Choose which bank accounts to bring in

Choose which of your bank's accounts to bring into Good Steward, and whether each one counts toward your budget. Nothing is imported until you choose it.

Steps

1. Connect a bank. Choose accounts to import opens by itself.
2. Check each row. It shows the account's name, last digits (for example ••1234), type and balance.
3. Open the list at the right of the row and choose an option.
4. To set every row at once, select On budget, Off budget or None after Set all:.
5. Select the button at the bottom, such as Import 2 accounts.

The options

Choose where the balance comes from

After you choose Import · on budget or Import · off budget for a row, a Balance from list appears on that row. It has two choices:

• Transactions brings in your bank's transactions, and they make the account's balance.
• Balance only keeps the account's balance up to date from your bank and brings in no transactions.

The list starts on Balance only for investment accounts and for loans other than a home equity line or a line of credit. It starts on Transactions for everything else. Change it if you prefer the other choice. A row matched to an existing account has no list, because that account keeps its setting.

A Balance-only account is always off budget. Choosing Balance only moves the row to Import · off budget, and Import · on budget is not available for it. On budget under Set all: leaves such a row off budget. See Transactions or Balance only for a bank account.

Where each row starts

Every row starts as Don't import, except:

• A bank account already linked to an account in this budget file starts on that account under Match to existing account.
• A Checking / savings account with a name such as "Savings" or "Retirement" starts as Import · off budget.

On budget and Off budget under Set all: keep matches. None clears them too.

Match to an existing account

Use Match to existing account for an account you already have: entered by hand, imported from a file, or brought over from Good Steward Local. An import option creates a second account.

• The list shows your open accounts that have no bank link.
• Each account can be matched once. After you choose it for a row, other rows no longer list it.
• Bank transactions that match ones already in the account are merged or marked Possible match, not added twice. See Missing or duplicate transactions.

What a new account looks like

A new account takes the bank's name for the account, often in capital letters. Rename it in account settings. If its transactions do not add up to the bank's balance, Good Steward adds a Starting Balance transaction for the difference. See How bank sync works.

Add accounts you left out

1. Select Linked banks in the sidebar (on a phone, select More, then Linked banks).
2. On the bank's card, select Import next to the account, or select Add accounts to see all the bank's accounts.
3. Choose options as above.

Use a bank you've already connected

Add accounts from a bank you connected earlier, in this or another budget file, without signing in again.

1. Select Accounts in the sidebar (on a phone, select More, then Accounts).
2. On a smaller screen or a phone, select the Bank sync tab at the right edge of the screen.
3. In the Connect a bank card, select Use a bank you've already connected.
4. Choose a bank. Disconnected banks are not listed.
5. Choose options as above.