About us
We make managing your money enjoyable.
Our mission
We're on a mission to empower you to be better with your money.
BudgetBuddie was then created to allow people from all walks of life to gain an understanding of their finances and make better money choices.
We pride ourselves on making BudgetBuddie simplistic and easy to use but powerful in functionality.
Turning earners and spenders to savers and investors: We built BudgetBuddie to help Kiwis go from earning and spending, to saving and investing.
From your first paycheck to pension: We wanted to create a solution that was more than just another budgeting tool. That's why we've built in all the bells and whistles to allow you to use BudgetBuddie from when you get your first paycheck all the way to pension.
Hey there, i'm Tim 👋🏻
That day, we learned the valuable lesson of what money gives you, choices. Fast forward almost two decades, and I carry that lesson with me still to this day. The first step to learning about being good with money is earning it. If you can earn it, you can spend it. If you spend less of it, you can save it. If you can save it, you can invest it.
I had the idea for BudgetBuddie in 2022, off the back of being frustrated with the lack of tools to manage my money. I went out and surveyed and talked to hundreds of people, and I found that over 75% relied solely on their mobile banking app to manage their money.
There had to be a better way.
Our vision is to improve how Kiwis manage their money by moving them from earners and spenders to savers and investors.
Meet the brains behind BudgetBuddie.
FAQ
Got questions?
We've got answers.
Privacy & Security
How do you keep my information secure?
We care about your information and that's why we use 256-bit bank grade encryption to keep your data safe and secure. Your data is kept safe during refresh and when it's sitting still. You can read more about how we handle security here.
How does the connection work with my bank?
We use a banking API to connect to your information through Akahu, New Zealand's open finance infrastructure. That data then gets sent to BudgetBuddie once authorised by you and is kept secure and fully encrypted.
Who is Akahu?
Akahu is New Zealand's open finance infrastructure provider, they serve as the connection between you and your financial providers like banks, Kiwisaver providers and investment platforms. Check them out here: https://www.akahu.nz/
How it works
How are you different from other platforms?
BudgetBuddie was built on feedback from users struggling to get full clarity on their finances. That's why we're a little different from other platforms, we allow you to centralise all of your financial accounts in one place. We pride ourselves on being feature-rich and not just being another budgeting app, but having the features there to empower you to be better with your money from your first paycheck to your pension. Oh, and did we mention BudgetBuddie is soon to be available on both mobile and web?
How do I get set up?
Once you've confirmed your free trial or paid the subscription fee, you'll be taken to the get started screens. From there you can get all your accounts connected and your budget set up, once your all set up we'll show you around on how to use all the features. We'll guide you along the whole way until you're fully setup, but If you get stuck feel free to contact us here.
What features do you offer?
I'm glad you asked! Our features include custom dashboards, budgets, cashflow, net worth tracker, goals, retirement planner, merchant management, transactions, accounts, and connect your accounts. That way you've got a full set of features to help you manage your money from your first pay check to your pension.
I'm struggling to understand my finances, any help?
We'd start by categorising your merchants and transactions to give you a clear view of where your money is going. Once that’s done, explore our Money Insights feature for a detailed breakdown of your spending. Use these insights to set a budget and ensure you're covering your essentials. After grouping your expenses and setting your budget, your budget feature will help you track your spending against your budget, allowing you to make adjustments as needed. From there, you can manage your cashflow, set financial goals, and track your net worth. By the end, your dashboard will provide a comprehensive overview of your financial health.
Billing
What's the difference between basic, standard and pro?
Our basic plan is for the basic budgeter just wanted to get a basic understanding on their money and set a budget in place. Our standard plan is for anyone wanting to gain a good understanding of their finances now and where they're going by having access to most features but at a restricted level. Pro is for what we like to call 'finance fanatics' who want to keep on top of things and have unlimited access to features to get the full picture on their finances.
What happens once my free trial ends?
Once your trial ends and you haven't upgraded to a paid plan, we'll automatically update you to our free plan where you'll still have access to BudgetBuddie but certain features will be restricted. Once a paid plan is selected and paid, you'll have access to the features available for your selected plan
How do you handle plan upgrades or downgrades?
If you upgrade or downgrade your plan, you'll be upgraded or downgraded immediately but we'll prorate the charge for your change. This means we provide you with a credit for the unused time on your previous plan and then charge you for the remaining time in the billing period for the new plan. If you want to change your plan you can do it here.
How do I cancel my plan?
You can easily cancel your plan by going to our manage account portal. Once your plan is cancelled, your access will be removed immediately and a prorated credit will be applied to your account for the unused time on the plan. If you'd like to cancel your plan, you can do this here.
