Twitter/X

Built a net worth tracker AI app and deployed it with Lovable in about an hour…

2026-02-11 · 13:38 UTC ·@brett_finance ·1 min read

Brief

Brett (@brett_finance) built a net worth tracker AI app and deployed it with Lovable in about an hour (tweeted 2026-02-11). He found the initial 80% quick but the last 20% and ongoing maintenance costly, so recommends finance leaders avoid building, hire data-engineering-savvy 'builders' alongside communicators, and target self-contained, rarely-changing processes for AI apps.

Why it matters

Built a net worth tracker AI app and deployed it with Lovable in about an hour (tweeted 2026-02-11), but says the first 80% was simple and the last 20% plus ongoing maintenance gave him pause.

Key details

  • Argues finance leaders shouldn’t be hands-on builders — their time is better spent identifying opportunities and designing solutions at a high level.
  • Recommends hiring builders (a 'back office' who understand data engineering and have free calendars) alongside communicators (front office); the sweet spot is a team large enough to hire builders but small enough to avoid red tape, and standalone, annoying processes that rarely change are best for standalone AI apps.
Source evidence

title: @brett_finance: Built my first finance app (net worth tracker) with AI and have mixed thoughts:

  1. Leaders shouldn’...
    author: @brettfinance
    content    type: tweet
    publication: Twitter/X
    published: 2026-02-11T13:38:55+00:00
    sourceurl: https://x.com/brettfinance/status/2021579704990372019

    word_count: 282

Built my first finance app (net worth tracker) with AI and have mixed thoughts:

  1. Leaders shouldn’t build

Like other things in life, the first 80% was simple but the last 20% was harder.

A finance leader’s time shouldn’t be in building, but identifying opportunities and designing what is needed at a high level.

Maybe (like me) you build something just so you can understand the process, but this shouldn’t be the solution long term…

  1. You need to hire builders

A well-balanced finance team is made up of builders (I call this back office) and communicators (front office).

Builders have free calendars, understand data engineering, and love to build technical things.

AI is no different. It’s just a new technique for your builders to learn and deploy. Just like building a new dashboard, but with more power.

  1. Tech overhead is real

I often forget how much overhead is introduced when you build something new:
- new report
- new dashboard
- new AI app

It requires a baby sitting. Things break, upstream data changes, use-cases shift with the business.

Building tools in AI for finance is an unlock but it’s not “free”.

I think the sweet spot here is a finance team large enough to hire people who can build but small enough to not have red tape.

The right application is something your FP&A tool or accounting software can’t/won’t do + a process that’s annoying + a process that rarely changes. Self-contained processes are best for a standalone app.

And for those wondering, I built and deployed the app with Lovable in about an hour. Super impressed with the experience but the thought of ongoing maintenance gave me pause.