It Begins

Well, here goes nothing. I have finally found a reason for entering the blogosphere (yes, I am sure that is a newbie thing to say). After years of using a commercial personal finance manager (you know like Quicken - a lot like Quicken), I have decided I want to move on. I'm tired of handing over my personal financial data to someone else's software.

Of course, I'm not sure I have the time to right my own. It might be entertaining, but I have too many other commitments in my life. Buying another package doesn't really help. I would just be handing my fate over to some other entity. No, I want control, but I don't want to write yet another account tracking app.

My idea, then, is to define a file format instead. Specifically, I would like to define the structure for storing financial information, like bank accounts, transactions with info about payee, amount, date, check number, etc. Then I (or others) can whip up small (or large) applications that access the data. I can start out with apps to enter transactions. Maybe one to import data. Add one to report totals. Another to reconcile bank statements. But I would only have to add the pieces I wanted. If the format succeeds, I can start using apps written by other people.

Of course, community feedback would be great. For now, I will use this blog to post my progress and thoughts. At some point, if there is enough interest, I may add forums and a Wiki. We'll see how it goes.