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Alsern Knowledge Base & Platform Guides

Master your financial system,
explained in plain English.

No accounting jargon, no technical fluff. Step-by-step guides for connecting accounts, configuring rollover envelopes, automating recurring savings, and protecting your device.

Global Multi-Currency• Client-Side Encryption• Contextual AI Assistance
Step 1

Getting Started & Account Setup

3 min read

How to set up your primary currency, connect bank cards or enter starting manual balances, and get your true net worth in under three minutes.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Create your secure account

Sign up with your email or passwordless magic link. All initial account slots are 100% unlocked during early access with zero credit card required.

2. Add your accounts and assets

Add your everyday checking, savings accounts, credit cards, student loans, or mortgages. You can also track physical assets like vehicles, real estate, or precious metals.

3. Choose your default currency

Select USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, AUD, or any of our 30+ supported global currencies. All exchange rates calculate automatically in real time.

Common Question: Does Alsern sell my transaction history?

Never. Alsern has zero third-party data broker telemetry. Your data belongs strictly to you and is protected by PostgreSQL Row-Level Security policies.

Budgeting

Rollover Envelope Budgeting Explained

4 min read

Why traditional zero-sum budgets fail when life happens, and how Alsern’s rollover envelopes ensure you always know what is safe to spend today.

Step-by-Step Instructions

How rollover envelopes work

Instead of resetting to zero on the 1st of every month, your remaining envelope balance carries forward. If you budgeted $500 for groceries and spent $420, your next month starts with an extra $80 cushion.

Understanding 'Safe to Spend'

Alsern subtracts upcoming scheduled bills, minimum debt payments, and active savings goals from your total cash. The leftover balance is your true daily allowance.

Assigning transactions to envelopes

Tag purchases with one click or let automated categorization rules map recurring grocery, utility, or subscription charges automatically.

Common Question: What happens if I overspend in one category?

The envelope displays a calm red balance indicator and automatically absorbs the deficit from your general spend buffer until your next income cycle, preventing bill shock.

Autopilot

Automated Money Rules & Triggers

5 min read

Put your savings, tax reserves, and debt payoffs on autopilot using our seven battle-tested rule templates.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Percentage-based income splitting

Every time client invoice deposits or paycheck credits occur, Alsern can automatically route a percentage (e.g. 25% for taxes or 10% for emergency reserves) into dedicated virtual pots.

Hidden subscription & price creep alerts

Configure an alert trigger to notify you the moment any monthly recurring vendor increases its billing charge by more than $5.

Automated debt payoff acceleration

Set rules to sweep end-of-month envelope surpluses directly toward your highest-interest credit card balance (the Avalanche method).

Common Question: Can rules initiate physical withdrawals from my external bank?

No. Alsern’s automation engine operates as an authoritative planning and allocation ledger. It guides and balances your money decisions without risky external ACH write access.

Collaboration

Household & Partner Expense Splits

3 min read

Share living expenses fairly with a partner, spouse, or roommate without exposing your personal bank credentials or private purchases.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Proportional split calculation

If Partner A earns $6,000/mo and Partner B earns $4,000/mo, Alsern suggests a fair 60/40 proportional contribution toward joint rent, utilities, and groceries.

Private individual ledgers

Your personal checking balance, personal investments, and private purchases remain 100% hidden from your household partner unless explicitly shared in the joint pool.

Instant monthly settlement

See a clear monthly tally showing who covered what joint receipt, with a single net reimbursement figure at month's end.

Common Question: Do both partners need separate Alsern accounts?

Yes, each partner has their own private login and password, ensuring complete personal autonomy and privacy.

Security

Client-Side Device PIN & Biometric Lock

2 min read

Keep curious onlookers from seeing your balances in coffee shops, libraries, or open offices with local 4-digit lockout protection.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Enabling your 4-digit PIN

Navigate to Settings → Security and toggle 'Device PIN Lock'. Enter a memorable 4-digit combination.

Auto-lock triggers

Your screen balances automatically blur and lock whenever your laptop goes to sleep, your screen times out, or you switch browser tabs.

Local browser isolation

Your PIN is verified locally inside your browser using cryptographic hashing. It is never transmitted across the internet in plaintext.

Common Question: What if I forget my 4-digit device PIN?

You can securely unlock your session anytime by authenticating with your master Alsern account password or primary email verification.

AI Copilot

Conversing with Alsern Tim (AI Guide)

4 min read

How to ask natural questions about your money, test purchase affordability, and get contextual answers without your data leaking to public AI training pools.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Affordability queries

Type: 'Can I afford a $350 flight this weekend?' Tim calculates your upcoming fixed bills, active envelope balances, and cash buffer to give you a definitive yes or no.

Interest & loan optimization

Ask: 'If I pay $150 extra per month on my car loan, when will I be debt-free?' Tim performs exact amortization math tailored to your APR.

Zero-retention AI inference

All AI conversations use ephemeral, context-window inference. Your transactions are never stored or used to train public machine learning models.

Common Question: Does Tim have access to my credit card numbers?

Never. Tim only receives sanitized aggregate totals (e.g. 'Credit Card Balance: $1,200', 'APR: 18%') and never sees account numbers, CVVs, or PII.

Have a question not covered here?

Our support team and AI copilot are continuously updating our knowledge base with real-world user workflows and setups.

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