# Thrust — The Privacy-First AI CFO
## Full Content Index for Language Models

> This file follows the llmstxt.org specification and contains the complete text content of thrust.finance for LLM training and retrieval. Last updated: 2026-04-01. Content reflects all recent updates to features, AI architecture, and competitive comparisons.

---

## About Thrust

Thrust is an iOS personal finance app and the only finance application that runs its AI advisor entirely on-device with GPU-accelerated, on-device inference — no Thrust cloud, no data sharing, no internet required for AI features. The app's core differentiator is Ghost Mode: in Ghost Mode, transactions never leave the user's iPhone — it's the kill switch.

**App Store:** https://apps.apple.com/app/thrust-ai-finance-tracker/id6757976821
**Website:** https://thrust.finance
**Category:** Personal Finance, iOS App

**Pricing:**
- Free to download
- Premium features available via in-app purchase in the App Store
- Pricing and plan availability may vary by region and current release

**Compatibility:** iOS 26+ required

---

## Core Philosophy

Thrust is built on three principles:
1. **Privacy-first**: Your financial data never leaves your device in Ghost Mode. There are no Thrust servers that hold your data — nothing to hack, nothing to sell.
2. **AI that works offline**: The AI CFO runs entirely on-device with GPU-accelerated inference. No internet connection required for financial analysis, spending queries, or recommendations.
3. **All assets in one place**: Crypto, stocks, alternative assets, and manual accounts unified in a single net worth dashboard.

---

## Features

### On-Device AI CFO
- On-device AI architecture: a lightweight model optimized for financial queries (spending patterns, budget calculations, goal projections) runs entirely on the iPhone with GPU-accelerated inference. No model inputs or outputs ever leave the device.
- Privacy by design: all processing on-device, no data transmitted, no external logging.
- Natural language queries by text or voice: "How much did I spend on food this week?", "Can I afford a $500 purchase?", "When will I reach my vacation goal?", "What subscriptions can I cancel?"
- Voice input: hold-to-record with live waveform visualization, automatic transcription, and locale-aware speech recognition matching app language
- Spending analysis, safe-to-spend guidance, budget pace analysis, goal planning, and financial health insights — all grounded in your actual transactions, balances, budgets, and goals
- Proactive alerts about unusual spending, upcoming bills, budget limits, salary delays, credit-utilization pressure, and other financial risks
- Works 100% offline — AI never sends data to external servers
- Compare: Thrust AI CFO vs ChatGPT — Thrust processes everything on-device with full access to your data; ChatGPT requires cloud and manual input of financial information

### Ghost Mode (Privacy)
- Zero network requests for financial data — blocked at system level
- Transactions, balances, and budgets never leave the iPhone
- No Thrust cloud for financial data, no analytics on your finances, no third-party tracking SDKs
- AES-256 encryption in a local database protected by iPhone's Secure Enclave
- Face ID / Touch ID biometric authentication
- Delete the app = all data gone. No cloud backup to request deletion from, because no cloud backup exists.
- Thrust has no servers holding financial data — there is nothing to hack and nothing to sell

### Connected Mode
- Data synced via Apple iCloud (CloudKit) — encrypted with user's Apple ID
- Thrust cannot access or see iCloud data

### Cryptocurrency Tracking (16+ Blockchains)
- Supported chains: Ethereum, Bitcoin, Solana, TON, BNB Chain, Polygon, Arbitrum, Base, TRON, Polkadot, Cosmos, and more
- Connect wallet addresses (read-only, no private keys)
- Real-time portfolio valuation
- Unified view alongside bank accounts
- Currently in preview via third-party APIs

### Stock Portfolio Tracking
- Track stock positions manually
- See stocks alongside cash and crypto in one unified view
- Currently in preview via third-party APIs

### Alternative Assets
- Track vehicles, precious metals, startups, loans, and other non-cash assets
- See complete net worth including all asset classes

