Concepts behind Helm

Helm is a personal financial assistant organized around questions: where you stand, what comes next, and what the recorded history means. These concepts help both users and developers read its answers consistently.

Start with the question

Use the product overview to connect questions to the app’s views. For a first account and balance, follow the first-use guide. You do not need to learn the database model to begin.

Keep three ideas separate

• An account holds money or debt in a currency.
• A movement records actual money with a date.
• Context explains the movement: a person, category, matter, tag or plan.

A bill can exist before its payment. An income source can exist before its first receipt. A physical card can identify a purchase without becoming another account balance.

Read the supporting basis

A stated balance, a bank-document observation and a conversion quote serve different purposes. Currency and date belong with the number. Missing evidence should remain visible rather than be represented as zero.

Read the glossary for vocabulary, or the architecture to trace the browser, API and financial model. Developers can continue to API reference or local development.