How Melvi calculates what is left
What is left is the money that comes in during the month, minus the expenses and commitments that fall due in it. The math is done in code, with fixed rules. Artificial intelligence only explains the result.
Updated
The math in one line
What's left this month = money in this month − expenses this month − commitments due this month
For the current month, what's left is partial: money can still come in and go out, and Melvi says so next to the number. For the months ahead, it is a projection based on the amounts and dates known today.
Each amount is stored in cents, as a whole number, never as a floating-point number. That way, the parts always add up to the total, with no cent lost to rounding.
Which month each expense counts in
To work out what's left, what counts is the month in which the money leaves your account.
- Cash, Pix, and debit: they count on the day they are posted.
- Credit card: the purchase or installment counts in the month of the card bill in which it is charged, not in the month of the purchase.
- Without the card's closing date: Melvi uses the month of the transaction and says that it is an approximation.
The spending view by category uses a different rule, the month of the spending, because it answers a different question: where the money went, not how much is still going out.
Installments and card bills, without counting twice
An installment purchase counts at the value of each installment, in the month it is charged. The later installments stay in their own months. The total value of the purchase can be looked up, but it is not added again.
Paying the card bill does not add again the purchases that were already on it. And interest, fines, and charges on the card or the overdraft show up separately, as high-interest debt, so they do not mix with spending.
What is neither income nor spending
- A transfer between your own accounts is not new money or an expense.
- Saving into the emergency fund or a goal is not a gain: the money has moved to another place.
- Your card limit is not money, and an investment you cannot withdraw quickly does not count toward the emergency fund.
- Amounts in another currency are not added to amounts in reais without an identified conversion.
The terms Melvi uses
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| What's left this month | Money in, minus expenses and commitments for the month, counted by the money that leaves the account. |
| Future commitment | A bill you have already taken on, with a known amount and date, such as an installment, a card bill, or a recurring boleto (a Brazilian payment slip). |
| Monthly cushion | The amount you decide to leave unassigned, as a safety margin for the month. |
| Saving capacity | What's left, minus the monthly cushion. It shows how much you can save without squeezing the month. |
| Available margin | Saving capacity minus what is already planned for the emergency fund and goals. When it is negative, it shows how much is still needed to follow the plan, not that the account is in the red. |
| Emergency fund | The money you set aside for emergencies, which you can use right away. |
| High-interest debt | Debt with high, recurring interest, such as revolving credit on a card, a partly paid card bill, or an overdraft. |
The role of artificial intelligence
Every official number in Melvi comes from a calculation in code, with fixed rules that always give the same result for the same data. Artificial intelligence does not calculate or make up amounts. It explains the result, answers questions, and suggests the next step, which only counts after you confirm it.
Every answer with a number shows the period, the sources, and the parts it is made of, so you can check it. When a piece of data is missing, Melvi says what is missing instead of filling it in with a guess.
Where the data comes from
In the free quiz, the first result uses only what you answer, without connecting any bank. After you subscribe, you choose the sources, and you can combine them:
- Open Finance: the connection you authorize with your bank. It is optional and read-only.
- Statement: your bank's file in PDF, CSV, or OFX.
- By hand: you enter your accounts, cards, and installments, or tell Melvi about them.
A projection is only as good as the data it receives. If a bill changes amount or a new one appears, the result changes with it. That is why Melvi shows the assumptions behind each number, and no result is guaranteed.