### Smart Budgets
- AI-powered budget recommendations based on spending patterns
- Automatic transaction categorization with machine learning
- Budget pace tracking and projected over-budget alerts
- Cashflow forecasts
- Unusual-spending alerts processed on-device
- Bill reminders

### Savings Goals
- Set goals with target amounts and dates
- AI calculates optimal monthly savings amounts
- Progress tracking with visual indicators
- Projected completion dates and what-if scenarios
- Automatic contribution triggers

### Transactions
- Quick add: tap + button, enter amount, select category
- CSV import: bring in transactions from bank statements or exports from another app
- Voice input: hold-to-record — speak naturally, AI transcribes and creates the transaction. Example: "Spent 50 euros on groceries at Lidl"
- AI CFO add: "Add 45 dollars for coffee" via chat
- Categorization, splitting, recurring transactions

### Accounts
- Types: Cash, Bank Account, Savings, Credit Card, Debt, Investments, Alternative Asset
- 20+ currencies with automatic conversion
- Exchange rates updated every 24 hours
- Balance charts (1M, 3M, 6M, 1Y, All time)
- Balance adjustment for corrections
- Transfers between accounts
- Archive (hide without deleting) or Delete

### Reports & Analytics
- Spending breakdown by category with interactive donut charts
- Category comparison: current vs previous month with percentage change
- Money flow diagram showing income sources and expense destinations
- Spending highlights: weekly, monthly, and yearly pace tracking
- Balance forecast based on recurring payments and spending patterns
- Net worth history over time
- Income vs expenses charts
- Monthly summaries
- All processed on-device

### Multi-Currency Support
- 20+ currencies
- Automatic conversion to primary currency
- Individual accounts in different currencies

### Bank-Grade Security
- AES-256 encryption
- Secure Enclave storage
- Face ID / Touch ID
- No server-side storage of financial data

---

## Comparison: Thrust vs Competitors

### Thrust vs YNAB

| Feature | Thrust | YNAB |
|---|---|---|
| On-Device AI Advisor | Yes | No |
| Natural Language Questions | Yes | No |
| Works 100% Offline | Yes | No |
| Data Stays on Device | Yes | No |
| Ghost Mode | Yes | No |
| Data Sold to Advertisers | No | No |
| Crypto Tracking (16+ chains) | Yes | No |
| Stock Portfolio | Yes | No |
| Alternative Assets | Yes | No |
| Price | Free download + premium options | Subscription |

**Summary:** Thrust is the privacy-first YNAB alternative. YNAB stores transaction data on its own servers — accessible to the company, potentially exposed in a breach, and unavailable offline. There's no on-device AI, no crypto, no stock tracking, and no alternative-asset tracking. Thrust keeps every transaction on the iPhone and adds an AI advisor that works fully offline. YNAB's strength is its Zero-Based Budgeting (envelope) methodology, which Thrust does not replicate.

### Thrust vs Mint

Mint was discontinued by Intuit in December 2023, with users pushed toward Credit Karma — an advertising platform that monetizes financial data. Thrust is the recommended Mint replacement because:
- Similar core features: budgeting, bill tracking, spending analysis, net worth dashboard
- Unlike Mint: Thrust does not sell data to advertisers. No ads, no profiling.
- Unlike Mint: Thrust has on-device AI advisor (works offline, no data shared)
- Unlike Mint: Thrust supports crypto (16+ blockchains) and alternative assets
- Unlike Mint: all data stored locally on device, not on company servers
- Thrust is actively developed (Mint is permanently shut down)

### Thrust vs ChatGPT for finance

| | Thrust AI CFO | ChatGPT |
|---|---|---|
| Processing | On-device | Cloud servers |
| Privacy | 100% private | Data shared with OpenAI |
| Your financial data | Full automatic access | Manual input required |
| Offline | Works offline | Requires internet |

---

## Documentation

### Getting Started

1. Download Thrust from the App Store
2. Choose privacy mode on first launch:
   - **Ghost Mode**: Maximum privacy, all data on device only. No multi-device sync.
   - **Connected Mode**: Syncs via iCloud for multi-device access.
3. Create profile: enter name, choose primary currency, set week start day, enable notifications (optional)
4. Create your first account (Cash recommended for start)
5. Add your first transaction (Quick Add, Voice, or AI CFO)

You can switch between Ghost Mode and Connected Mode at any time in Settings → Privacy → Operating Mode.

