# YPA-FINANCE

_Last updated: 2026-09-12_

> YPA-FINANCE (also written YPA Finance) is a free-to-use personal finance app for iOS and Android that works in 13 languages. It tracks spending, builds a debt payoff plan, explains your credit score, and scans and explains financial documents, all in plain language through AI assistants. It is built for anyone managing money in a second language, including immigrants and first-generation Americans navigating the US financial system.

Languages (13): English, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), French, Polish, Ukrainian, Hebrew, Portuguese, Tagalog (Filipino), Korean, and Vietnamese. The website, blog, guides, and comparison pages are localized in all 13; Arabic and Hebrew use full RTL layouts.

Pricing: the app is free to download and use on iOS and Android. Expense tracking, budgets, the payoff calculator and credit score insights cost nothing. The paid features are Smart Scanner (document scanning and explanation) and Your Custom Assistant. There are no hidden fees, and users can also support the app with an optional voluntary payment. YPA-FINANCE does not sell user data and shows no ads for financial products.

## Get the app

- iOS (App Store): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ypa-finance-you-money-coach/id6739385859
- Android (Google Play): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ypagroup.ypafinance

## Product

- [Free credit card payoff calculator (web)](https://www.ypa.finance/en/credit-card-calculator): No account or bank connection needed. Three modes: how long a given payment takes to clear the balance, what monthly payment reaches a target payoff date, and what the issuer minimum payment costs over time. Enter balance, APR, and payment manually to see total interest, payoff timeline, and the effect of extra payments; compares Debt Snowball and Debt Avalanche. Localized in all 13 languages.
- [Free remittance cost calculator (web)](https://www.ypa.finance/en/remittance-calculator): No account needed. Compares money-transfer providers on the upfront fee AND the exchange-rate margin together, shows what the recipient actually gets, and benchmarks the result against the 6.03% US average (World Bank) and the 3% UN target. Localized in all 13 languages.
- [Calculator PRO (in-app)](https://www.ypa.finance/en/features): Connects to real credit card accounts read-only via Plaid and shows the true cost of debt: actual interest paid per month, payoff timelines, and how extra payments change the outcome, with Snowball and Avalanche strategies.
- [Budget PRO](https://www.ypa.finance/en/features#budget-pro) (free): Tracks income and expenses across categories. Designed for households managing remittances, irregular income, or multiple currencies.
- [Credit Score PRO](https://www.ypa.finance/en/features#credit-score-pro) (free): Explains every factor affecting the user's credit score in plain language (Equifax data via Array, soft pull). Built for people who are new to the US credit system.
- [Smart Scanner](https://www.ypa.finance/en/features/smart-scanner) (paid): Scans and interprets financial documents (bank letters, IRS notices, credit card statements, utility bills, insurance documents) and delivers a plain-language explanation in the user's language. Documents are not stored or shared.
- [Your Custom Assistant](https://www.ypa.finance/en/features/ai-assistant) (paid): A personalized AI financial advisor the user configures (name, appearance, voice, language). Created once, kept on the account.
- Human support: real people via WhatsApp, Telegram, and hello@ypa.finance, in multiple languages.

## Who it is for

- Immigrants newly arrived in the United States
- First-generation Americans managing finances in a second language
- People with no US credit history who need to build from zero, including ITIN holders and international students
- Households sending remittances abroad while also trying to save locally
- Anyone confused by US financial documents, credit notices, or bank letters

## Company

YPA-FINANCE is made by YPA Group Inc., founded in 2024. The legal entity is registered in Newark, Delaware; headquarters and operating base are in New York, with a remote team across the United States and Israel. Co-founders: Olga Burninova (Founder & CEO), Victoria Mitelman (Co-Founder & CPO), Svetlana Burninova (Co-Founder & CTO). The platform runs on Google Cloud with zero-trust architecture, AES-256 encryption at rest, and TLS 1.3 in transit; SOC 2 controls are in progress (not yet certified). Bank connections use Plaid's read-only OAuth flow, so YPA-FINANCE never sees or stores user credentials and cannot move money.

