Built different
Features built for the self-employed
Every feature in Steward is designed around how freelancers and self-employed individuals actually manage their money.
Budget the way you earn
Paycheck-Based Budgeting
Traditional budgeting apps assume monthly paychecks. Steward builds budgets around your actual pay cycle — bi-weekly, semi-monthly, or irregular freelance income. Your Safe to Spend amount tells you exactly how much you can spend before your next paycheck.
- Safe to Spend calculation front and center
- 50/30/20 framework adapted for self-employment
- Automatic pay cycle detection
- Real-time budget tracking with progress bars
Every transaction, instantly sorted
AI-Powered Categorization
Steward uses AI to categorize every transaction as it arrives. No more sorting through hundreds of charges manually. When confidence is low, it flags transactions for your review — you're always in control.
- Automatic category assignment with confidence scoring
- Custom categories for your business
- Learn from your corrections over time
- Bulk review for low-confidence items
IRS Schedule C, automated
Year-Round Tax Engine
Stop scrambling at tax time. Steward identifies potential deductions throughout the year, mapping them to IRS Schedule C categories. Track home office expenses, vehicle deductions, software subscriptions, and more — all with documentation reminders.
- 19 IRS Schedule C categories pre-configured
- Conservative deduction identification (flagging uncertain items)
- Quarterly estimated tax tracking
- YTD deduction summaries by category
Direct, honest financial guidance
Stuart, Your AI Adviser
Stuart is your personal financial adviser who knows your complete financial picture. Ask about spending trends, get budget recommendations, or explore tax strategies. Stuart connects your spending to your goals and gives actionable advice — not generic tips.
- Full context of your accounts, budgets, and goals
- Proactive insights about spending patterns
- Goal tracking and strategy recommendations
- Available 24/7 — no appointment needed
Powered by Plaid
Secure Bank Connections
Connect all your bank accounts, credit cards, and financial accounts securely through Plaid. Your bank credentials never touch Steward's servers. Transactions sync automatically so your dashboard is always up to date.
- Support for thousands of financial institutions
- Bank credentials handled entirely by Plaid
- Automatic daily transaction sync
- Multi-account balance tracking
Track what matters
Financial Goals
Set goals for debt payoff, emergency savings, tax reserves, or anything else. Steward tracks your progress and Stuart helps you strategize. See exactly how your daily spending impacts your long-term goals.
- Debt payoff, savings, tax reserve, and custom goals
- Progress tracking with visual indicators
- Priority-based goal ordering
- AI-powered strategy recommendations