<p>You've downloaded SavePoint and you're ready to take control of your finances. This guide walks you through setting up the software from scratch so you can start tracking, budgeting, and planning right away.</p>

<h3>Step 1: Installation and License Activation</h3>
<p>After <a href="https://savepointfinance.com/software-download" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">downloading SavePoint</a>, run the installer and follow the setup wizard. When you first launch the application, you'll see a license validation window displaying your unique hardware ID. Copy this ID and visit the <a href="https://savepointfinance.com/license-redemption" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">SavePoint license redemption page</a> on our website. (Note, for both the download and license redemption page, you must be logged in). Next, enter your hardware ID to receive your activation code, then paste it back into SavePoint to activate.</p>

<h3>Step 2: Complete the Setup Wizard</h3>
<p>SavePoint's setup wizard guides you through creating your first budget in about 10-15 minutes. You'll configure:</p>
<p><strong>Fiscal Year:</strong> Enter the year you want to budget for (e.g., 2026).</p>
<p><strong>Income Sources:</strong> Add your monthly income. Enter your take-home pay, freelance earnings, or any other regular income. SavePoint automatically calculates annual totals.</p>
<p><strong>Spending Goals:</strong> Set your target allocation using the 50/30/20 rule as a starting point (50% needs, 30% wants, 20% savings), then adjust as needed.</p>
<p><strong>Expense Categories:</strong> Assign monthly budgets to each category and classify them as Needs or Discretionary.</p>

<div class="highlight-box">
  <h4>💡 Setup Tutorial Walkthrough Video</h4>
  <p>A step by step walkthrough of the setup is<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7qSPSYqKWA" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> available on our youtube page.</a></p>
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<h3>Step 3: Add Your Accounts</h3>
<p>After completing the wizard, add your financial accounts. Go to Accounts and click Add New Account. For each account, select the account type (Checking, Savings, Credit Card, 401k, etc.) and the appropriate asset class. Several accounts may already be added by default. You can mark these as inactive or change them to suit your needs. For each account, enter your current balance or leave blank. SavePoint uses this information for balance sheet tracking and net worth calculations.</p>


<div class="highlight-box">
  <h4>💡 Accounts Tutorial Walkthrough Video</h4>
  <p>A step by step walkthrough of the account setup is<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVWzhy52ldE" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> available on our youtube page.</a></p>
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<h3>Step 4: Enter or Import Transactions</h3>
<p>You have two options for getting transaction data into SavePoint. You can enter transactions manually as they occur, or import historical transactions from CSV files downloaded from your bank. The import wizard walks you through mapping your bank's columns to SavePoint fields and helps you categorize transactions.</p>


<h3>Step 5: Explore Your Dashboard</h3>
<p>Once you have some data in SavePoint, the dashboard gives you an instant overview: income and expenses, net worth, budget progress, and savings rate. You can customize which modules appear and how they're arranged. Check your dashboard weekly to stay aware of where you stand.</p>

<div class="highlight-box">
  <h4>💡 Importing CSVs and Page Walkthrough</h4>
  <p>A step by step walkthrough of importing transactions and walkthrough of some modules are<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QzNhjrAfAE" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> available on our youtube page.</a></p>
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<div class="cta-section">
<h2>Ready to Dive Deeper?</h2>
<p>The SavePoint Help Center has detailed documentation on every feature. Learn about balance sheet tracking, FIRE planning, reports, and more.</p>
<a href="https://savepointfinance.com/help" class="cta-button">Visit the Help Center</a>
</div>

Learn how to set up SavePoint from scratch. This guide covers installation, license activation, budget creation, and entering your first transactions.

Getting Started with SavePoint: Complete Setup Guide | SavePoint

Set up SavePoint from installation through your first budget. Start tracking your finances in 30 minutes.

Getting Started with SavePoint: Complete Setup Guide

<p>A Sankey diagram shows where your money comes from and where it goes using flowing lines of different widths. Wider lines mean more money. It is one of the most intuitive ways to understand your financial picture at a glance.</p>

<h3>What Is a Sankey Diagram</h3>

<p>A Sankey diagram displays flows. On the left side, you have your income sources: salary, side income, investment returns. On the right side, you have your spending destinations: housing, food, transportation, savings.</p>

<p>Lines connect income to spending categories. The width of each line represents the amount of money flowing through it. A line going to rent might be thick. A line going to subscription services might be thin.</p>

<h3>Why Sankey Diagrams Work</h3>

<p><strong>Proportions become immediately visible.</strong> Numbers in a table require mental math to compare. In a Sankey diagram, you instantly see that housing takes 35% of income because the line is visibly one-third of the total flow.</p>

<p><strong>Hidden expenses surface.</strong> When you see that dining out, coffee shops, and food delivery combine into a flow nearly as wide as groceries, patterns become obvious.</p>

<p><strong>Savings rate is visual.</strong> The line flowing to savings (or debt payment) tells you immediately whether you are building wealth or just churning money through your accounts.</p>

<h3>Common Patterns in Money Flow Diagrams</h3>

<p><strong>Housing dominance.</strong> For most people, the housing line (rent or mortgage) is the widest single flow, often 30% to 40% of income.</p>

<p><strong>Scattered discretionary spending.</strong> Small categories like subscriptions, entertainment, and shopping often combine into surprisingly large total flows.</p>

<p><strong>Thin savings lines.</strong> Many people are surprised to see how small their savings flow looks compared to their spending flows.</p>

<p><strong>Surprise categories.</strong> Transportation, insurance, and food frequently take larger shares than people estimate.</p>

<h3>How to Use Sankey Diagrams</h3>

<p><strong>Current state analysis.</strong> Create a diagram showing your actual money flow from the past few months. Look for surprises.</p>

<p><strong>Goal visualization.</strong> Create a diagram showing your ideal money flow. How thick should the savings line be? Where could you reduce flows?</p>

<p><strong>Trade-off exploration.</strong> What if you moved 5% of income from dining out to investments? Visualize the change.</p>

<p><strong>Progress tracking.</strong> Compare diagrams from different time periods to see how your money flow has changed.</p>

<h3>Level of Detail</h3>

<p>Too few categories and the diagram lacks insight. Too many and it becomes cluttered. For most people, 15 to 25 final destinations provides good balance.</p>

<p>Consider grouping small categories. Instead of separate lines for Netflix, Spotify, and gym membership, a single subscriptions line may be clearer.</p>

<div class="highlight-box">
<h4>The Visual Test</h4>
<p>After creating your diagram, ask: does the width of each line match its importance in my life? If entertainment is thin but feels like a big part of your life, the visual shows the mismatch.</p>
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<div class="cta-section">
<h2>See Your Money Flow</h2>
<p>SavePoint generates Sankey diagrams from your transaction data automatically. Watch your money flow from income to expenses to savings.</p>
<a href="https://savepointfinance.com" class="cta-button">Learn More</a>
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Sankey diagrams make your finances visual. See income flowing to expenses with line widths showing amounts. Perfect for understanding spending patterns.

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Getting Started with SavePoint: Complete Setup Guide

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Visualize Money Flow with Sankey Diagrams

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