--- title: "Blog - SelfCapsule" description: "Insights on personal finance, privacy, and local-first software." url: "https://selfcapsule.com/blog" image: "https://selfcapsule.com/og/default.png" --- Blog # Insights Thoughts on personal finance, privacy, and building software that respects its users. [Revolut Gave Customer Passports to a Fake Government Request. What It Teaches About Your Data](https://selfcapsule.com/blog/revolut-fake-government-request): September 14, 2026 Revolut released customer ID documents and account data to someone using a real government email domain. How the trick works, what affected customers should do, and why the number of copies of your financial data matters. Read more [Self-Hosted Personal Finance Without Running a Server: A Practical Guide](https://selfcapsule.com/blog/self-hosted-personal-finance): May 19, 2026 A practical guide to self-hosted personal finance for r/selfhosted readers. Compares server-tier tools (Actual Budget, Firefly III) with local-only options (GnuCash, SelfCapsule). Read more [The Hidden Privacy Cost of AI Features in Your Budgeting App](https://selfcapsule.com/blog/ai-features-budgeting-app-privacy-cost): April 21, 2026 Budgeting apps now answer questions about your money with AI. Here is what happens to your transaction history when you ask one, and how a local-first app answers on your device. Read more [What a Bank-Linked Budgeting App Actually Sees About You](https://selfcapsule.com/blog/what-bank-linked-budgeting-apps-actually-see): April 21, 2026 When you connect your bank to a budgeting app, the data pulled in is much broader than the transactions on your dashboard. Here is what the aggregator actually receives, who else gets it, and how long it lives there. Read more [Best YNAB Alternatives That Don't Require a Bank Login (2026)](https://selfcapsule.com/blog/best-ynab-alternatives-privacy-2026): April 8, 2026 YNAB costs $109 a year and is built around linked bank accounts. These private budgeting apps let you manage money without handing over a bank login. Read more [I Tracked My Spending for 90 Days Completely Offline. Here's What Changed](https://selfcapsule.com/blog/tracking-spending-offline-90-days): April 6, 2026 What happens when you ditch cloud finance apps and track every dollar on a desktop app with no internet? A 90-day experiment in private, intentional budgeting. Read more [Personal Finance Without Subscriptions: Why One-Time Purchase Software Is Making a Comeback](https://selfcapsule.com/blog/personal-finance-without-subscriptions): April 4, 2026 Major budgeting subscriptions cost $99.99 to $109 a year. Over three years that is $300 or more. Here is why one-time purchase tools are returning. Read more [How to Budget Without an Account](https://selfcapsule.com/blog/how-to-budget-privately-without-account): April 2, 2026 Most finance apps want your email, bank login, and personal data before you start. Here is how to set up a private budget in 15 minutes with no account required. Read more [Why Local-First Software Is the Future of Personal Finance](https://selfcapsule.com/blog/why-local-first): March 12, 2026 Finance apps collect massive amounts of personal data, and breaches are rising fast. Learn what local-first software is, why it matters for your money, and how to take back control of your financial data. Read more ```json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Blog", "name": "SelfCapsule Blog", "description": "Insights on personal finance, privacy, and local-first software.", "url": "https://selfcapsule.com/blog", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "SelfCapsule", "url": "https://selfcapsule.com" }, "blogPost": [ { "@type": "BlogPosting", "headline": "Revolut Gave Customer Passports to a Fake Government Request. What It Teaches About Your Data", "description": "Revolut released customer ID documents and account data to someone using a real government email domain. 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A 90-day experiment in private, intentional budgeting.", "datePublished": "2026-04-06T00:00:00.000Z", "author": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "SelfCapsule Team" }, "url": "https://selfcapsule.com/blog/tracking-spending-offline-90-days", "mainEntityOfPage": "https://selfcapsule.com/blog/tracking-spending-offline-90-days" }, { "@type": "BlogPosting", "headline": "Personal Finance Without Subscriptions: Why One-Time Purchase Software Is Making a Comeback", "description": "Major budgeting subscriptions cost $99.99 to $109 a year. Over three years that is $300 or more. Here is why one-time purchase tools are returning.", "datePublished": "2026-04-04T00:00:00.000Z", "author": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "SelfCapsule Team" }, "url": "https://selfcapsule.com/blog/personal-finance-without-subscriptions", "mainEntityOfPage": "https://selfcapsule.com/blog/personal-finance-without-subscriptions" }, { "@type": "BlogPosting", "headline": "How to Budget Without an Account", "description": "Most finance apps want your email, bank login, and personal data before you start. 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