I build systems that handle transactions.
Categorizing them, catching duplicates, reconciling accounts, and flagging the ones a human needs to look at.
If you run more than one company
Logging into two or three bank portals and exporting what's there
Working out which transactions belong to which entity
Finding the transfer between your own accounts that got counted twice
Getting a P&L back that describes a month which ended three weeks ago
many small-business quickbooks setups still require separate entity files and manual consolidation · the work lands on you
Rules run it. You stay last.
FortAspen automatically imports and categorizes bank transactions, isolates transfers and duplicates, routes uncertain or high-risk entries for human approval, and updates separate management reports for each entity.
Your numbers are current while the month is still running, not three weeks after it closed.
Month-end becomes a review — you approve a handful of exceptions instead of rebuilding the ledger by hand.
The work doesn't leave with me. The rules are yours, in your spreadsheet, in plain language you can read and change.
The workflow runs inside your existing Google Workspace. You work with the review queue and the editable rule sheets rather than learning a separate accounting platform.
System Execution Model
Compare fragile manual spreadsheet work with automated transaction routing.
Log into 3+ portals, export CSVs, manually normalize formats.
Fragile spreadsheets; high risk of misattributing entity expense.
Inter-company transfers frequently get double-counted in P&L.
Books close 3 weeks late. Decision makers see outdated numbers.
Transactions pulled directly into your Google Workspace — from QuickBooks or a direct Plaid connection, depending on your setup.
Rules you can read and edit. Matched transactions post automatically; anything else waits for you.
AI only assists when confident. Unrecognized lines wait for review.
Ledger and dashboard figures update as transactions are processed, instead of waiting for month-end.
This is the model the estimate below is based on — see what it would look like at your volume.
Estimate what would still need you
Enter your own numbers. This applies a typical routing split for rule-based transaction processing to your volume — it's an illustrative estimate, not a measurement of your results.
It assumes roughly 9 in 10 transactions match a clear rule and post automatically, with the rest held for your review — a typical split for rule-based routing, not a measurement from a specific client engagement.
Your own results will differ — messier categories and unfamiliar vendors mean more lines reach you, at least at the start.
Any confidence threshold used for automatic routing is a model-reported score, not a guarantee of accuracy, and gets tuned during implementation.
The first two figures apply the illustrative ratio above to your volume. The third is simply your own hours × your own rate — what the time is currently costing, not a saving I am claiming. What the system actually returns is the part of it spent on lines a rule could have handled.
I don't store it
How working with me works
Click any step to view details in focus
A 20-minute fit call
You show me how transactions are handled today. I identify the main bottlenecks, work out whether the system suits your setup, and recommend the next step — including when that means not hiring me.
A short opportunity summary
After a qualified call, I'll send a concise summary of the workflow we discussed, the likely automation opportunity, and the recommended next step within two business days. If I don't think FortAspen is the right answer, I'll say why.
Paperwork before anything is built
A mutual NDA and a short services agreement. Your data stays in your own Google Workspace and bank connection — I never hold a copy, and you can revoke my access at any time without ending the agreement.
A fixed-price pilot
From $1,500. One workflow, one entity, delivered in about two weeks and scoped in writing before work begins. Half at kickoff, half after the agreed acceptance criteria are met.
More complex multi-entity deployments are quoted after discovery.
Ongoing, if it's working
A monthly arrangement covering rule changes, new accounts, and support. Thirty days' notice either way, no reason needed.
Questions people ask before we start
Can you move money out of my accounts?
No. Bank access is read-only through Plaid, and the system has no payment capability. It can read transactions. It cannot initiate anything.
Do you see my banking passwords?
No. You connect your accounts through Plaid yourself, in your own name. Credentials go to your bank, never to me.
Where does my data live?
In your Google Workspace, on your account, billed to you. I don't keep a copy on a server, a database, or my own machine.
What happens if you disappear?
The system keeps running. The rules are in your spreadsheet in plain language, and you can edit them yourself. Nothing depends on me being reachable.
Can I revoke your access?
Any time, from your own admin console, without telling me. Nothing breaks.
What if the AI categorizes something wrong?
It only touches transactions your rules don't recognize, and only above a confidence threshold you set. Below that, it doesn't decide — it hands the transaction to you with a suggestion. Nothing posts without a rule match or your approval.
Are you an accountant?
No. I don't do tax, audit, payroll, or accounting advice. I build the mechanism that handles transactions; your bookkeeper or CPA keeps the judgment.
Do you replace my bookkeeper?
No. Most of my work makes their job faster — fewer manual entries, cleaner data, exceptions surfaced instead of buried.
You're based in Vietnam. How does that work?
I work US mornings, so we overlap. Everything I build lives in your accounts rather than mine, so nothing depends on where I am. And there's an NDA and a services agreement before I'm given access to anything.
What tools and providers do you actually use?
Depending on the engagement: Google Workspace and Sheets for data and dashboards, Google Apps Script for the automation logic, Make.com for workflow orchestration, the selected AI provider for categorization suggestions, and either your existing QuickBooks connection or a direct Plaid bank feed for transaction data — whichever fits what you already have in place. Exact configuration varies by client. FortAspen doesn't offer banking, accounting, tax, audit, or other regulated financial services.
What do you need from me to start?
Read-only bank access, your category list or an hour to build one together, and one person to answer questions. That's it.
How long does a first project take?
Two weeks for one workflow and one entity, scoped in writing before anything starts.
What if it breaks?
You'd see it in the review queue rather than in your books — nothing posts silently. Support response is within two business days, written into the agreement.
Long Nguyen
Seven years in banking and fintech, currently on the systems side of a digital lending product — debt classification, fee calculation, reconciliation, and partner billing where real money moves.
• MSc Finance, Colorado State University
• CFA Level II candidate
• Based in Hanoi · Working US morning hours
