Warren gives better advice when it can see your real numbers. The quickest way to get them in is to import a statement from your bank, card issuer or broker. Automatic bank connections are on the roadmap; until then, statement import is how your accounts stay current.
Supported formats
- CSV (.csv or .txt): the export most banks and budgeting apps offer. Mint, YNAB and Monarch exports work as CSV.
- OFX and QFX (.ofx, .qfx): the Quicken and Money formats. These usually include the institution name, account type and ending balance.
- QIF (.qif): the older Quicken text format.
Files can be up to 5MB. Export a shorter date range if yours is larger.
How to export from your bank
- Sign in to your bank or card website and open the account activity page
- Look for a Download, Export or Statements button
- Choose CSV, OFX/QFX (sometimes labelled Quicken) or QIF, and the widest date range on offer
- Save the file somewhere you can find it
Brokerages often label the export "Transactions" or "Activity"; OFX exports from brokerages also carry holdings.
Running the import
- Go to Accounts in the household menu and choose Import statement
- Pick the account the statement belongs to, or create a new one (OFX and QFX files fill in the institution for you)
- Drag the file in or choose it from your computer
- Check the preview: Warren shows the detected format, how many rows it read, how many are new and how many it has already seen
- For CSV files, correct the column mapping if a column was guessed wrong (date, description, amount or separate debit and credit columns, running balance, date format). Card statements that show spending as positive numbers have a toggle to flip the sign
- Tick Update account balance from statement if the file carries an ending balance
- Choose Import and open the transactions or accounts page from the confirmation
Duplicates
Warren skips rows it has already imported into the same account, using the bank's transaction id when the file has one and the date, amount and description otherwise. Overlapping date ranges are safe, so you can export the last three months every time.
Categories
Every transaction gets a category (groceries, housing, subscriptions and so on) from Warren's rules. Change any of them on the Transactions page: use the select on a row, or tick several rows and apply a category to all of them. Transfers between your own accounts are excluded from spending totals.
What happens next
Imported balances feed the household net worth alongside the manual ledger, spending by category appears on the Transactions page, and the advisors use the figures when you ask about budgets, debt or savings.