Short answer: You connect Xero once and it keeps your Financials section current automatically; you don't type in numbers or choose a reporting period yourself.
Who can see and complete this
Financials is confidential to your founding group. It opens automatically for the firm owner and any co-founders.
A founder can also share it with one team member, for example a bookkeeper or finance manager who does your numbers. That person then completes the section exactly as described below, including connecting Xero. They cannot disconnect Xero.
If you are a teammate who has not been given this section, you'll see its status on the dashboard with a CONFIDENTIAL chip, but not its contents.
1. Connect Xero
Open the Financials section and use the Xero connect card. This is the same connect action offered in the entry wizard, so if you already connected Xero there, you'll see it as connected here too.
Connecting Xero pulls your Profit & Loss and Balance Sheet data. The connection is read-only, so nothing in your Xero organisation is changed from the portal.
Note: There's no manual option for entering financial statements by hand. Financials data comes from Xero by design.
2. What period should you enter?
You don't choose or enter a reporting period. Once Xero is connected, your Profit & Loss and Balance Sheet data comes through automatically; there's no date range or period selector in this section.
3. Add context (optional)
Use the "Do you have any context or comments you would like to share about the financials and cashflow?" field to note anything that helps interpret the numbers, such as a seasonal dip or a one-off expense.
4. Rolling cashflow budget
Answer "Do you have a rolling cashflow budget?" If you answer Yes, an upload prompt appears so you can attach the spreadsheet.
Can you type numbers manually instead of Xero?
No. The Financials section is built around the Xero connection rather than manual entry. If you don't want to connect Xero yet, you can still use the optional context field and the cashflow budget upload, but the core financial figures only populate once Xero is connected.
Where do book-analysis numbers come from?
Book-analysis figures, like adviser capacity, client numbers, and revenue looked after, don't come from the Financials section. They're calculated in the Optics & Finance section, and they're derived from Your Team: any employee whose role is flagged as an adviser is counted automatically. There's no manual entry of book-analysis numbers anywhere.
Tip: If your book-analysis figures in Optics & Finance look off, check the roles assigned to your team in Your Team rather than looking in Financials.