the "Left at end of month" rather than the current it's just there. I believe this is important whether the end of month is positive or negative, either way it's an important number that needs to be addressed or moved along into the next month one way or another.
3. Some kind of road map of what features are being seriously looked at and how and when the development team plans to add features and improvements would be a nice way to build the community and loyalty... as long as the roadmap is followed with some regularity.

There are plenty of other suggestions and requests that deserve consideration listed in this forum that would simply make Simplifi better, but for me, the first two I list above would be my top requests for next steps in making Simplifi an even better tool and the personal financial app of choice for even more folks.

SRC54

@DannyB  Thanks for posting.  I did a similar rundown after my first year.  We started about same time. I agree with most of your suggestions.  Certainly we don't want Simplifi to become too complex.

I would like a tax report though.  Even though taxes are easier now since most deductions are gone, State taxes in Alabama still allow for some of them.  I like to start my taxes in late December.  I still use the Quicken Tax report although I have to tweak it some.  Reports is the weakest link in Simplifi.

I too would rather have "Left Over" at end of the month to count as savings.  Since I have an account that is somewhat between a savings and checking account, if I have more in there at the end of the month, I saved!  I did move this account to savings although it means I have to hunt for it a bit more and when I reset the account, it moves back to Cash.

And the big thing I miss in Simplifi is being able to have splits in Recurring Transactions. Otherwise, I prefer Simplifi's approach to bills and incomes over Quicken.

I am sure you know that they promised us a roadmap several months ago.  Months for Simplifi seem to become years.  LOL.

DannyB

@SRC54 Yes I saw your own one year (13 month) review and also appreciated your ideas and feedback.  I can see where a tax related report would be useful especially for those who use Schedule A deductions.  The only tax related items I need to track now are my housing expenses.  I receive a clergy pension that is designated for housing and receives special consideration for income tax purposes for that portion I can demonstrate went to housing expenses.

SRC54

I do keep up with the tithe but also interest, which has gone way up this year, so more taxes to pay.  Of course, if I wait to get the 1099s and W2s, it is pretty easy.  I like to double check.

Congress has done away with most of the Schedule A deductions but Alabama still has some of them.  I think that is ending.

I wish they would simplify taxes more so we didn't have to do the returns.  Abolishing the IRS would be great, but I won't hold my breath.

@DannyB