Goal Tracking Guide
Comprehensive guide to tracking savings goals in NivoaFlow — link-to-account and manual modes, cash flow logic, and best practices.
Track Your Progress Toward Any Financial Goal
Whether you're saving for an emergency fund, a vacation, or a home down payment, NivoaFlow's goal tracking helps you measure progress and stay motivated. Goals are included on all tiers, including Free.
Creating a Goal
- Go to Plan > Goals
- Click Create Goal
- Enter a name, target amount, and optional target date
- Pick a type — sinking fund (for planned spending) or target by date (for long-term goals with a fixed timeline)
- Choose how you'll track it: Link to account or Save up manually
- Click Save Goal
Link-to-Account vs. Manual Goals
Link to Account
Pick a chequing, savings, or line-of-credit account, and goal progress mirrors that account's balance. This is the most accurate option when you have a dedicated account for the goal.
You can choose how the balance is interpreted:
- Entire Balance — the full balance counts as progress
- Percentage — track a portion of the balance (e.g. 50% of a shared savings account)
- Fixed Cap — track up to a set amount (e.g. $10,000 of a TFSA)
Manually adding funds has no effect on an account-linked goal — the linked balance is the source of truth.
Save Up Manually
You log contributions yourself with the Add Funds button on the goal row. Use this when your savings are spread across accounts, when the account isn't connected, or when you simply prefer to record one-off deposits like bonuses, refunds, or birthday money.
See tracking modes for a deeper comparison.
Cash Flow Logic
Understanding how amounts affect goal progress matters:
- Positive amounts push progress forward (e.g. a deposit, a manual contribution)
- Negative amounts pull progress back (e.g. a withdrawal, a corrective entry)
Handling Common Scenarios
| Scenario | Effect on Goal |
|---|---|
| Deposit to a linked savings account | Adds to progress |
| Withdrawal from a linked savings account | Subtracts from progress |
| Transfer between accounts | Mark as transfer — no effect |
| Spending from a linked goal account | Subtracts from progress |
| Credit card payment | Mark as transfer — no effect |
Best Practices
- Use a dedicated account for your most important goals — it's the most accurate tracking method
- Mark transfers correctly so they don't artificially inflate or deflate progress
- Set realistic target dates — aggressive timelines can be demotivating
- Check in weekly to stay aware of your progress
Tips for Accurate Tracking
- Ensure credit card payments and inter-account transfers are marked as transfers
- For manual goals, add contributions promptly so your progress stays current
- Review your account link periodically — if you change the account you save into, update the goal
- If a goal stalls, use the kebab menu to Pause it rather than letting it linger as "behind"