Obsidra Ledger

Help & setup

Everything you need to get Ledger running and keep your data safe. Stuck? Email ObsidraLabs@gmail.com.

Install (2 minutes)

1. Unzip the download somewhere permanent, like your Documents folder. Don't run it from inside the zip, and don't move the folder later.
2. Double-click Make desktop shortcut. An Obsidra Ledger icon appears on your desktop.
3. Open Ledger from that icon. It opens in its own window using Edge or Chrome.

Activate

The first time it opens, paste the license key from your purchase email, tick the box to agree to the license, and press Activate. You only do this once per computer. Copy the whole key, from OBSIDRA- to the end.

Add your partner

Use the switch button in the bottom-right corner to add a second person. Each person's tabs are private to them; the Household tab is shared, for splitting bills and seeing who owes who.

Bring in your bank transactions

Most banks have a "Download transactions" option that gives you a CSV file. In Ledger, go to Transactions > Import bank statement and choose the file. Ledger guesses categories, skips likely duplicates, and lets you check everything before it's added.

Safe to spend today

The number at the top of the Dashboard is what you can spend today without coming up short before your next payday. It takes your checking and cash, subtracts bills due before payday and your safety buffer, and spreads the rest over the days left. For the best number, keep your checking balance current in Net worth and add your paycheck in Cash flow.

Money health score

The score on the Dashboard (0 to 100) adds up five things: how much of your income you keep, months of expenses in your emergency fund, debt compared with your income, bills paid on time, and spending against your plan. It shows the change since last week and the one step that would raise it most. Hover a bar to see its points.

“What if?” planner

At the bottom of Cash flow, pick an example (new car, baby, a raise, moving, paying off a debt) or type your own monthly income change, cost change and one-time cost. Use a minus sign for less, like -200. Ledger compares now and the what-if side by side: money left each month, cash in 90 days, your lowest cash point, emergency fund and net worth in 5 and 10 years. Nothing is saved, so try as many as you like.

Smart rules

Settings > Smart rules. Type a word from your notes (like costco) and pick a category. New entries and bank imports with that word go straight into that category, and Apply to past entries fixes older ones.

Lock Ledger with a passcode

Settings > App lock & encryption > Turn on app lock. Your data on this computer is then encrypted (AES-256) and Ledger asks for the passcode when it opens and after 15 minutes of no activity. Backups you download are encrypted with it too. There's no way to recover a forgotten passcode, so download a backup before you turn it on and keep the passcode somewhere safe.

Year-end tax pack

On the Business tab, press Year-end tax pack (PDF). You get business income, expenses sorted into Schedule C lines (based on the words in each note), mileage, home office and quarterly payments, plus a CSV for your tax preparer. Check the sorting with your preparer; it's an organizer, not tax advice.

Update investment prices

In Portfolio, press Update prices. Type today's price next to each symbol, or paste a list like VTI 285.12, one per line. Ledger Online updates prices for you automatically.

Back up your data

Your data lives only on your computer, so back it up every week or two: Settings > Backup & restore > Download backup. Keep the file somewhere safe, like a USB drive or cloud folder.

Moving to a new computer

1. On the old computer, download a backup.
2. On the new one, install Ledger and activate it with your key.
3. Settings > Backup & restore, choose your backup file, and restore.

Questions

Is my financial data uploaded anywhere? No. Ledger Offline keeps everything on your computer. Obsidra Labs never sees it.

Does it connect to my bank? No bank login, ever. You import the CSV your bank gives you, when you want to.

Mac or phone? Ledger Offline is for Windows for now.

I opened it and everything's empty. Open it with the desktop icon. Opening the .html file directly, or with a different browser, starts a separate empty copy. Your data is still there in the usual one.

I lost my license key. Email ObsidraLabs@gmail.com from the address you bought with and I'll resend it.

Forecasts, tax estimates and insights in Ledger are guides for planning, not financial, tax or legal advice.