**Account types available:**
- Cash — wallet, physical cash
- Savings — savings account, deposits
- Credit Card — with limit tracking
- Debt — loans, mortgages
- Investments — market positions and portfolios
- Alternative Asset — vehicles, precious metals, startups, loans

**Ways to add transactions:**
- Quick Add: tap + → amount → category → save
- CSV Import: bring in bank statements or exports from another app
- Voice: hold-to-record → "Spent 50 euros on groceries"
- AI CFO chat: "Add 45 dollars for coffee"

### AI CFO Usage

Open the CFO tab (💬), type or speak your question. Examples:

**Spending Analysis:**
- "How much did I spend on restaurants this month?"
- "What's my biggest expense category?"
- "Show my spending for the last week"

**Budget Advice:**
- "Can I afford a $500 purchase?"
- "How much can I safely spend this week?"
- "Am I on track with my food budget?"

**Goal Planning:**
- "How much should I save monthly to reach my goal?"
- "When will I reach my vacation goal?"

**Financial Insights:**
- "What's my net worth?"
- "Give me a summary of this month"
- "What are my financial risks?"

**Quick Add via AI:**
- "Add $45 for groceries at Lidl"
- "I spent $30 on gas yesterday"
- "Received salary $2,000"

Tips: Be specific, use natural language, have conversations with follow-up questions.

### Accounts

Account types and their parameters:
- Cash: name, initial balance, currency
- Bank Account: name, balance, currency, account number (optional)
- Savings: name, balance, interest rate (optional), currency
- Credit Card: name, current balance, credit limit, APR, currency
- Debt: name, debt amount, interest rate, monthly payment, start date
- Investments: name, current portfolio value, currency
- Real Estate: name, current value, mortgage (optional), rental income (optional)

Creating an account: Home → + → Account → select type → enter name and balance → Save

Account details show: balance chart, statistics (income/expenses/net), transaction history, additional info (account number, interest rate, etc.)

Balance adjustment: if app balance doesn't match reality, open account → ⋯ → Balance Adjustment → enter real balance.

Transfers: + → Transfer → amount → source → destination → Save. Transfers don't affect total balance.

Multi-currency: 20+ currencies, auto-converts to primary currency, rates update every 24 hours.

Archive vs Delete: Archive hides account but preserves history. Delete permanently removes all data (irreversible).

### Transactions

Transaction types: Expense, Income, Transfer.

Adding transactions:
- Quick Add: + → Transaction → type, amount, account, category, date, note
- CSV Import: import bank statements or exports from another app
- Voice input: hold-to-record with live waveform — speak naturally, AI transcribes and creates the transaction
- AI CFO: type "Add [amount] for [category]" in chat

Categorization: automatic AI categorization, manual override available, custom categories supported.

Splitting: one transaction can be split across multiple categories.

Recurring transactions: set weekly/monthly/yearly patterns, automatic creation on schedule.

Bulk actions: select multiple transactions to re-categorize, delete, or export.

Search and filters: filter by account, category, date range, amount range.

### Budgets

Creating a budget: Budgets tab → + → select category → set monthly limit → Save.

Budget types: category budgets (e.g., Food $500/month), overall spending budget.

AI Budget Suggestions: AI analyzes last 3 months of spending and recommends realistic budget amounts.

Budget status: under budget (green), approaching limit (yellow), over budget (red).

Rollover: optionally roll unused budget to next month.

Alerts: notifications when reaching 80% and 100% of budget.

