Posts Tagged ‘online personal finance management’


What’s New? (Released 29/9/2010)

Posted in New features, heaps! updates on September 29th, 2010

christina@heaps.co.nz

By Christina

2 Comments

In the latest release deployed this morning, we’ve focused on improving the user interface – making  a few changes here and there that will make getting around heaps! a little easier.

Here’s what you’ll find:

Skip Set up wizard link

For new users (and for those who use the Restart set up wizard function), you can opt to skip the wizard by clicking the link at the bottom.  heaps! will remind you to set up your accounts at a later time if you haven’t already done so.

Subcategory Column

Instead of seeing just Home, Food, Fun, Travel, and Other in the ‘Category’ column on your Home and Spending pages, heaps! now displays the subcategory.  This makes your categorising a bit easier because you can decide at a glance if you need to do any re-categorising.

To the spending page…

As always, the blue pencil is there for you to click if you want to edit a category.  This is now separated from the subcategory name.  Clicking on the subcategory will now take you to the spending page so that you can see a breakdown of your expenditures from that subcategory.

“Only Change This Transactions” is the Default

Many of you wrote in wanting this, and here it is.  Instead of “Change all transactions like this” being the default for categorising, we’ve left the box unticked.  This way, if you accidentally forget to look at the box, all your hard work in sorting out which BP transactions were ‘Petrol’ and which were ‘Snacks’ won’t be lost.  Instead, just that one transaction will be affected and you can go back and tick the box if that’s what you had intended.

Tags: , , , , ,

Personal goal setting just got better in heaps!

Posted in Buy a home, Get out of debt, How to, Save money, heaps! how to, heaps! updates on September 1st, 2010

alicia@heaps.co.nz

By Alicia

Add a comment

Goals are awesome. They motivate you and keep your on track to getting what you want. In heaps! we’ve made goal setting even easier by creating goal templates for you to choose from. Of course you can still set your own goals, but these templates come with a list of tasks that are filled out already for you and will keep you on track to achieving your goal faster. You can choose from templates like buying a car, buying a house, getting out of debt, saving for a medical procedure, going on holiday and saving for retirement. Check out the screenshot below for a taste of what these templates look like:

When ever you want to add money towards your goal you no longer have to go to the goals page first. Just click “I spent it on a goal” when you’re categorising a transaction and it will do it quickly for you. Check out our new goals tracking page below, it is full of milestones along the way to help you break up your journey.

Even better, now you can celebrate by seeing a goal completed in heaps!. Your completed goals are also kept on record so you can see past goals that you have achieved. Go you!

  • Add a new goal from categorisation – If you click on “I spent it on a goal” when you’re categorising a transaction you’ll be able to add a new goal without going on to the goals page first.
  • Goals progress display – your goals graphs will constantly update to show how much you’ve saved and spent on your goal.
  • Easier editing of goals – you’ll be able to edit your goals easier and faster, mark a goal as spend or investment, and see your goal picture instantly after uploading.
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Goooaaaalll!!!

Posted in New features, heaps! updates on August 12th, 2010

christina@heaps.co.nz

By Christina

Add a comment

Was achieving your goal in heaps! but not being able to ‘complete’ it, a bit of an anti-climax?  Well, get your party hat on because now you can!  When you’ve reached your goal, heaps! will display a message on your home page to let you know it’s time to celebrate.

heaps! will also display your completed goals at the bottom of your goals page so you can feel a warm sense of pride every time you check it. Then if you find that you haven’t saved as much as you thought you had or that your goal actually costs more than originally planned, you can reactivate a completed goal by clicking on reactivate and decreasing the amount saved or increasing your goal target. You can also allocate or deduct money from an active goal anytime you like.

We’ve also done some background maintenance so that your heaps! runs more smoothly.  We know that you’re all quite eager to see some of the bigger, more exciting changes, and rest assured, they’re on their way.

Tags: , , , , , ,

heaps! is a finalist for three categories in the New Zealand Internet Industry Awards!