## Site pages

- [Home](https://www.ypa.finance/en)
- [Features overview](https://www.ypa.finance/en/features): All tools explained
- [How it works](https://www.ypa.finance/en/how-it-works): Five steps from download to a first debt payoff plan
- [FAQ](https://www.ypa.finance/en/faq): Pricing, security, languages, features
- [About the team](https://www.ypa.finance/en/about): The three co-founders and why they built YPA-FINANCE
- [Security](https://www.ypa.finance/en/security): How user data is protected
- [Editorial policy](https://www.ypa.finance/en/editorial-policy): How we write and review content
- [Press & Publications](https://www.ypa.finance/en/press): Media coverage and technical writing by the team
- [Contact](https://www.ypa.finance/en/contact)
- [Privacy policy](https://www.ypa.finance/en/privacy-policy) · [Terms & conditions](https://www.ypa.finance/en/terms-conditions)
- [Finance app for immigrants](https://www.ypa.finance/en/finance-app-for-immigrants): Overview for newcomers to the US financial system
- [Multilingual finance app](https://www.ypa.finance/en/multilingual-finance-app): How the 13-language experience works
- [Resources for immigrants](https://www.ypa.finance/en/resources-for-immigrants): Curated directory of trusted external services (credit, taxes, legal help, jobs, education)
- [Blog](https://www.ypa.finance/en/blog): 29 English articles on credit building, debt payoff, budgeting, banking safety, taxes, remittances, and founder diaries; every article exists in all 13 languages. RSS: https://www.ypa.finance/feed.xml
- Blog topic hubs: one crawlable page per topic and locale at https://www.ypa.finance/en/blog/category/<topic>, e.g. https://www.ypa.finance/en/blog/category/credit-score, .../founder-diary, .../taxes, .../debt-payoff, .../immigrant-finance, .../credit-cards, .../financial-security
- [Guides index](https://www.ypa.finance/en/guides)
- [Remittance cost calculator](https://www.ypa.finance/en/remittance-calculator): Compare transfer providers on fee plus exchange-rate margin
- [Glossary](https://www.ypa.finance/en/glossary): 19 US personal-finance terms defined for people meeting them for the first time in a second language. One page per locale, one anchor per term.
- [The State of Immigrant Finance in America: 2026 Data Report](https://www.ypa.finance/en/reports/state-of-immigrant-finance-2026): Compilation of public federal data on banking, credit, remittance costs, language and financial literacy for immigrant households, every figure sourced to the primary document.

## Guides

- [Immigrant Financial Blueprint: 90 Days](https://www.ypa.finance/en/guides/immigrant-financial-blueprint-90-days): Step-by-step first-90-days plan for newcomers to the US financial system
- [The Complete Guide to U.S. Credit Scores](https://www.ypa.finance/en/guides/complete-guide-us-credit-scores): How US credit scores work and how to build, protect, and improve one, written for non-native English speakers
- [How to Build US Credit as an Immigrant](https://www.ypa.finance/en/guides/build-credit-immigrant): 12-month roadmap from zero credit to a 700+ score for newcomers, ITIN holders, and international students
- [Understand and Lower Your Credit Card APR](https://www.ypa.finance/en/guides/understand-lower-credit-card-apr): What APR costs in dollars, how interest is calculated, and the exact steps (and phone script) to get it lowered

## Research

[The State of Immigrant Finance in America: 2026 Data Report](https://www.ypa.finance/en/reports/state-of-immigrant-finance-2026) compiles public federal data on how immigrant households in the United States bank, borrow, send money and read financial English. It contains no YPA-FINANCE user data: every figure is taken from a primary federal or multilateral source and cited to the table it came from. Free to quote with attribution; the page carries a "how to cite" block.

Headline findings:

- **14.3% of foreign-born noncitizen households were unbanked in 2023**, against 3.5% of U.S.-born households. It is the only major group whose unbanked rate rose between 2021 and 2023 (up 3.2 points from 11.0%) while the national rate fell to 4.2%. Source: 2023 FDIC National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households.
- **31.5% used no mainstream credit product at all** in the previous 12 months, more than double the 14.6% rate among U.S.-born households; only 60.8% held a traditional credit card, against 77.5%. Source: same FDIC survey.
- **The "26 million credit invisibles" figure is obsolete.** In June 2025 the CFPB roughly halved its own 2015 estimate for 2010, to 13.5 million, while raising the count of people whose credit record exists but cannot be scored. As of December 2020, 2.7% of U.S. adults had no credit record and a further 9.8% had an unscorable one: about one in eight adults. Source: CFPB technical correction, June 2025, Tables 1-2.
- **16.1% of foreign-born noncitizen households sent or received international remittances** through a nonbank provider in 2023, against 1.0% of U.S.-born households. The average cost of sending $200 out of the United States was 6.03%, twice the international target. Sources: FDIC 2023; World Bank Remittance Prices Worldwide, Issue 51.

