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Cashing Up with Apocha

How to Cash Up in 10 Minutes: A Step-by-Step Tutorial​

Now that you understand why cashing up matters, let's walk through how to do it in Apocha. The app's hierarchical account structure makes this process intuitive and powerful.

Step 1: Sign Up and Log In​

Head to the Apocha login page. If you're new, click "Sign up here" (it's free and quick). Enter your email and password, or use "Sign in with Google" for ease. Once in, you'll see a clean empty dashboard showing $0.00 across assets, liabilities, and net worth. This is your blank canvas for financial control.

Step 2: Access the Accounts Section​

Open Apocha and navigate to the Accounts section from the left sidebar. This is your financial command center where you'll set up your entire account hierarchy.

Step 3: Start Creating Your Accounts​

Click the blue "New..." button at the bottom right to begin adding accounts. You'll be presented with a dialog to configure each account.

Step 4: Set Up Individual Accounts First​

For each real account you have, you'll need to fill in several fields:

  • Parent account: This is optional for now. We'll cover hierarchies in a moment. For individual accounts, you can leave this blank or select a category you've already created.

  • Account name: Give it a clear, recognizable name like "Joint Account", "Marcus", "Sarah", or "Washing machine" (for tracking a financed purchase).

  • Account type: Choose from options like Bank Account, Consumer Loan, Precious Metal, Credit Card, etc. This determines how the account behaves in calculations.

  • Currency: Select the appropriate currency (USD, EUR, XAU for gold, BTC for Bitcoin, etc.). Apocha supports multiple currencies, which is perfect if you hold international accounts or assets like precious metals.

  • Opening balance: This is your cashing up moment. Enter the exact current balance of this account. For bank accounts, this is straightforward. For a consumer loan, enter the negative amount you owe (like -$350.00 for the washing machine loan). For precious metals, enter the quantity you own (like 1 for 1 ounce of gold).

  • Opening date: You can specify when this balance is effective, useful for backdating if needed.

  • Special options:

    • Check "This is an illiquid value" for assets that can't or shall not quickly be converted to cash (like real estate or vehicles).
    • Check "This is an account group without an initial stock and transactions" for parent/category accounts that will only contain sub-accounts.

Step 5: Create Your Account Hierarchy​

Here's where Apocha's unique power comes into play. Instead of a flat list of accounts, you can create a hierarchy that reflects how you think about money.

For basic net worth tracking, create parent categories like:

  • Bank Accounts containing Joint Account, Marcus, Sarah as children
  • Real Estate to group the estimated value of your home and your mortgage together
  • Liabilities containing Washing machine or other consumer loans as a child
  • Investments containing Maple Leaf - Gold or Bitcoin as a child

When creating a parent account group, set the account name (like "Bank Accounts"), choose the appropriate account type, select your base currency, and importantly, check the box for "This is an account group without an initial stock and transactions." You don't need to enter the sum of all children accounts as an opening balance. Apocha will automatically aggregate the balances of all child accounts.

For envelope budgeting, you could create the following groups:

  • Monthly Budget containing Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4 as children
  • Spending Categories for Groceries, Transportation, Entertainment
  • Sinking Funds to save for a new phone or vacation, or filling an emergency fund

Step 6: Verify Your Total Net Worth​

After entering all your accounts, look at the dashboard. Apocha automatically calculates your:

  • Liquid assets: Cash and equivalents that can be quickly accessed
  • Liabilities: What you owe
  • Illiquid assets: Assets that take time to convert to cash
  • Liquid net worth: Liquid assets minus liabilities
  • Net worth: Liquid assets plus illiquid assets minus liabilities

This dashboard view is your financial baseline—your starting point for all future tracking.

Step 7: Double-Check for Accuracy​

Before moving forward, verify:

  • All accounts are entered in the list. Don't forget your wallets, your piggy bank, the banknote in your smartphone case, ....
  • All account balances match your actual statements
  • Debts are entered as negative amounts
  • Currency selections are correct (especially important for precious metals in XAU)
  • The aggregated totals make sense based on what you know about your finances
  • Parent accounts show the sum of their children correctly

You're Ready to Track​

By cashing up in Apocha, you're not just listing numbers. You're building a robust budgeting system with hierarchical financial accounts. This sets you up for smarter expense tracking and money management.

Now that you've completed cashing up in Apocha, every transaction you record will automatically update these balances, keeping your net worth calculation accurate. The hierarchical structure you've created will help you see both the big picture and the details whenever you need them. Remember to estimate the value of your cars, art objects and other valuables at least once every quarter to keep these numbers up to date. For that you can e.g. book transactions for increase or loss in value.

Your financial journey doesn't start when you make your next purchase or deposit. It has started right now, with an honest accounting of where you stand today. Congratulations.

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