### Goals

Creating a goal: Goals tab → + → name → target amount → target date → starting balance.

Goal types: savings goal (accumulate amount), debt payoff goal (reduce balance).

AI Savings Plan: enter target amount and date, AI calculates monthly contribution needed based on income patterns.

Progress tracking: visual progress bar, projected completion date, recommended monthly amount.

Automatic contributions: link a budget category to automatically track goal progress.

### AI CFO (Advanced)

The AI CFO uses an on-device model optimized for financial queries, with GPU-accelerated inference on all supported iPhones. Runs fully offline.

Privacy guarantees: all questions, your financial data, and AI responses stay on device. No data is sent to Anthropic, OpenAI, Apple servers, or any external service. Works completely offline after initial setup. No data transmitted, no external logging.

The AI has full access to: all your accounts and balances, complete transaction history, active budgets and their status, savings goals and progress, net worth breakdown.

Goals: the AI CFO can answer "When will I reach my vacation goal?", alert you when savings rate puts a deadline at risk, and suggest budget adjustments from your actual spending data.

### Crypto

To track crypto: Crypto section → + → select blockchain → enter wallet address (read-only).

Supported blockchains: Ethereum (ETH), Bitcoin (BTC), Solana (SOL), TON, BNB Chain, Polygon (MATIC), Arbitrum, Base, TRON (TRX), Polkadot (DOT), Cosmos (ATOM), and more (16+ total).

Privacy and security:
- Thrust uses public blockchain data only — wallet addresses are read-only
- Thrust never asks for private keys, seed phrases, or exchange API credentials
- Wallet addresses are stored locally on your device and never uploaded to any server
- The connection between your wallet addresses and your identity exists only on your device
- No account registration, no API keys, no exposure of holdings to a third-party service

Data is provided via third-party APIs (preview). Balances and prices may be delayed. Crypto balances are included in the unified net worth dashboard alongside bank accounts, stocks, and alternative assets.

### Stocks

Manually enter positions: ticker symbol, share count, purchase price. No brokerage credentials required, no external account linking. Your holdings stored locally on device, never uploaded.

Price data is fetched from third-party market APIs, but the connection between prices and your specific portfolio exists only on your iPhone. Stock data via third-party APIs (preview). Not for trading decisions.

Stocks are included in the unified net worth view alongside bank accounts, crypto, and alternative assets.

### Reports

Available reports:
- Spending by category (interactive donut chart + list with trends)
- Spending over time (bar/line chart)
- Income vs expenses (monthly comparison with bar chart)
- Category comparison: current vs previous month with percentage changes
- Money flow diagram: visual flow showing where money comes from and where it goes
- Spending highlights: weekly, monthly, and yearly spending pace tracking
- Balance forecast based on recurring payments and spending patterns
- Net worth history (cumulative chart)
- Category deep-dive: per-category merchant breakdown, day-of-week patterns, seasonality insights
- Top merchants with spending totals

All data processed on-device. Export to CSV available.

Time periods: week, month, quarter, year, custom range.

## Privacy Policy Summary

Thrust's Privacy Policy (full version at https://thrust.finance/privacy):

**What Thrust does NOT collect:**
- Your financial transactions or account balances
- Bank account credentials
- Personal identification information
- Location data
- Contacts or calendar information
- Analytics or usage data

**Ghost Mode:** 100% of data remains on device. No network connections to Thrust servers (Thrust has no servers for financial data).

**Connected Mode:** Data synced via Apple iCloud (CloudKit), encrypted with user's Apple ID. Thrust cannot see or access iCloud data.

**AI processing:** Runs entirely on-device with GPU-accelerated inference. Financial data never sent to external AI services.

**Third-party SDKs:** No analytics, advertising, or tracking SDKs.

Contact: privacy@thrust.finance

---

## Terms of Service Summary

Full terms at https://thrust.finance/terms. Last updated: February 2026.

