Personal Finances Dashboard

Inspiration

Finance plays a crucial role in our daily lives, yet many people lack the tools to make sound financial decisions or track their spending effectively. This often leads to overspending and difficulty managing finances. Our project addresses this challenge by helping individuals track expenses, gain control over their spending, and reach their savings goals.

What it does

Connected Plaid API to our login page , a user can connect their bank details using plaid.

Seamlessly Connect Financial Accounts Using the Plaid API: Leveraging the power of the Plaid API, our app securely connects with user-permissioned financial account data. This integration opens endless possibilities for connecting financial apps and services, giving you a comprehensive view of all your financial information in one place.

Categorize and Track Monthly Spending: See a breakdown of your spending each month, categorized by type, so you know exactly where your money goes. By helping you understand spending habits, our app empowers you to make informed choices and prioritize your budget.

Gain Predictive Insights with the AMIRA Forecasting Graph: AMIRA’s advanced predictive forecasting technology displays your monthly spending patterns and forecasts future expenses based on past behavior. This feature allows you to anticipate upcoming costs and plan ahead with confidence.

How we built it

Challenges we ran into

Integrating Front-End and Back-End Connections: As this was our first hackathon, we faced challenges in connecting the front end with the back end. Despite the initial difficulties, we used this as an opportunity for growth and learning, gaining valuable experience in full-stack development.

Implementing Themes in a Financial App: Adding customizable themes to our app was a new experience for us, especially given the unique design considerations for a financial application. However, this challenge pushed us to explore UI/UX principles that are user-friendly and visually appealing.

Ensuring Data Security and Compliance: Handling sensitive financial data presented the challenge of maintaining security and compliance with industry standards. We dedicated extra time to researching best practices for data handling, encryption, and user permission protocols to ensure a safe experience for users. Technical Challenges: Compatibility Issues on Windows

WSL and Docker Compatibility: Running Docker inside Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) proved to be a major hurdle. WSL 2, required for full Docker support, demands specific configuration adjustments that were not initially in place. As a result, we spent approximately three hours troubleshooting, reconfiguring settings, and testing various fixes to get Docker running. This process highlighted the need for better compatibility or documentation to support cross-platform development in hackathons.

Obsolete Version of Plaid API: We encountered an outdated version of the Plaid API within a cloned git project, leading to numerous compatibility issues. This meant adapting the project to work with the latest Plaid version, requiring significant adjustments and reworking. Handling version management of dependencies while merging updated code added complexity, particularly within a fast-paced hackathon environment where every minute counts. Conceptualizing the Finance App

Seamless Integration of Bank Accounts: One of our primary goals was to create a user-friendly experience by seamlessly integrating bank account data, rather than relying on manual input. This led us to discover Plaid, which offers a robust solution for connecting bank accounts securely. However, understanding how to implement Plaid’s API effectively posed additional challenges, as we needed to ensure that the integration aligned with our app’s functionality and user experience.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Accomplishments Successfully Integrated the Plaid API: We managed to seamlessly integrate the Plaid API, allowing secure access to user financial data with minimal setup time. This integration enabled users to connect multiple financial accounts, enhancing the app’s utility and functionality.

Built Predictive Forecasting with AMIRA: We implemented the AMIRA Forecasting Graph, which not only displays users’ spending patterns but also predicts future spending trends. This accomplishment brought a unique, forward-looking element to our app, making it truly valuable for financial planning.

Developed a Clean, User-Friendly Interface with Custom Themes: Despite limited experience, we designed and implemented multiple themes to provide a personalized user experience. This accomplishment enriched the app’s aesthetic appeal and usability, allowing users to engage more comfortably with their financial data.

What we learned

We learned to integrate the Plaid API into our IDE, developed both the backend and frontend of a website, and explored the functionality of various libraries. Most importantly, we gained valuable experience in teamwork, communication, and taking accountability for our contributions.

What's next for Personal Finances Dashboard

Integrating the login page to our finances dashboard, complying to legal requirements

Built With

• api
• django
• javascript
• plaid
• postgresql
• python
• streamlit