GrowYourDoughGirl

GrowYourDoughGirl gives you simple and clear financial guidance based on your life goals. It helps you understand savings, investing, and key accounts so you can build confidence and long term wealth.

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Inspiration

GrowYourDoughGirl began with a simple curiosity about financial planning tools. At first, we did not realize how deep the issue was, but through research we discovered that only one in six women feel confident in reaching their long term financial goals. That statistic shocked us and made us want to understand why financial confidence is so low. As we dug deeper, we noticed that most financial tools are filled with jargon, overwhelming steps, and little personalization. This inspired us to create a platform that makes financial planning simple, approachable, and rooted in real life milestones.

What it does

GrowYourDoughGirl provides personalized financial guidance based on a user’s life stage, goals, and major milestones. After answering a short onboarding questionnaire, the platform builds a custom timeline that explains which financial accounts and savings priorities matter most, such as the emergency fund, TFSA, FHSA, RRSP, or maternity planning. Each item links to a clear educational page that explains what the account is, why it matters, and how to get started. For maternity and parental leave, the app includes an income gap calculator that shows how much income a user might lose during leave, helping them plan with confidence. We also implemented an AI robo advisor powered by Gemini to assist users with financial questions, provide real time explanations, and support them through any uncertainties they may have along their financial journey.

How we built it

We built the platform using React and TypeScript for structure and UI, React Router for navigation, and Tailwind CSS for styling. Framer Motion brings the interface to life with smooth and intuitive animations. Firebase Authentication manages user accounts, while Firestore stores onboarding data and preferences. We deployed the app with Firebase Hosting and integrated a custom domain. The timeline logic was created by mapping onboarding inputs to a dynamic ordering of financial milestones, ensuring each user receives a personalized and relevant experience.

Challenges we ran into

One major challenge was translating broad onboarding answers into a timeline that feels personal and accurate. Designing logic that adapts to different life stages required research, testing, and refinement. Another challenge was ensuring animations felt fluid rather than overwhelming. Balancing motion with usability took several iterations.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are proud of creating a financial tool that feels friendly and understandable rather than intimidating. We are proud of the personalized timeline, which takes complex financial concepts and presents them in a simple and meaningful way. Building a fully animated interface, a real time maternity income gap calculator, and a multi page educational system were big wins for us. We are also proud that we took a problem we did not initially recognize and transformed it into something that can genuinely help people build financial confidence.

What we learned

We learned how to use Firebase Authentication, Firestore, and Hosting to build a complete user experience from login to deployment. We gained experience with React Router, state management, component architecture, animation design, and TypeScript typing. We also learned a lot about Canadian financial accounts and how to break down complex systems in a way that is easy to understand. Most importantly, we learned how meaningful it is to build something that addresses a real confidence gap that affects so many people.

What's next for GrowYourDoughGirl

Next, we plan to expand the platform with interactive tools, including goal based savings calculators, long term wealth projections, and personalized reminders. We want to introduce smarter recommendations powered by user data, add more financial milestones, and integrate budgeting tools. Ultimately, our goal is to continue building a platform that empowers people to understand their money and feel confident in their financial future.

Built With

  • firebase-authentication
  • firebase-hosting
  • firestore
  • framermotion
  • geminiapi
  • react
  • tailwind
  • typescript
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