Glossary

Plain-language definitions for financial and product terms. No jargon.

Account: A place you hold or track money (e.g. a bank account, savings account, or credit card). In forecasting, we project how each account's balance changes over time.
Balance: The amount of money in an account at a given time. A "projected balance" is an estimate of what that amount will be in the future, based on your planned income and expenses.
Budget: A plan for how you'll spend (and save) money over a period. RainCheq focuses on forecasting: showing what will happen, rather than tracking whether you're "on budget."
Cash flow: Money moving in (income) and out (expenses, transfers) over time. Positive cash flow means more coming in than going out; negative means the opposite. Forecasting helps you see future cash flow.
Cash-flow timeline: A day-by-day view of how your balances change over time. RainCheq projects income, expenses, and transfers onto a calendar so you can see exactly when money moves in and out.
Data sovereignty: Your data stays under your control. In RainCheq, your financial data lives on your device. We don't store it on our servers, sell it, or share it. You own it.
Debt: Money you owe. It can be a loan, credit card balance, or other obligation. Forecasting can include debt payments so you see how they affect your balances.
Envelope / envelope savings: A way to set aside money for specific goals or categories within an account. You allocate a portion of your balance to an "envelope" (e.g. vacation, emergency fund). RainCheq is envelope-aware: forecasts can show when each envelope will have enough.
Envelope-aware planning: Forecasting that respects your envelopes. Instead of only projecting one total balance, the app projects how much will be in each envelope over time, so you can plan around specific goals.
Expense: Money going out: bills, purchases, subscriptions, transfers to savings. Recurring expenses repeat on a schedule (e.g. rent monthly).
Forecasting (financial): Projecting your future account balances based on your income, expenses, and other activity. RainCheq runs this on your device so you can see weeks, months, or even years ahead without sending your data to someone else's server.
Income: Money coming in: paychecks, side gigs, interest, etc. Recurring income repeats on a schedule and is used in forecasting to project future balances.
Local-first: Software that stores and processes your data on your device first. You can use it offline; no server is required for core features. RainCheq is local-first: your financial data never has to leave your machine.
Net worth: What you own (assets) minus what you owe (liabilities). It's a snapshot of your overall financial position. RainCheq focuses on cash flow and balances; net worth is a broader concept.
On-device: Computed or stored on your phone or computer, not on a company's servers. RainCheq does forecasting on-device so your transactions and balances stay private.
Overdraft: When an account balance goes below zero (you've spent more than you had). Forecasting can help you see when you might run low and avoid overdrafts.
Recurring activity: Income, expenses, or transfers that repeat on a schedule (e.g. weekly, monthly). RainCheq uses your recurring activity to project future balances.
Savings: Money you set aside for later: emergency fund, retirement, etc. Envelope savings is one way to allocate savings by purpose.
Transaction: A single movement of money in or out of an account: a purchase, a paycheck, a transfer. RainCheq can use past transactions and recurring activity to project future balances.
Waterfall chart: Also known as a Sankey diagram, this chart shows the flow of funds between income streams, accounts, and various expenses over time.