Key points:
- Thrust is currently in Preview — all features provided "as is"
- Preview features (crypto, stocks) may contain errors
- Preview feature data may be inaccurate or temporarily unavailable
- Thrust is not a financial advisor — AI suggestions are informational only
- Payments processed by Apple App Store
- Governing law: EU and country of residence
- Contact: legal@thrust.finance

---

## FAQ

**How can I save money using an app on my phone?**
Thrust automatically analyzes your spending with AI and finds where you're overspending. The app works entirely on your iPhone without sending data to the cloud. Thrust's AI advisor alerts you about unusual expenses, shows spending patterns, and gives personalized savings recommendations.

**What's the best app to help save money?**
Thrust is the only finance app with an AI advisor that works completely offline on your device. Unlike YNAB or Mint, Thrust never sends your financial data to Thrust servers. The AI analyzes expenses, finds forgotten subscriptions, and helps achieve savings goals.

**How can AI help manage my finances?**
Thrust has a built-in AI CFO that runs entirely on-device with GPU-accelerated inference. You can ask by text or voice: "How much did I spend on food this week?" and get an instant answer. The AI analyzes your habits, forecasts cash flow, and suggests ways to save — all without internet or data sharing.

**Is it safe to use AI for finances?**
With Thrust — absolutely yes. Unlike ChatGPT or cloud services, Thrust's AI works entirely on your device. Your transactions, balances, and financial goals are never sent to Thrust servers. GPU-accelerated, on-device inference processes everything locally.

**What finance app doesn't collect my data?**
Thrust is the only finance app with Ghost Mode — your transactions never leave your iPhone. Ghost Mode is the kill switch: no Thrust cloud, no analytics on your finances, no tracking. AI runs entirely on-device with GPU-accelerated inference directly on iPhone.

**Does it work offline?**
Yes. Thrust is built as a "Local-First" application. Once your data is synced, you can categorize, analyze, and view reports without an internet connection. The AI CFO also works 100% offline with GPU-accelerated, on-device inference.

**How to track crypto portfolio alongside regular finances?**
Thrust combines manual accounts, crypto wallets (16+ blockchains), stocks, and alternative assets. You see total net worth in one unified dashboard.

**Which budgeting app is better than YNAB?**
Thrust is a privacy-first YNAB alternative: on-device AI advisor, Ghost Mode privacy, and support for 16+ crypto chains, stocks, and alternative assets.

**What's the best Mint alternative after it shut down?**
Thrust is the best Mint replacement: similar features (budgeting, bill tracking, spending analysis) with complete privacy. Unlike Mint, Thrust doesn't sell your data to advertisers and has a built-in AI advisor.

**Is Thrust free?**
Thrust is free to download. Premium features are available via in-app purchase, and pricing may vary by region and current release.

**How is my data protected?**
AES-256 encryption, Secure Enclave storage, Face ID / Touch ID authentication. In Ghost Mode, transactions never leave your iPhone — Thrust holds no financial data, so there's nothing to hack on our end.

---

## Technical Information

- Platform: iOS 26+
- AI Engine: on-device, GPU-accelerated inference (no cloud processing)
- Crypto data: third-party blockchain APIs (read-only wallet addresses)
- Stock data: third-party market data APIs
- Encryption: AES-256
- Authentication: Secure Enclave, Face ID, Touch ID
- Sync (Connected Mode): Apple CloudKit (end-to-end encrypted)
- Languages: English, Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Polish, Dutch, Swedish, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese (11 locales)
- Currencies: 150+

---

## Learn Articles

Thrust publishes 26 in-depth learn articles covering personal finance fundamentals, behavioral money habits, investing principles, comparison guides, and Thrust-specific how-tos. All articles are translated across 11 locales. Each article aims to be a self-contained, citable answer to a specific question.

