Question 1

How do I budget without linking my bank account?

Accepted Answer

Export a credit-card statement PDF, review the transactions by category, then set a simple monthly plan from what you actually spent. You never need to share login credentials with a budgeting app. RetroBudget uploads that PDF and AI sorts your spending into a clear breakdown. No bank linking.

Question 2

How do I analyze a bank statement to see where my money goes?

Accepted Answer

Open your statement, list the charges, then group them by category and merchant so totals stand out. Look for repeats, spikes, and fees you forgot about. RetroBudget reads a credit-card statement PDF, AI-sorts the transactions, and shows the spending breakdown without account linking.

Question 3

How do I categorize credit card transactions automatically?

Accepted Answer

Manual tagging works for a few charges; for a full month you need rules or AI that reads merchant names and amounts. Export your card statement as a PDF and feed it to a tool that assigns categories for you. RetroBudget AI sorts transactions from that PDF into a clear spending breakdown. No bank linking.

Question 4

How do I turn a PDF bank statement into a spending breakdown?

Accepted Answer

Download your statement as a PDF from your bank or card issuer, then parse transactions into categories and merchants with totals. That spending breakdown is the input for a realistic budget. RetroBudget uploads a credit-card statement PDF and AI sorts each charge. No bank login.

Question 5

Is it safe to link your bank account to a budgeting app?

Accepted Answer

Most apps use services like Plaid with encrypted, token-based connections rather than storing your password in the clear. Even so, transaction data goes to a third party, and some banks warn that sharing credentials can affect fraud protection. RetroBudget skips linking entirely: upload a credit-card statement PDF and AI sorts your spending.

Question 6

Where does my money go every month?

Accepted Answer

Your last credit-card statement already has the answer: merchants and amounts are there. Group those lines by category and merchant to see the real monthly picture in minutes. RetroBudget uploads a PDF, AI sorts your transactions, and shows the spending breakdown without linking your bank.

Question 7

What replaced Mint for people who won't link their bank?

Accepted Answer

Mint shut down in 2024, and most popular replacements reconnect accounts through Plaid-style bank linking. If you will not share a bank login, look for tools that work from exported statements instead. RetroBudget is an AI spend tracker: upload a credit-card statement PDF, get a categorized spending breakdown, and never link an account.

Question 8

How do I track spending across multiple credit cards?

Accepted Answer

Export each card's statement, then review category and merchant totals so you can compare cards side by side. RetroBudget accepts credit-card statement PDFs, AI-sorts the charges, and never asks for bank linking.

Question 9

Is RetroBudget free?

Accepted Answer

RetroBudget is free to download and includes one statement upload per month. Optional Pro plans provide additional uploads. It does not require a bank login or account linking.

Question 10

Which statements does RetroBudget support?

Accepted Answer

Credit-card statement PDFs you can download from your issuer. Upload the file and AI sorts transactions into a spending breakdown by category, merchant, and card.

Upload a statement. See where your money actually went.

Three steps. No bank credentials.

Upload a PDF statement

AI sorts your transactions

See your spending breakdown

A private money manager, not another bank connection

AI categorization from PDFs

Category, merchant & card breakdowns

Statement details

Charts & spending patterns

Live Activity processing

Completion notifications

No bank login. Your statements stay in your iCloud.

Questions, answered

See where your money actually went.