IEC launches interactive tools to help people plan and manage their finances

18 November 2013

  • Budget Planner to enable better planning and control of spending and savings
  • Savings Goal Calculator to help people plan for their financial goals

The Investor Education Centre (IEC) today launched its first set of online tools — an interactive Budget Planner and Savings Goal Calculator — to help the public in Hong Kong plan and manage their finances.


The new tools are available on the IEC's website (www.hkiec.hk), which offers comprehensive, credible and impartial information and assistance about all aspects of personal finance.


Designed to help people understand their money habits and keep track of finances, the interactive Budget Planner enables people to record their incomings and expenses, and gives a breakdown of their spending across a broad range of categories, such as household, transport, food and drinks, health and beauty, education, taxation, financial commitments, etc. The Budget Planner helps people to work out if they are living within their means, and identify any opportunities to cut back expenditure to pay off debts quicker or boost their savings.


The Savings Goal Calculator shows users the effect of compounding on their savings, and helps people to work out how to achieve their financial goals. It lets users work out: how much they will need to save regularly to reach their goal in time; how much they will have if they put aside a fixed amount of money regularly; and how long it will take to reach their savings goal.


"The IEC aims to help people develop good money habits and plan and manage their finances. Our new, easy-to-use online and interactive tools are designed to help people do just that," said Mr Miles Larbey, General Manager of the IEC.


"It can be easy to spend money without really keeping track of where it went. Our comprehensive Budget Planner is designed to help people better understand where their money goes, prioritise needs and wants and manage their budget to make ends meet."


"Setting a savings goal can sometimes seem impossible to achieve if you don't know where to start. Our Savings Goal calculator is a tool to assist people to achieve their financial goals, whether large or small, short- or long-term, and therefore help with financial planning."


"We are most grateful to our stakeholders who provided valuable input during the development of these tools, which helps them to be as useful to the public as possible," said Mr Larbey.


The new online tools have been developed in response to the findings of the research report Financial Knowledge and Capability in Hong Kong: A Foundation Study, published in June 2013. The IEC consulted with a range of key stakeholders in developing the new tools, which were also tested via consumer research.


The online tools may be printed or downloaded by users who prefer to work offline. They may also be shared with friends by email or via Facebook.


For more details, please visit the IEC website (www.hkiec.hk)


Photos and captions: