Have you ever gotten tired of the endless and features that some personal finance software programs throw at you? Do you loathe paying for features that you never use and wouldn’t even bother to use if you knew how? If your answer to these questions is ‘yes’, then you might be a good candidate for one of the newest entries into the personal finance management area.
Green Sherpa is an Internet-based personal finance application which is known as Software as a Service (SaaS for short). What this means is that there is no software to load onto your PC. You simply visit their website, set up an account and start using the program. There are lots of SaaS programs that are in use, so this is nothing new. For example, most photo websites are SaaS programs. And, facebook.com could be considered one of the largest SaaS applications on the Internet in terms of use.
The best thing about Green Sherpa is that it features a 3-step process which forms the basis of a powerful financial planning process.
Track Historical Expenses
This first step is a key because tracking your past financial expenses helps map out where your money is going and the income that covers it. Then, it goes further in projecting those expenses for 12 months. In this manner, you get a complete look at your cash flow.
Plan for the Future
After the first step has been established, you are then assisted in setting up and maintaining a financial plan. You will find a Goalkeeper that helps you set automated goals which are tracked each month. For example, if you want to purchase a house and pay down debt, Green Sherpa helps you accomplish both by setting goals based on those two desires.
Discuss Your Plan
The final step is in creating and using online financial conversations in your accounts. If you have questions about goals and plans, you can set up access for your domestic partner, or financial advisers who can enter a discussion that will help you make decisions about your money – all within the confines of your account.
Green Sherpa has garnered some solid recommendations from Wallet Pop, CNN Money, and Computer World. And that is pretty difficult to do when running against the likes of Quicken and other personal finance giants with only a few years in business.
While there are free websites that track expenses, none go the extra and provide for planning as does Green Sherpa. That is why the owners believe that users will be willing to pay the $8 per month fee. And, when you stop to consider what it can do to help you, it might just be the smartest $8 you’ve ever spent.