HOW TO: Reorganize Finances Using the Web The current economic climate has been draining for everyone, both economically and mentally. You have probably been trying to stick to a budget and avoiding looking at that 401k statement for some time now. But this is a very difficult task – saving receipts, tracking expenses, controlling spending urges, and meeting goals for savings can be overwhelming. However, unlike past recessions, you have the advantage of digital information to make this process a lot simpler. When budgets, bills, and finances are all simply in a giant pile of clutter, taking a simple, digital approach to reorganization can not only work wonders on your finances, it can automate a lot of the tasks you tried to do on spreadsheets or with pen and paper. This ensures that every dollar is tracked and financial goals are actually met. First Phase: Assessment Before touching your finances, it’s vital that you understand your current financial situation. Second Phase: Education Yahoo! Third Phase: Reorganization
Blog » Blog Archive » Examples of online communities in the fina For this week’s instalment in our series of online community examples we turn to the financial services industry. Online communities in the financial services industry There’s no escaping the fact that the financial services industry has been hit hard by the current economic climate. But like any industry at the moment, now is a great time to innovate in the way financial services companies communicate with and engage their customers. There are some really informed examples of social media by financial services brands and below are three great case studies of online communities in the industry from around the world. Royal Bank of Canada Next Great Innovator Since 2007, the Royal Bank of Canada has been running the Next Great Innovator Challenge, an online competition for university and college students across Canada to suggest an innovation for the financial services industry. The online community also performs a number of other functions. HSBC Business Network Wesabe
innovation playground Idris Mootee: Service Design Innovation Ca This is the toughest time for retailing since many decades. It is also a perfect storm for many retailers from department stores to chain stores to refocus and strengthen their core and rethinking positioning. Many department stores and fashion chains have been operating without a real strategy for a long time, many turned themselves into landlords. If you take a look back at the history of retailing, starting with the original village green, we added a “main street” which functioned as the main shopping/social area. Department stores ultimately developed, which then moved to the new “malls” starting in the early 60’s. The first shopping malls were traditionally anchored by two or more large tenants, with in- line space devoted almost exclusively to the sale of clothing. I was first introduced to the concept of “Wheel of Retailing” many years back by Professor Walter Salmon (prof of retailing at Harvard Business School).
Mint.com | Wesabe | Marc Hedlund | Aaron Patzer | Financial Bran Among the online brands offering to help you manage your spending and savings through account aggregation—that is, compiling information from disparate sources including banks, brokerages and credit card companies—is Mint.com, which moved out of the beta stage in late 2008. (In this article we’ll be focusing on the online branding elements of Mint.com. Several other sources already have test-driven the financial-management features of the site.) Because Mint is both new and independent—that is, not an extension of a respected and established brand in a sector like software or banking—convincing users of its efficacy and reliability is crucial, meaning it must address the following concerns: 1. Mint tackles these three issues directly on the comforting homepage, which more resembles a site for “green” living rather than greenbacks. The site’s comprehensive overview section should reassure the fearful (regarding security) and the skeptical (if the service is so good, why is it free?)
Culture, the Great Influencer on Corporate Social Media Adoption I’ve helped dozens of companies define their social media strategy based on research. Often, we conduct custom research efforts to evaluate first if their customers are using these tools (technographics) then we often talk with many stakeholders to find out their thoughts on social media. Sadly, in some cases, brands that had active customer bases using social technologies were not ready to participate themselves due to culture. Whether is paralysis, legal, or a cultural influence from management, or even location (I did a tour in Japan to find out how social media is growing there). One example that comes to mind is a financial company I worked with, they are one of the ones that have an incredible amount of money –and a lot at risk as their customers were on the verge of self-connecting to each other without their account teams involved. What about big companies?
Better Bank Marketing 50 Free iPhone Apps to Make You Richer The iPhone and iPod Touch are capable of a number of things, including helping you keep track of your money. From figuring out loan payments, to calculating tips and finding an ATM within your network so you won't pay fees, there seem to be countless apps to choose from. If you truly want to save money, then FREE applications are the way to go, and we've gathered up over 50 of them that will help you complete a multitude of tasks. What are some of your favorite iPhone and iPod Touch financial apps? Banking Applications 1st Mariner ATM/Branch Locator - Locate ATMs and branches in the 1st Mariner banking chain as well as the MoneyPass ATM network. Bank of America - Look up your account balance, find nearby Bank of America branches, pay bills, transfer funds and more all right on your iPhone or iPod Touch. Chase Mobile - Take control of your Chase account while on the go. IBC Mobile - Check your accounts, make payments, conduct transfers, search for nearby locations and more. Kcast Gold Live!
Mint Turns Personal Finance Into A Game. It’s Better Than It Sou Mint, the popular personal finance site that won 2007′s TechCrunch40, is launching a new feature called “Financial Fitness” which, strange as it may sound, adds an element of gaming to the service. Yes, it may sound like a bizarre combination at first – personal finance and fun aren’t exactly two things that go hand in hand. But it’s also a smart move on Mint’s part, as it looks to turn the mundane and often confusing activity of getting your financial affairs in order into something a bit more tolerable while increasing Mint’s engagement in the process. Mint is running the new feature in a private beta for a few weeks, and the first 500 TechCrunch readers to Email techcrunch-getfit@mint.com with the Email address they use on Mint.com will gain access. The game itself is fairly simple. I’m sure many people will initially react to the game with skepticism, as it isn’t exactly the first thing you’d expect at a finance site.
Issues First Global Survey of Millennials and Banking Channels: ORLANDO, Fla. — Nov. 18, 2008 — Banks seeking to capture customers of the so-called Millennial generation — people between the ages of 18 and 30 — may need to step up their efforts to reach them via higher-tech channels, including instant messaging, text messaging and more, according to a new survey released today by Microsoft Corp. at the BAI Retail Delivery Conference & Expo. The “Millennials in Banking Survey 2008,” conducted for Microsoft by Pleasanton, Calif.-based Javelin Strategy and Research, found that Millennials predominantly go online for most basic transactions with their banks, such as viewing an account balances (74 percent) or paying bills (70 percent). As is to be expected, when it comes to complex transactions — such as opening a new account (57 percent) and applying for a loan (52 percent) — their preference is to conduct those in person. Millennials Tech-Savvy in Day-to-Day Lives Bank Selection Criteria for Millennials Pleasanton, Calif. About Microsoft 1 Source: U.S.
ING DIRECT - We, The Savers Mobile Banking: Anytime, Anyplace Faster data access through 3G networks, as well as wider adoption of smartphones—and the apps that go with them—has helped boost usage of mobile banking, according to the “Mobile Financial Services: The Market Today & Opportunities for Tomorrow” report from comScore. Convenience is a major appeal of mobile banking, and to achieve it users take advantage of various access methods. Banking on a Web browser was most the popular method among both smartphone and 3G device users, with access through dedicated applications not far behind. The biggest difference between the habits of smartphone and 3G users showed up in the popularity of SMS-based mobile banking. Just 25% of smartphone users banked by text message, while 41% of 3G subscribers did. Mobile banking access is not just valuable for users on the go, either. One-quarter of users accessed services primarily while running errands, and another 15% accessed primarily during their commute. Stay ahead of all the curves coming down the road.
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