Posted in In the spotlight, heaps! updates on July 26th, 2010

alicia@heaps.co.nz

By Alicia

Add a comment

Internet Industry Awards 2010

We are excited to announce that heaps! has been nominated as a finalist for three categories in this year’s New Zealand Internet Industry Awards that will be held in Wellington on the 28th of July.

The New Zealand Internet Industry Awards was launched in 2009 with the aim to celebrate the achievement of companies who have successfully used the Internet as a platform for business, education and society enhancing organisations. By showcasing excellence to the wider community, the Awards hopes to improve people’s understanding of Internet technologies and encourage Internet entrepreneurship in New Zealand.

Liz Dengate Thrush Foundation

The Awards are run by the Liz Dengate Thrush Foundation to encourage Internet entreprenuership and other positive uses of the Internet in New Zealand.

Finalist in three categories

Kiwibank & Social Capital have been nominated for the launch of the first free personal finance management tool from a New Zealand bank for customers www.heaps.co.nz.

Positive Societal Impact
Development of the application, product or services provided on the Internet likely to have the most beneficial impact on New Zealand society.

Best Education Product or Service
The application, product or services provided on the Internet that is likely to have the greatest impact on learning and/or teaching in New Zealand.

Best Business Application
For those that transform their methods of doing business, or change our way of doing business with them.

Thank you so much to Kiwibank, the team at heaps! and the New Zealand Internet Industry Awards! We’ll see you at the banquet!

Tags: , , , , , ,

Weight Loss and Budgeting: Save money, save calories!

Posted in Budget, How to on July 19th, 2010

alicia@heaps.co.nz

By Alicia

Add a comment

save money and get healthyDeciding to budget to achieve our financial goals can often feel like joining a gym to achieve our fitness and weight loss goals. We’re all motivated it begin with, enthusiastic of making a positive changes to our life, but then are disheartened to discover habits are difficult to break, motivation is hard to find, and we end up blowing it all by eating an entire chocolate cake…or in this case, spending it all on an extravagant purchase. Although difficult at times, both financial and fitness goals are so important to our well-being and incredibly rewarding. So why not achieve both simultaneously?

Australian health coach Andrew Cate has published a book called The Tight Arse Diet that compares effective effective weight loss techniques with getting control of your spending. Here are some scenarios that can apply to both your budget and your diet:

Weight Loss and Budget Tips

1. Don’t be disheartened
With both budgeting and weight loss, it is important to remember that you are making healthy changes for life, not sacrificing your enjoyment of life. There are still plenty of ways you can enjoy life with less spending. In both cases, these changes are for the better, so stick to them! And yes, sometimes we get off track but that doesn’t mean we can’t get back on it. Your goals are achievable!

2. Clear away temptation
Just as you should clear away tempting junk food in your kitchen to stop unhealthy snacking, don’t tempt yourself into spending money by shopping for leisure and browsing. Buy only what you need.

3. Bring your own lunch
Taking your lunch to work not only saves you money (usually around $70 a week) but lets you make healthy low calorie meals.

4. Plan your meals
Planning your meals not only stops impulse snacking but also impulse buying! Look what you have in your kitchen and plan simple meals based on what you already have. Time to get creative!

5. Stick to the list
In both cases, write a shopping list and stick to it! This will help you save money and calories!

6. Plan ahead
Spend Sunday afternoon preparing meals for the week, so its readily available and you are not tempted with less healthy options, or expensive meals!

7. Keep track
Just like trainers suggest keeping a food diary to keep yourself on track, keep a budget that tracks everything you spend. Using a budget tool like heaps! makes this easier.

Andrew Cate also suggests areas where you can save both money and kilos:

* Consume one less alcoholic drinks a day to save over $700 a year as well as lose 3kg
* Find an exercise partner and save around $1,000 on gym fees and lose at least 2kg
* Drink one less soft drink or juice a day, save around $180 and lose a kilo
* Eat slowly and reduce what you need to feel full, saving $300 on food and lose 2kg
* Keep a food diary to reduce portion sizes and breakouts. You could bank $450 and lose 3kg

Set and modify your budget:

To set a budget that works for you, check out our budgeting page.

