Goal Tracking Modes
The three ways a goal's balance can move in Forbidden Finance: contributions you record, mirroring a linked account, or sharing one account between several goals, and how to switch between them.
Overview
Every goal has exactly one tracking mode, and it decides one thing: what is allowed to move that goal's balance.
That is the entire scope of the setting, and the app says so the moment you open the chooser, "A tracking mode decides what is allowed to move this goal's balance. Nothing else about the goal changes." Your target, your target date, your history, your linked budget items and your spending plan behave the same in every mode. The only thing that changes is where the balance number comes from.
The Three Modes
| Mode | What moves the balance | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| You record the money | Contributions you record, and any linked budget item | Every plan, this is the default |
| Mirror an account balance | The linked account's live balance | Starter or higher |
| Share an account with other goals | Each goal's share of the money arriving in one account | Pro or higher |
You record the money
"The balance moves when you record a contribution, or when a linked budget item funds it. This is how goals have always worked."
This is what every goal starts as, and it is how goals behaved before tracking modes existed. If you never open the chooser, nothing about your goals changes.
Mirror an account balance
"The goal becomes the account's live balance. Nothing is recorded by hand — the number follows the account."
Mirroring needs a linked savings account and Starter or higher. It suits a goal whose money lives in an account of its own: instead of keeping two numbers in step, you keep one. See Mirror Mode in Detail below.
Share an account with other goals
"Several goals divide the money that lands in one account, each taking a share you set."
Sharing needs Pro or higher. It is for the very common case where one savings account is quietly holding several plans at once, a holiday fund, next year's insurance, a new laptop. You set each goal's share once, and money arriving in the account is divided by those shares. Setting the shares has its own article: Funding Rules.
When money moves on a shared account and it does not match the shares exactly, Forbidden Finance asks you where it belongs rather than guessing. Those questions collect in an inbox called Money to place, and answering them works on every plan, including Free. See Allocation Decisions.
Where the Chooser Comes From
The chooser is a sheet headed How is this goal tracked?. It reaches you three ways:
- Right after you create a goal with an account link. It is offered automatically, so you can set the goal up in one sitting.
- From the goal's detail screen, using the Change how this is tracked button.
- From a prompt on the goal, headed Choose how this goal is tracked, with the body "It is linked to an account, but nothing in your budget funds it — so nothing is moving its balance." and a Choose a mode button. That prompt appears when a goal has an account attached but nothing is actually driving its balance.
Switching Modes
Open the goal
Go to Goals and tap the goal you want to change.
Open the chooser
Tap Change how this is tracked, or Choose a mode if you are being prompted.
Pick a mode
All three are listed. The one you are on carries a Current badge, and one option may carry a Suggested badge.
Confirm
Tap Use this mode.
When a Mode Is Unavailable
An option you cannot use right now stays on screen, greyed out, with the reason shown next to it. Nothing is hidden from you, and every reason names something you can act on:
| Reason shown | What to do about it |
|---|---|
| "Link a savings account to this goal first — a mirror has nothing to read without one." | Link a savings account to the goal, then reopen the chooser. |
| "…already mirrors this account. A mirrored account belongs to exactly one goal." | Another goal names that account as its mirror. Either pick a different account, or move to sharing so both goals can take a share. |
| "This account is shared with other goals, so no single goal can claim its whole balance." | Other goals hold a share of that account. A goal can join the split, but it cannot claim the lot. |
| "Dividing one account between several goals is part of Pro." | Sharing an account between goals needs Pro or Premium. See Subscription Plans. |
Leaving a Mode Is Never Gated
Getting into mirroring needs Starter, and getting into sharing needs Pro. Getting out of either one is available on every plan, deliberately and permanently.
If your subscription lapses, you must always be able to put a goal back under your own control, switch it to You record the money and go on recording contributions by hand. A goal can never be stranded in a mode you are no longer paying for and cannot leave. That would make your own money unmanageable to you, which is not a trade Forbidden Finance is willing to make for a subscription.
Mirror Mode in Detail
Turning mirroring on seeds the goal's balance from the account straight away, you do not wait for the next movement to see the right number.
From then on the account is the only thing that moves the balance. Recording a contribution, recording a withdrawal, or correcting the balance by hand are all refused, and those controls are replaced by a note that says exactly why: "This balance flows from your account. Move the money there and the goal follows."