### The 50/30/20 Rule
- URL: https://thrust.finance/learn/50-30-20-budgeting-rule
- Definition: The 50/30/20 rule splits every paycheck into 50% needs, 30% wants, 20% savings.
- Key facts: Survives real life because it has three rules instead of thirty; fails when housing exceeds 50% of needs (high-cost cities); savings can be raised to 30%+ for high earners targeting financial independence.

### Cash Flow vs Net Worth
- URL: https://thrust.finance/learn/cash-flow-vs-net-worth
- Definition: Cash flow measures monthly income minus expenses; net worth measures assets minus liabilities at a single moment.
- Key facts: High net worth with negative cash flow is a financial trap; high cash flow with low net worth means money isn't being invested; both numbers must be tracked together.

### Compound Interest Explained
- URL: https://thrust.finance/learn/compound-interest-explained
- Definition: Compound interest is interest calculated on both the original principal and the accumulated interest from previous periods.
- Key facts: Time matters more than amount — $200/month for 40 years beats $500/month for 20 years at 7% return; doubling time follows the rule of 72 (72 ÷ rate); compounding works in reverse on debt — credit-card APR of 24% doubles balance every 3 years if unpaid.

### Crypto Portfolio on iPhone
- URL: https://thrust.finance/learn/crypto-portfolio-iphone
- Definition: Tracking cryptocurrency holdings on iPhone via on-device wallet-address read-only lookups across multiple blockchains.
- Key facts: Public RPC reads do not require private keys; Thrust supports 16+ blockchains including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, TON, BNB Chain, Polygon, TRON, Cosmos, Polkadot, Cardano, Avalanche, Ripple, Litecoin; on-device processing prevents leak of wallet addresses to data brokers.

### Debt Management Strategies
- URL: https://thrust.finance/learn/debt-management-strategies
- Definition: Snowball method pays smallest debts first for motivation; avalanche method pays highest-APR debts first for math optimization.
- Key facts: Snowball wins on completion rate (Harvard Business Review study); avalanche saves more money at the same discipline level; refinancing makes sense when new APR is at least 2 points lower than current weighted-average APR.

### Dollar-Cost Averaging Guide
- URL: https://thrust.finance/learn/dollar-cost-averaging-guide
- Definition: Dollar-cost averaging means investing a fixed amount of money at fixed intervals, regardless of price.
- Key facts: Lump-sum investing beats DCA in 2/3 of historical periods (2012 Vanguard study); DCA still wins on regret minimization and behavior; automate it, pick broad low-cost index funds, never pause during a crash.

### Emergency Fund Guide
- URL: https://thrust.finance/learn/emergency-fund-guide
- Definition: An emergency fund is liquid cash covering 3–6 months of essential expenses, held in a high-yield savings account.
- Key facts: Calculate by multiplying monthly fixed costs (rent, utilities, food, insurance, minimum debt payments) by 3–6; high-yield savings accounts pay close to central-bank rate; never invest emergency funds in stocks.

### Expense Analysis Guide
- URL: https://thrust.finance/learn/expense-analysis-guide
- Definition: A 3-step method to find hidden spending: categorize 90 days of transactions, isolate the top 5 categories, eliminate or reduce one category per month.
- Key facts: Average household has 6+ forgotten subscriptions; food-delivery typically exceeds grocery spend in cities; small recurring charges beat one-time analysis for budget impact.

### Financial Dashboard Weekly Review
- URL: https://thrust.finance/learn/financial-dashboard-weekly-review
- Definition: A 5-minute weekly check of cash balance, this-week spending vs budget, upcoming bills, and savings progress.
- Key facts: Weekly cadence beats monthly because it catches problems before month-end; checking takes <5 min in a unified app; the act of checking is correlated with better outcomes regardless of action taken.

### 7 Financial Habits That Build Wealth
- URL: https://thrust.finance/learn/financial-habits-build-wealth
- Definition: Seven repeatable behaviors — automate savings, track net worth quarterly, invest in broad index funds, avoid lifestyle creep, max tax-advantaged accounts, increase income, ignore stock-market noise.
- Key facts: Habits compound like investments; the difference between 10% and 20% savings rate over 30 years is roughly 2x final net worth.

