FAQ

Basis is a personal finance platform for modeling major decisions, organizing budgets, and building Financial Plans. It is built to show projected tradeoffs from visible inputs, not to make choices for you.

Start with the surface that matches the job in front of you. Use Models for one decision, Scenario Comparison for saved alternatives, Budgeting for current cashflow, Financial Plans for goals, and Start Here when the first step is unclear.

No. Basis shows projections, assumptions, and tradeoffs based on the inputs shown. It does not provide financial, legal, tax, lending, insurance, or investment advice.

Yes. Public models, previews, and onboarding can be explored before account creation. Saving scenarios, connecting ongoing data, and tracking plan progress require an account.

Basis currently includes vehicle cost, rent vs. buy, career comparison, and investment strategy models. Each model is designed for one decision type and uses visible assumptions rather than hidden advice rules.

The vehicle model compares cash purchase, financing, and leasing across projected cost, monthly payment pressure, operating costs, terminal value, and unused-cash assumptions. It treats loan term, lease term, and ownership horizon as separate inputs.

The rent vs. buy model compares renting and buying at the selected stay length first. Deeper timeline and crossover views explain when paths cross, but the main result is anchored to the planned stay.

The career model compares roles or offers using salary, benefits, equity, relocation, cost of living, expenses, taxes, and risk assumptions. Its headline uses modeled five-year value when the result includes more than simple cash income.

The investment strategy model compares retirement-oriented strategy presets by run-out durability, balance ranges, downside stress, and account-bucket assumptions. Strategy presets are modeled options, not investment instructions.

Scenario Comparison lets you compare saved runs from the same model family. It ranks the selected scenarios by the active objective and keeps one baseline-versus-candidate comparison in focus.

No. Current scenario comparison is same-model only, such as vehicle with vehicle or rent vs. buy with rent vs. buy. Cross-model prioritization is a different product problem and is not part of the current comparison view.

The current comparison view is designed for 2 to 10 saved scenarios from one model family. The ranked list helps narrow the set while the focused comparison keeps the main read manageable.

Local saved scenarios stay in the browser until they are saved to an account. They are not attached to another user's account, but they also are not available across devices unless account saving is used.

Budgeting is for the current money picture: accounts, transactions, spending targets, recurring bills, recurring income, and safe-to-spend. It gives Financial Plans a more grounded view of what money is actually available.

Safe-to-spend is a deterministic estimate of spendable room after known cash, confirmed recurring cashflow, required obligations, planner support, reserves, and buffers. It is a planning signal, not a guarantee.

No. Flexible spending targets are used for context and pressure signals. Required obligations, confirmed recurring cashflow, fresh account balances, and saved planner support drive the core safe-to-spend calculation.

Basis supports transaction categorization and merchant rules where budgeting data is available. User-entered merchant names, notes, and labels are treated as display data, not trusted instructions.

Financial Plans are for goal funding, household snapshot data, allocation tradeoffs, and projected plan status. They are built for the broader money picture rather than one isolated decision.

Budgeting explains current cashflow and account status. Financial Plans use that context to show whether goals and allocations are fundable under the information Basis has available.

Projected funded compares the modeled amount available for a goal with the target amount. Probability details can appear deeper in the plan, but Basis keeps the first read focused on projected funding progress.

The household snapshot is the set of balances, assets, debts, properties, vehicles, cashflow, and freshness states that can affect projections. Updating the snapshot can change projections that depend on those values.

Basis uses the information entered into models, budgets, plans, settings, and connected-data surfaces when available. Public website content does not expose private account data or saved financial details.

Basis account settings include privacy and data controls for export and deletion flows. The privacy policy explains the data categories and operational limits in more detail.

No. Ask Basis is designed around typed, compact context packets rather than raw unrestricted transaction dumps. Sensitive fields and user-entered text are treated as untrusted context.

Local scenarios are stored in the browser for convenience before account saving. Signing in lets saved scenarios be attached to the account when that flow is used.

The free plan gives access to the core decision models and assessment flow. It is useful for trying Basis before storing more of the ongoing money system in an account.

Pro is intended for the more connected Basis system: richer saved history, deeper planning, budgeting, and premium model detail where available. Pricing copy should be treated as the source of truth for the current plan packaging.

Billing questions go to billing@basis-financial.com. General product support goes to support@basis-financial.com.

Privacy questions go to privacy@basis-financial.com, accessibility issues go to accessibility@basis-financial.com, and security reports go to security@basis-financial.com. The contact page lists each route.