That is not a limitation to work around; it is the point of the mode. There is one number, and it is the bank's. To move a mirrored goal, move the money in the real account.
You can tell a mirrored goal at a glance:
- On the goal's detail screen, a chip reads Mirrors followed by the account name.
- In your goals list, the goal card carries a Mirrored badge.
An account can mirror only one goal. Two goals both claiming to be the same balance would count the same money twice, so a mirrored account belongs to exactly one goal. If you want several goals in one account, that is what sharing is for.
When a Mirrored Account Becomes Shared
A mirror ends when the account stops belonging to one goal. Two things cause that:
- You link a second goal to the account that is being mirrored.
- The mirroring goal itself chooses Share an account with other goals.
Forbidden Finance never does this quietly. You are asked two questions first.
Acknowledge that the account is being shared
A dialog headed This account is about to be shared explains what is changing, and what is not: "Targets, history and linked spending are untouched. Only what moves the balance changes." Tap Share the account to go on.
Decide what happens to the money already banked
The next question names the goal and asks what happens to what it has banked so far. Two options are offered and neither is preselected, because there is no safe default here. Tap Continue once you have chosen.
Set the shares
Finally you set each goal's share of the account. Until you do, the account has no rule to divide money by.
What happens to the balance it already had
| Choice | What it does |
|---|---|
| Re-split the existing balance by your shares | "The money already in the account is divided now, the same way future deposits will be. You'll set the shares next." |
| Keep current amounts; only new deposits follow shares | "Every goal keeps what it holds today. Money arriving from now on is split by the shares you set." |
Neither option is preselected on purpose. Re-splitting moves money between your goals right now; keeping current amounts does not. Which one is right depends on whether the balance sitting in that account was really only ever for the one goal, and the app has no way to know that. Only you do.
When it does go through, you see The account is now shared by your shares. From that point the goals split what arrives, and the questions that do not fit the shares go to Money to place.
Choosing the Account to Link
Both mirroring and sharing read from a linked account, so which account you pick matters more than it used to.
The picker is headed Link Savings Account and lists your checking and savings accounts. Investment accounts are not listed.
If you tap a checking account, you get advice rather than a refusal: "Checking accounts move constantly — goal tracking works best on a dedicated savings account", with a Link anyway action right beside it. It is guidance, never a block, and there are times a checking account is genuinely what you want.
The advice is worth taking for mirroring in particular. A mirrored goal is the account balance, so if that account also pays your rent and buys your groceries, an emergency fund goal will swing by hundreds of dollars a week and tell you nothing useful. An account that only goes up is what makes a mirror worth having.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to choose a mode?
No. Goals track the money you record unless you say otherwise, which is exactly how they have always worked. The chooser is offered, never forced, and closing it leaves your goal working normally.
Will switching modes lose my history or reset my target?
No. A tracking mode decides what is allowed to move the balance and nothing else. Your target, target date, contribution history, linked budget items and spending plan all survive the switch untouched.
Can I record a contribution to a mirrored goal?
No, contributions, withdrawals and balance corrections are all refused while a goal mirrors an account, and the controls are replaced by a note telling you so. Move the money in the account instead and the goal follows.
Can two goals mirror the same account?
No. A mirrored account belongs to exactly one goal, because two goals claiming the same balance would count that money twice. If several goals need to live in one account, use Share an account with other goals instead.
What happens if my subscription lapses while a goal is mirroring or sharing?
You can always move the goal back to You record the money. Leaving a mode is never tier-gated on any plan, only entering mirroring (Starter) and setting up shares (Pro) are.
Can I link an investment account to a goal?
Not from this picker. The Link Savings Account sheet lists checking and savings accounts only.
Can a goal mirror an account held in another currency?
No. A mirror republishes the account's balance as it stands, so the goal and the account have to be in the same currency. Converting it would mean restating your balance at a rate nobody chose, and a goal quietly reporting the wrong number is worse than a mode you cannot select. Set the goal to the account's currency, or track it with recorded contributions instead.
Where do I set each goal's share of an account?
In the shares editor for that account, reachable from a rule-split goal's detail screen. See Funding Rules.
Related Articles
Funding Rules
Set each goal's share of one savings account.Allocation Decisions
Answer the questions a shared account raises.Linking Budgets and Accounts
Connect goals to your budget and your bank.Goals Overview
How goals work, and how they sit alongside your budget.Subscription Plans
What each plan includes.Need more help? Contact us at [email protected].