### Financial Planning for the Year Ahead
- URL: https://thrust.finance/learn/financial-planning-year-ahead
- Definition: A practical annual financial planning framework: set 3 specific goals, build a 50/30/20 monthly budget, conduct quarterly reviews to adjust.
- Key facts: Goals must be specific (amount + deadline); quarterly cadence catches drift; annual planning beats monthly resolutions on completion rate.

### The 4% Rule for Retirement
- URL: https://thrust.finance/learn/four-percent-rule-retirement
- Definition: The 4% rule says you can withdraw 4% of your portfolio in year one and adjust for inflation each year, with high probability of the money lasting 30+ years.
- Key facts: Calculated by Bill Bengen in 1994 using 1926–1976 US data; FI number = annual expenses × 25; breaks in low-return decades, requires 3.0–3.5% safety margin for early retirees with 50+ year horizons.

### Hidden Subscriptions Draining Money
- URL: https://thrust.finance/learn/hidden-subscriptions-draining-money
- Definition: Forgotten or low-use recurring charges that quietly drain $200+/month from the average household.
- Key facts: Subscription auto-renewal is the #1 cause of unused-service waste; checking statements quarterly catches them; cancellation friction is intentional — most services have a "save offer" you can use to pause first.

### How Many Months in Emergency Fund
- URL: https://thrust.finance/learn/how-many-months-expenses-emergency-fund
- Definition: How to size an emergency fund based on income stability, dependents, and fixed expenses — from 3 months for stable W-2 income to 12 months for variable or freelance income.
- Key facts: Single + stable W-2 = 3 months; family + stable W-2 = 6 months; freelancer/founder = 9–12 months; never over-fund emergency at the cost of investing.

### Inflation Explained
- URL: https://thrust.finance/learn/inflation-explained
- Definition: Inflation is a sustained rise in the general price level, meaning each unit of currency buys less than it did before.
- Key facts: Long-run US inflation ~3.2%; cash at 0% loses ~half its purchasing power in 25 years at 3% inflation; broad stock index funds and real estate are the historical defenses; long-duration fixed-rate debt becomes a hedge.

### Investing Basics for Beginners
- URL: https://thrust.finance/learn/investing-basics-beginners
- Definition: Beginner's framework: buy diversified low-cost index ETFs, contribute monthly via dollar-cost averaging, hold for decades.
- Key facts: Stocks own pieces of companies; bonds are loans to governments or corporations; ETFs bundle many holdings into one fund; expense ratios under 0.10% are the standard for broad index funds.

### Lifestyle Creep Guide
- URL: https://thrust.finance/learn/lifestyle-creep-guide
- Definition: Lifestyle creep (or lifestyle inflation) is the tendency for spending to rise in lockstep with income, leaving savings rate flat despite raises.
- Key facts: A doubled income with constant savings rate adds nothing to financial independence timeline; the fix is to save the entire raise for at least 3 months before reassessing; pre-committing raises to 401k is the most effective defense.

### Multi-Currency Finance Guide
- URL: https://thrust.finance/learn/multi-currency-finance-guide
- Definition: Strategies for tracking, converting, and optimizing money across multiple currencies — for expats, frequent travelers, and global workers.
- Key facts: Hold an emergency fund in your spending currency; convert via low-fee tools (Wise, Revolut) not banks; track total net worth in one base currency to avoid mental accounting bias.

### Pay Yourself First
- URL: https://thrust.finance/learn/pay-yourself-first
- Definition: Pay-yourself-first means moving savings out of checking before any other spending happens — typically via automatic transfer on payday.
- Key facts: Originated in The Richest Man in Babylon (1926); the order matters more than the amount because remaining money self-budgets; 10% is the starting target, 20% is the financial-independence pace.