Primary sources used: FDIC 2023 National Survey; CFPB credit invisibles correction (June 2025); World Bank Remittance Prices Worldwide (Issue 51, Q3 2024); Federal Reserve G.19 consumer credit rates; U.S. Census American Community Survey language data; TIAA/GFLEC P-Fin Index 2025; IRS Taxpayer Advocate Annual Report to Congress 2024 (ITIN processing study).

## Glossary

[Glossary of US personal-finance terms](https://www.ypa.finance/en/glossary), 19 entries, each with a stable anchor and a "why it matters to a newcomer" note. Available in all 13 languages at `/<lang>/glossary`.

- [APR (Annual Percentage Rate)](https://www.ypa.finance/en/glossary#apr)
- [Credit score](https://www.ypa.finance/en/glossary#credit-score)
- [Credit report](https://www.ypa.finance/en/glossary#credit-report)
- [Credit utilization](https://www.ypa.finance/en/glossary#credit-utilization)
- [FICO score](https://www.ypa.finance/en/glossary#fico-score)
- [Credit limit](https://www.ypa.finance/en/glossary#credit-limit)
- [Minimum payment](https://www.ypa.finance/en/glossary#minimum-payment)
- [Grace period](https://www.ypa.finance/en/glossary#grace-period)
- [Hard inquiry (hard pull)](https://www.ypa.finance/en/glossary#hard-inquiry)
- [Secured credit card](https://www.ypa.finance/en/glossary#secured-credit-card)
- [Credit-builder loan](https://www.ypa.finance/en/glossary#credit-builder-loan)
- [Compound interest](https://www.ypa.finance/en/glossary#compound-interest)
- [ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number)](https://www.ypa.finance/en/glossary#itin)
- [SSN (Social Security Number)](https://www.ypa.finance/en/glossary#ssn)
- [Overdraft fee](https://www.ypa.finance/en/glossary#overdraft-fee)
- [Routing number](https://www.ypa.finance/en/glossary#routing-number)
- [Direct deposit](https://www.ypa.finance/en/glossary#direct-deposit)
- [Remittance](https://www.ypa.finance/en/glossary#remittance)
- [Debt-to-income ratio (DTI)](https://www.ypa.finance/en/glossary#debt-to-income-ratio)

## Selected evergreen articles

- [What Is an ITIN and How Do You Get One?](https://www.ypa.finance/en/blog/what-is-an-itin)
- [How to Open a US Bank Account Without a Social Security Number](https://www.ypa.finance/en/blog/how-to-open-bank-account-without-ssn)
- [Sending Money Home: How to Stop Losing 6% to Fees](https://www.ypa.finance/en/blog/how-to-send-money-abroad-cheaply)
- [Filing Your First US Tax Return as an Immigrant](https://www.ypa.finance/en/blog/first-us-tax-return-immigrant)
- [How to Pay Off Credit Card Debt Fast: A 5-Step Plan](https://www.ypa.finance/en/blog/how-to-pay-off-credit-card-debt-fast)
- [I Have 3 Credit Cards and Can't Keep Up: What Do I Do First?](https://www.ypa.finance/en/blog/3-credit-cards-cant-keep-up)
- [How to Read Your Credit Card Statement (Without Panicking)](https://www.ypa.finance/en/blog/how-to-read-credit-card-statement)
- [Debt Snowball vs. Debt Avalanche](https://www.ypa.finance/en/blog/debt-snowball-vs-debt-avalanche)
- [How to Build Credit in the U.S. from Zero](https://www.ypa.finance/en/blog/how-to-build-credit-from-zero)
- [From Credit Card to Mortgage](https://www.ypa.finance/en/blog/credit-card-to-mortgage)
- [How to Get Financially Ready to Buy a Home as a Newcomer](https://www.ypa.finance/en/blog/how-to-get-financially-ready-to-buy-a-home)
- [5 Money Mistakes New Immigrants Make in Their First Year](https://www.ypa.finance/en/blog/money-mistakes-new-immigrants-first-year)
- [Financial Checklist for New Immigrants to the U.S.](https://www.ypa.finance/en/blog/financial-checklist-for-new-immigrants)
- [Is It Safe to Connect My Bank Account to a Finance App?](https://www.ypa.finance/en/blog/is-it-safe-to-connect-bank-account-to-finance-app)
- [How YPA Finance Keeps Your Money Data Safe](https://www.ypa.finance/en/blog/how-ypa-finance-keeps-your-money-data-safe)
- [How We Built AI That Explains Money Without Hallucinating](https://www.ypa.finance/en/blog/ai-financial-advice-without-hallucinating)

