2. The Shape of Money
www.theshapeofmoney.co.nz
Started in 2001 by chartered accountant Simon Hardie, this extremely helpful site offers advice on budgeting, insurance, debt reduction, savings, investment, retirement and estate planning. There's even a section on what to do if you have a "disappointing" small business.
Another cute feature is "become a Lotto millionaire" - showing that if you give up your weekly Lotto ticket for a year and invest the $520 you'd have spent, after 35 years you have a "win" of $90,000.
3. Heaps!
www.heaps.co.nz
Kiwibank has set up this personal finance management website. It's good for tracking your spending and you don't have to be a Kiwibank customer to use it. One of its strengths is that you can keep track of accounts with several different banks, all in one place. It automatically categorises spending.
4. Invest It
www.investit.co.nz
Billed as an "online auction for your money", Invest It helps you decide where to place your cash. Providers bid for your investment, you compare rates and then apply online. There are also calculators to work out how much you need to invest to reach a certain goal. Saying I had $10,000 to invest, Invest It offered a range of options, from a 30-day bank investment term at 3 per cent to a four-year term at 11.5 per cent from a non-bank provider.
5. Public Trust
www.publictrust.co.nz
Once you've got your finances sorted, make sure they stay that way by getting a will drawn up. If you are going to be the executor and trustee, it's free to put a will together online through Public Trust. It will be checked by a legal specialist. It's a good place to start if you've never written a will before.
