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The truly available amount in large type, then the ring: outside, each account's share; inside, what is free, provisioned or owed. When an account has not been reconciled for 30 days, a banner reminds you.
Ma Marge
What you can really spend.
Ma Marge
Because a bank balance doesn't tell you what you can spend. Part of that money is already spoken for: the taxes due at year end, the health insurance premium, the bill that hasn't gone through yet. Many people know it, few can see it, and that is where nasty surprises come from.
Ma Marge starts from a conviction: managing money is not about spreadsheets or heroic discipline, it is about seeing clearly. When you can see what is free and what is committed, good decisions become easy, and money stops being a source of worry.
How
- One number at the centre
- the truly available amount: what sits in your checking accounts and your wallet, minus what you owe short term, minus what you have set aside. Never the gross balance.
- Set aside before spending
- you set your own provisions (taxes, health insurance, whatever you like) and Ma Marge deducts them from the available amount from the first day of the month. The app computes nothing for you.
- A balance that lives with you
- you reconcile your account once, then every income and expense you record moves the balance. Every 30 days, Ma Marge suggests reconciling again.
- Think before you buy
- type an amount, see what would be left, and whether that purchase eats into your provisions.
- Learn the words when you are ready
- everything is explained in everyday language; accounting vocabulary only appears if you ask for it.
What you will find
- If you are starting out
- a six-page introduction, a first-steps list that ticks itself, a “?” button next to every concept, sample data. Three habits are enough: record expenses the same day (small ones grouped into one line), set aside from payday, reconcile once a month.
- If you already manage a budget
- several accounts (bank, prepaid card, savings, piggy bank, investment, credit card, loan), transfers, assets, debts and net worth, a chart showing where your available money comes from, your choice of currency, negative amounts your way.
- If you are taking an accounting course
- an advanced mode following the Swiss SME chart of accounts or the French general chart: double-entry journal, income statement, balance sheet, ledger, printable PDF export. Nothing extra to enter.
What Ma Marge is not
Not a bank link: Ma Marge connects to no bank and reads no payments. Not a tax calculator: you enter your own estimate. Not a service: no server, no account, no data collected. Everything stays on your device, with private iCloud as an option.
Step by step
Accounts
Bank, Revolut, savings, piggy bank, investment, credit card… Each account has its own reference balance and is reconciled separately; below, assets, debts and net worth. Tap an account for its statement.
Transactions
Expenses, income and transfers, monthly or one-off, each attached to an account. No need to record every cent: group the day's small expenses into one line, reconciliation catches the rest.
Provisions
What you set aside each month for upcoming bills: taxes, health insurance premium, whatever you like. You set the amount, Ma Marge deducts it from the available money from the first day of the month.
The month's balance
Income, expenses, provisions and the month's margin: what is left. Collapse or expand each heading; move from month to month; in the Year view, the linear projection.
Advanced mode
For anyone taking an accounting course: double-entry journal, income statement, balance sheet and ledger, following the Swiss SME chart of accounts or the French general chart. Printable PDF export.
Frequently asked questions
My balance doesn't match my bank's. Is that a problem?
No: the balance in Ma Marge is computed from your entries, and one forgotten expense is enough to make it drift. Reconcile the account (enter the bank's actual balance again) and the counters restart from there. That is by design, it is even the good habit: once a month, on payday.
Do I have to record every coffee?
No. Group the day's small expenses into a single line entered in the evening, round, use a flat monthly amount for groceries if you always buy the same things. The goal is an accurate balance with as little effort as possible, not bookkeeping to the cent.
How does the app know my taxes?
It doesn't, and it doesn't compute them: it would be wrong in half the cantons. You enter your own monthly estimate, from your canton's tax calculator or your insurance policy, and Ma Marge treats it as a reserve.
Where is my data?
On your device, and nowhere else. There is no server, no account, no analytics. If you turn on iCloud in Settings, an encrypted copy goes to your private iCloud space, for your other devices; the app's author has no access to it.
Can I pick my currency?
Yes: CHF by default, EUR, USD or GBP in Settings. The currency only changes the display, no amount is converted. Negative amounts your way: minus sign or parentheses, red or black.
What is the piggy bank for?
It is a small bank: a starting amount, deposits, withdrawals. It counts towards the truly available amount, because it is money you can spend tomorrow. Savings and investments, on the other hand, stay out of the available amount.
What about iPad and Mac?
The app is designed for iPhone and iPad. A Mac version is planned; iCloud sync is already in place to prepare for it.
I'm taking an accounting course. Which chart of accounts does advanced mode follow?
The Swiss SME chart of accounts, with the one-line journal (debit, credit, amount) and amounts like 1'450.00, as in the textbooks. The French general chart is also available. Journal, income statement, balance sheet and ledger are derived from your entries, nothing extra to enter.