Why Finance Quest has no bank sync

• Privacy. A bank link gives a third party ongoing access to your transactions. With no link, there is nothing of that kind for us to hold or lose. Lab inputs are processed in your browser. Results you choose to keep are saved to your account only if you sign in.
• Breakage. Bank connections run through intermediaries and can fail when a bank changes its login or a link expires. A lab that depends on one stops working when it does. A lab that takes typed numbers always works.
• Education. The course teaches how a decision works. Entering the rate, the balance, and the payment yourself shows you which input moves the answer. A feed of transactions does not.

The FDIC explains the risks of linking accounts to third-party apps in Banking with third-party apps, which chapter 2 also links.

This choice costs you something, and we would rather say so.

• You enter every number by hand, which takes longer.
• A number you typed can be wrong or out of date. A synced balance would be current.
• Nothing tracks your spending or net worth for you. The monthly check-in saves a snapshot only when you run it.

If you want automatic tracking, a budgeting app that links accounts does that. Before you link an account, read what the app collects, who it shares data with, and how you revoke access.

Questions about this choice are welcome on the contact page.