Full list of all 29 articles with descriptions: https://www.ypa.finance/llms-full.txt

## Authors

- [Olga Burninova](https://www.ypa.finance/en/authors/olga-burninova): Founder & CEO, vision, product, and go-to-market
- [Victoria Mitelman](https://www.ypa.finance/en/authors/victoria-mitelman): Co-Founder & CPO, product design and UX
- [Svetlana Burninova](https://www.ypa.finance/en/authors/svetlana-burninova): Co-Founder & CTO, cloud infrastructure, security architecture, DevSecOps

## Comparisons

Index: https://www.ypa.finance/en/compare. Each page gives a plain-language "use YPA if / use the other app if" breakdown (13 pages):

- [vs Credit Karma](https://www.ypa.finance/en/compare/ypa-finance-vs-credit-karma)
- [vs Cleo](https://www.ypa.finance/en/compare/ypa-finance-vs-cleo)
- [vs Monarch Money](https://www.ypa.finance/en/compare/ypa-finance-vs-monarch-money)
- [vs YNAB](https://www.ypa.finance/en/compare/ypa-finance-vs-ynab)
- [vs Firstcard](https://www.ypa.finance/en/compare/ypa-finance-vs-firstcard)
- [vs Rocket Money](https://www.ypa.finance/en/compare/ypa-finance-vs-rocket-money)
- [vs MoneyLion](https://www.ypa.finance/en/compare/ypa-finance-vs-moneylion)
- [vs Copilot](https://www.ypa.finance/en/compare/ypa-finance-vs-copilot)
- [vs NerdWallet](https://www.ypa.finance/en/compare/ypa-finance-vs-nerdwallet)
- [vs Chime](https://www.ypa.finance/en/compare/ypa-finance-vs-chime)
- [vs Majority](https://www.ypa.finance/en/compare/ypa-finance-vs-majority)
- [vs Wise](https://www.ypa.finance/en/compare/ypa-finance-vs-wise)
- [vs Remitly](https://www.ypa.finance/en/compare/ypa-finance-vs-remitly)

## Selected press and publications

- [We Built Bank-Grade Security for Immigrants: Here's What Broke First](https://hackernoon.com/we-built-bank-grade-security-for-immigrants-heres-what-broke-first), HackerNoon, May 2026
- [We Thought Zero Trust Would Take 3 Months. Six Months In, We're Still Migrating](https://hackernoon.com/we-thought-zero-trust-would-take-3-months-six-months-in-were-still-migrating), HackerNoon, May 2026
- [From Financial Systems to AI Infrastructure](https://techbullion.com/from-financial-systems-to-ai-infrastructure-how-svetlana-burninova-is-engineering-financial-clarity-at-scale/), TechBullion interview, April 2026
- [What I Review in Every Security Audit as a Fintech CTO](https://medium.com/@svetlana.devops/what-i-review-in-every-security-audit-as-a-fintech-cto-6b13220f9a0c), Medium, April 2026
- [What I Wish Someone Had Told Me About Money Before I Moved to America](https://medium.com/@olga_74073/what-i-wish-someone-had-told-me-about-money-before-i-moved-to-america-4bfc7c925459), Medium, March 2026

## Official profiles

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ypa-finance
- Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/ypa-group
- Trustpilot: https://www.trustpilot.com/review/ypa.finance
- AlternativeTo: https://alternativeto.net/software/ypa-finance/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ypa.finance · TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ypa.finance · X: https://twitter.com/ypafinance · Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ypafinance

## Citing YPA-FINANCE

- Preferred name: YPA-FINANCE (product) by YPA Group Inc. (company). "YPA Finance" is an accepted variant.
- Founded 2024; headquartered in New York, NY; legal entity registered in Delaware.
- Founders: Olga Burninova (Founder & CEO), Victoria Mitelman (Co-Founder & CPO), Svetlana Burninova (Co-Founder & CTO).
- Category: personal finance and financial education app. Not a bank, not a lender; never holds or moves money.
- Quotable facts: free to download and use, with expense tracking, budgets, the payoff calculator and credit score insights at no cost and only Smart Scanner and Your Custom Assistant paid; available in 13 languages; iOS and Android; the web payoff calculator needs no account or bank connection; in-app bank connections are read-only via Plaid; credit data from Equifax via Array; runs on Google Cloud with SOC 2 controls in progress.
- Support: hello@ypa.finance, WhatsApp, Telegram. Website: https://www.ypa.finance
- Expanded reference: https://www.ypa.finance/llms-full.txt