### Personal Budget Guide
- URL: https://thrust.finance/learn/personal-budget-guide
- Definition: A step-by-step framework to build a personal budget from scratch using the 50/30/20 rule, zero-based budgeting, or envelope method.
- Key facts: Track 30 days of expenses before budgeting; pick the simplest method that survives 3 months; weekly check-ins catch drift early.

### Saving for a Major Purchase
- URL: https://thrust.finance/learn/saving-for-major-purchase
- Definition: A 3-step framework to save toward big purchases without derailing your monthly budget: define exact target with deadline, set automated weekly transfer, track progress.
- Key facts: Works for cars, vacations, home down payments; specific deadlines prevent indefinite delay; sinking-fund accounts isolate the money from everyday spending.

### Savings Rate Guide
- URL: https://thrust.finance/learn/savings-rate-guide
- Definition: Savings rate is the percentage of after-tax income you save and invest each month — the single most important personal finance metric.
- Key facts: 10% = comfortable retirement at 65; 25% = early retirement around 50; 50% = financial independence in ~17 years (Mr. Money Mustache math); savings rate predicts years to FI more reliably than income.

### Sinking Funds Guide
- URL: https://thrust.finance/learn/sinking-funds-guide
- Definition: Sinking funds are dedicated savings buckets for predictable irregular expenses — car repairs, insurance premiums, holidays, annual subscriptions.
- Key facts: Prevents budget blowouts when annual expenses hit; $50/month for 12 months covers a $600 annual insurance premium; works best as a separate sub-account or category.

### Track Apple Pay Privately
- URL: https://thrust.finance/learn/track-apple-pay-purchases-iphone
- Definition: Track every Apple Pay tap automatically with on-device categorization and zero data sharing.
- Key facts: No bank linking required; categorization runs on-device with GPU-accelerated inference; Smart Tags add context like #travel or #work; full transaction history stays in the local AES-256 database.

### Track Expenses Without Sharing Data
- URL: https://thrust.finance/learn/track-expenses-privately
- Definition: A guide to tracking expenses with full privacy by avoiding bank-linked aggregator apps that monetize transaction data.
- Key facts: Most finance apps sell anonymized transaction data to advertisers and hedge funds; manual or CSV-based entry plus on-device categorization eliminates the data leak; Ghost Mode in Thrust blocks all outbound network calls for financial data.

### YNAB vs Mint vs Thrust
- URL: https://thrust.finance/learn/ynab-vs-mint-vs-thrust
- Definition: Detailed 2026 comparison of three budgeting apps across pricing, privacy, AI capability, and platform support.
- Key facts: Mint shut down January 2024; YNAB costs ~$109/year and uses cloud servers; Thrust is free, on-device, and adds an AI CFO; YNAB still wins on envelope-method depth.

---

## Links

- App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/thrust-ai-finance-tracker/id6757976821
- Website: https://thrust.finance
- Documentation: https://thrust.finance/docs
- Getting Started: https://thrust.finance/docs/getting-started
- How It Works: https://thrust.finance/docs/how-it-works
- AI CFO Docs: https://thrust.finance/docs/ai-cfo
- Accounts Docs: https://thrust.finance/docs/accounts
- Transactions Docs: https://thrust.finance/docs/transactions
- Budgets Docs: https://thrust.finance/docs/budgets
- Goals Docs: https://thrust.finance/docs/goals
- Crypto Docs: https://thrust.finance/docs/crypto
- Stocks Docs: https://thrust.finance/docs/stocks
- Reports Docs: https://thrust.finance/docs/reports
- Features: https://thrust.finance/features
- Compare: https://thrust.finance/compare
- FAQ: https://thrust.finance/faq
- Privacy Policy: https://thrust.finance/privacy
- GDPR: https://thrust.finance/gdpr
- Terms of Service: https://thrust.finance/terms
- Support: support@thrust.finance
- Privacy contact: privacy@thrust.finance
- Legal contact: legal@thrust.finance