User Guide
·Step-by-step instructions for all VistaIQ™ platform tools — a RED Worldwide product suite
Account Setup
First-time setup, logging in, and adding users to the VistaIQ™ platform.
Strategic financial intelligence for growing businesses and nonprofits. VistaIQ™ is the complete operating system for your organization — one login, four powerful modules.
RED Books
Financial ledger & reporting
Tax Plan Plus
Tax estimation & strategy
Business Plan Plus
Forecasting & milestones
Grant Plan Plus
Grant & proposal writing
Creating Your Account — RED Members
Start hereEvery RED member creates their own private account. Your data is completely separate from everyone else's. Go to /bookkeeping/register or click "Create your account" on the login page.
Go to the registration page
Navigate to /bookkeeping/register. You can also reach it by clicking "Create your account" on the login page at /bookkeeping/login.
Enter your full name
Type your name as you want it to appear in your account (e.g., "Alex Johnson").
Create an Access PIN
Choose a PIN of at least 4 characters. You can use letters, numbers, or a mix. This PIN is your password for RED Books, Tax Plan Plus, and Business Plan Plus — write it down and keep it safe. There is no email-based password reset.
Confirm your PIN
Re-enter the same PIN to confirm it. Click Continue.
Enter your business name
On the next screen, type the name of your business or company (e.g., "Johnson Consulting LLC").
Select your entity type
Choose the legal structure that matches your business: Sole Proprietor / SMLLC, S Corporation, C Corporation, Partnership / Multi-Member LLC, Nonprofit (501(c)(3)), Business Trust, Family Trust, or Charitable Trust. This affects how Tax Plan Plus calculates your taxes. Trusts and nonprofits are excluded from personal income tax calculations.
Select your state
Choose the state where your business is based. This is used for state tax rate estimates in Tax Plan Plus.
Click "Create Account & Get Started"
Your account is created instantly along with your business profile, 15 default income/expense categories, and two starter bank accounts (Operating Checking and Savings Reserve). You will see a confirmation screen when done.
Log in
Click "Go to Login" and enter the PIN you just created. You are now ready to use RED Books, Tax Plan Plus, and Business Plan Plus.
There is no email-based password reset. If you forget your PIN, contact your RED administrator — they can remove your account and create a new one. Your transaction data will not be deleted.
About Roles — Member vs. Administrator
Every RED member uses the same registration page. Roles are assigned automatically:
First person to register
AdministratorGets admin access automatically. Can manage all users from the Users section inside RED Books.
Every member after that
MemberGets their own private workspace. Can see and manage only their own businesses, transactions, and reports.
Logging In
Once the administrator account has been created, all users log in the same way:
Go to /bookkeeping/login
Or navigate to RED Books from the main menu — you will be taken to the login page automatically if you are not already signed in.
Enter your Access PIN
Type the PIN that was assigned to you by your administrator (or the one you created during setup). Click the eye icon to show/hide the PIN as you type.
Click "Sign In to RED Books"
You will be taken directly to your bookkeeping dashboard. Your session stays active in your browser until you log out.
Each user's bookkeeping data is completely private. Logging in with your PIN only shows your own transactions, categories, budgets, and reports — not anyone else's.
Adding Additional Users (Admin Only)
After the initial setup, the administrator can add other RED community members so each person has their own private bookkeeping workspace.
Log in as Administrator
Only users with the Admin role can add new users. Log in to RED Books with your admin PIN.
Go to Manage Users
Click "Users" in the RED Books navigation menu. You will see a table of all existing users.
Click "+ Add User"
A form will appear asking for the new user's details.
Fill in the user's name
Enter the member's full name or a display name (e.g., "Sarah Johnson" or "Operations Lead").
Select a role
Choose Member for standard access (sees only their own data) or Admin for full access including user management. Most users should be Members.
Set an Access PIN
Create a PIN of at least 4 characters for this user. Share this PIN with them privately. Each PIN must be unique — the system will alert you if a PIN is already in use.
Click "Create User"
The new account is created instantly. The user will also receive a set of default income/expense categories and two starter bank accounts automatically.
Share the PIN with the user
Send the new user their PIN through a secure channel (direct message, phone call, etc.). They use it to log in at /bookkeeping/login.
Managing Existing Users (Admin Only)
From the Manage Users page, administrators can perform the following actions on any user:
Activate / Deactivate
Click the green "Active" badge next to a user to deactivate their account. They will not be able to log in until reactivated. Their data is preserved. You cannot deactivate your own account.
Re-seed Default Categories
Click the circular refresh icon (↺) next to a user to add the default income/expense categories and starter bank accounts to their workspace. Only works if they have no categories yet — it will not overwrite existing ones.
Delete a User
Click the trash icon to permanently remove a user's login. Their transaction data in the database is NOT deleted. You cannot delete your own account.
One PIN Across All VistaIQ™ Modules
All four VistaIQ™ modules — RED Books, Tax Plan Plus, Business Plan Plus, and Grant Plan Plus — use the same PIN-based login. Once a user has been created in RED Books, that same PIN unlocks all four tools.
RED Books
Log in at /bookkeeping/login using your PIN. Each user sees only their own data.
Tax Plan Plus
Log in at /tax-plan using the same PIN. Tax data (profile, scenarios, quarterly payments) is tied to your owner account.
Business Plan Plus
Log in at /plan using the same PIN. Forecast, milestones, and pitch content are specific to your account and selected business.
Grant Plan Plus
Log in at /grant-plan using the same PIN. Grant opportunities, proposals, and org profile are tied to your account.
Tax Plan Plus reads your real transaction data from RED Books automatically. Keep your bookkeeping up to date for the most accurate tax estimates.
For support, contact your RED administrator.