Getting started

From sign-up to first transaction.

Five minutes, four steps. By the end you'll have an account, a pocket, a budget category, and a real number on the dashboard.

1. Make an account

Head to sign up. You'll need an email, a password, and a phone number for two-factor. The phone step isn't optional — Pocketwatch holds financial data, and SMS-second-factor is the floor.

After signup you get a free 14-day trial. No card required to start; we'll ask for one before the trial expires.

2. Add a pocket

A pocket is a self-contained workspace — its own accounts, categories, budget, and net worth. Most people use exactly one for personal finances; some users add a second for a side business or shared household. Either way, you need at least one.

Pick a name, pick a currency, you're done. Switching pockets later is one click in the sidebar.

3. Wire up an account

Open the Accounts page and add your first one. Cash accounts (checking, savings) start at whatever balance you type in. Debt accounts (credit cards, loans) start at the amount you owe. Investment accounts (brokerage, retirement, crypto) hold lots rather than a single balance — you log buys, and prices update on their own.

Pocketwatch doesn't connect to your bank. Every balance is something you enter directly. That's intentional — see Security & data.

4. Log a transaction

Each account has a ledger. Click into one, type the amount in either the Money In or Money Out field, pick a category, hit Enter. The composer assigns the date to today by default; if it was yesterday's coffee, change it before saving.

That transaction does four things at once:

• The account's balance updates.
• The category's available amount drops in the budget.
• Net worth re-totals.
• The dashboard's "Recent activity" feed gets a new row.

What's next

You've got the loop. The rest of the guide goes deeper on each piece: how the budget enforces zero-based discipline, how the ledger handles transfers and reconciliation, how net worth gets calculated, and how investments stay in sync with the market.

Start with Budgeting — it's where most of the daily action happens.