The article opens with the story of Heather Jacobs, a masseuse whose income is volatile, and it implies that she's a prototypical Even user. But she actually seems to be an undesirable user, from the company's point of view.

It sounds as if she's struggling not just to budget but to earn enough money to pay for all her expenses, both recurring and unexpected. (She says she's often "desperate" around the end of the month.) That's exactly the kind of user that Even should try to avoid.

I'm not necessarily faulting the woman for not being able to make enough; I'm just saying that Even's ideal user should be someone who, over time, earns enough to cover their expenses, but either has trouble sticking to a budget or would prefer the convenience of an app to handle budgeting for them.

For instance, my parents (one a teacher, who got paychecks from September to May, and the other a landscape, who earned little during the winter months) could have used an app like this when I was growing up. Between the two of them, they made ends meet, but they struggled to figure out how much to save so they'd have a reserve during the months when their incomes dipped.

One thing I am curious about, which the article doesn't touch on: What happens if I have a surplus in my Even account (which the article says is kept in a savings account), and I run into a huge unexpected expense? What are my options for tapping into that surplus?

If I have the same access to it as a regular savings account, does that kind of defeat the point of the app (to prevent people with poor willpower from spending their surplus instead of saving it)? Or is it treated like a withdrawal from a 401(k), with penalties for taking the money out earlier than scheduled?