Tags: , , , , ,

Kiwibank heaps! Named as Finalist for 3 TUANZ Innovation Awards

Posted in In the spotlight on July 14th, 2010

christina@heaps.co.nz

By Christina

Add a comment

TUANZ Innovation Awards

Kiwibank has been announced as a finalist in, not one, but…three categories for the Telecommunications Users Association of New Zealand (TUANZ) Innovation Awards!  AND every single one of these awards is for their part in bringing heaps! to their customers.

TUANZ is a not-for-profit membership association that has led the charge to improve competition for telecommunications services in NZ.  Their vision is for a New Zealand with a world-class communications system, with all Kiwis enjoying affordable, readily available connectivity.  This prestigious annual awards ceremony recognises outstanding innovation within the telecommunications arena in New Zealand.

Kiwibank is a finalist in 3 categories:

TUANZ Awards - Initiative

TUANZ Initiative of the Year Award Finalists (Pictured: Richard Westlake on behalf of Kiwibank, Michael Foley - Voco (sponsor) and Maxine Elliott - Vector Communications)

TUANZ Education Award (sponsored by Aurecon): For the most innovative education or training product, service or initiative developed in New Zealand, and delivered electronically to New Zealanders, which contributes to general education (applicable to whole life learning, e.g business, community, primary, secondary, tertiary, etc).

TUANZ Initiative of the Year (sponsored by Voco): For a product, service or application facilitated or enabled by the innovative use of technology in New Zealand, or by a New Zealand company overseas.

TUANZ Commerce Award (TUANZ’s own): For the most innovative financial product, service or initiative developed in New Zealand, and delivered electronically to New Zealanders, which enhances the customer’s experience.

The winners will be announced at the award ceremony on Thursday, 2 September at the Langham Hotel in Auckland.  Congratulations to Kiwibank, and thank you for being such a supportive partner!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Saving Money with Budgets: How to Divide Your Income

Posted in Budget, How to, Save money on June 18th, 2010

alicia@heaps.co.nz

By Alicia

Add a comment

Understanding how much you spend on a daily basis is key to making positive changes to your finances. Setting (and sticking to!) a budget is essential when saving money as it will make you aware of where your money is going, find your money leaks, and help you change your habits so that you can achieve your financial goals. But how to start? When setting a budget, here are a few tips when dividing your income:

1. Pay yourself first

One of the most important things you can do for your financial well-being is to develop a habit of putting money into a savings account. It’s not so much how much money you put aside, as long as you do it on a regular basis. Savings accounts also allow you to earn interest (a percentage of money) off of your money so it will slowly grow, especially if you keep adding to it. Those in debt are also encouraged to put money into savings, as well as regularly paying off their debt.

After the tax department has taken their share, move at least 10% of your monthly earnings into savings before you can do other things with it. Many workplaces make it easy to move a portion of your income directly into your savings account. Ideally, you should put another 10% into your super fund (on top of your employer’s contributions). No matter how far off retirement seems right now, it is wise to start preparing for it now, especially since the cost of living has been known to double every 15 years. Total: 15-20%


2. Set aside money for your essential expenses

Only allow 60% of your salary for essential expenses like rent, bills and groceries. Consider getting a checking account for these day-to-day payments and keeping your saving account for long-term savings (emergencies, big purchases and holidays.) Look out for tips on how you can cut back on your daily spendings and reduce bills with cheap deals.

Total: 60%


3. Extras

The rest of your income goes to luxuries like entertainment and holidays. If you are overspending, this is the area where you will need to make cuts. By tracking your spending you can find where those ‘money leaks’ are: is it the daily bus fare or buying your lunch during the week? How can you cut back and save money in these areas? Finding these leaks in your budget makes you more aware of your spending and allows you to fill the money leaks without too much disruption. Total: 20-25%


Do this in heaps!

Heaps! categorises most of your transactions for you so you can see exactly how much of your income is being spent on various categories. You can also  re-categorize your transactions to suit your lifestyle. Heaps! will then look at both  your regular payments and daily spending to work out your total spending for that week, month or fortnight. Once it has calculated your surplus, or debt if that is the case, you can work with heaps! to create a budget that will suit your lifestyle and help you save money.

Tags: , , , , , ,