Being Frugal
November 18, 2009
Christmas is coming quickly, and if your financial habits are like my past financial habits, you're starting to wonder how you’re going to pay for Christmas. It's not a fun feeling, and it's one I understand. I'm happy to say I've changed my ways. And the good news is that you can too. It's not that my financial situation changed much. We've had our up years and our down years. But I started planning for Christmas much earlier…like in January. Last year I discovered SmartyPig, a "social savings account."
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Credit Guy
November 18, 2009
I have all my cash savings at SmartyPig right now, and they just announced a 12% bonus at Macy's (and other bonuses at Barnes and Noble, iTunes, etc). And I kinda like Macy's. Quality stuff, and not too overpriced.
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getdebit
November 17, 2009
SmartyPig, the online piggy bank, has announced added incentives for consumers who save money using SmartyPig. The incentives include cash bonuses of up to 12% when consumers save using SmartyPig's online piggy bank.
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Money Hackers
November 17, 2009
What are the advantages of saving with SmartyPig? Well for one, when you save through SmartyPig and meet your savings goals, SmartyPig will pay you a cash boost! Sounds great doesn’t it? It is.
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Dollars and Sense
November 4, 2009
Have you ever noticed how, when you tell someone you're planning to do something, you feel more compelled to follow through on what you said you would do? Smartypig is like that, only for saving money.
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iFinance
October 15, 2009
SmartyPig is essentially a Web 2.0 financial services company - it brings saving money to the interactive online space. The impressive thing about SmartyPig is the fact that the foundation isn’t new or groundbreaking – the ability to save money has been around since commerce was created; yet the concept to achieve the desired result is.
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City Wire
October 6, 2009
Mike Linksey a financial services e-commerce specialist (yes, such a role does exist), was last week at a financial innovation seminar in New York, and he sent me a link to www.smartypig.com. This is a simple and, dare I say it, sexy way to get young people interested in saving. A habit which has sadly died out but in my opinion and the opinion of many people needs to be encouraged to get people off the rollercoaster credit card cycle - and the sooner the better.
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The Better Banking Blog
October 5, 2009
SmartyPig's claim to fame is that it has managed to attract more than $250m in US deposits since launch, with zero advertising, and very little marketing. SmartyPig allows customers to open goal-based savings accounts and invite family and friends to help them reach their goals using Facebook, MySpace, Blogger, and now Twitter.
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Rambling Thoughts Blog
September 9, 2009
Anyone who knows me should be aware that I'm a fan of encouraging people to save money: both for keeping a good sized stash of money untouched for emergency expenses and for a specific goals like buying a car. This article is based on an interview with Smartypig co-founder Jon Gaskell. Originally launched in the USA and licensed in Australia by ANZ Bank, Smartypig is an online high interest savings account with a few twists …
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Christian Finance Blog
September 7, 2009
I've been using SmartyPig for over a year now and I recently completed a goal so I think I have some good insight into this revolutionary service. The basic concept is similar to a piggy bank. Save up for something we need or want to buy. So instead of using credit cards or debt to pay for something, how about paying cash for it? What a concept. It's something many people can’t grasp and are the exact people who are in trouble today.
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Moore Minutes
August 25, 2009
I discovered SmartyPig almost 2 years ago and instantly fell in love. I read every inch of their website and immediately called Chris to excitedly ramble to him about my find! He couldn't stop making fun of the name, but moving on...
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Mint
August 21, 2009
SmartyPig is a really great idea, and unconventional as it may sound, it works. This site makes saving fun, and social: after joining this service, subscribers set savings goals, and make them public ( along with your progress). Members can then invite friends and family to help save – it effectively lets them know, “hey, I’m trying to saving some money over here and you are welcome to help me out by directly depositing into my account.”
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Mashable
August 11, 2009
Improving recognition of your company and product is one of the most common reasons for holding a social media-powered contest. SmartyPig, a company that offers a simple online savings account application, runs a monthly Twitter trivia contest where followers of @SmartyPig are asked questions about SmartyPig's services, which forces contestants to learn more about the company.
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The News and Observer
August 9, 2009
A few weeks ago, I saw a line about SmartyPig.com in a column by Ron Lieber of The New York Times. Intrigued, I did some research, and I liked what I found. SmartyPig's current interest rate of 2.75 percent isn't exactly high-yield, but it's a heck of lot better than what I'll get from most savings accounts or even CDs (I don't have the $25,000 to get one with a higher rate).
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Debt Kid
August 6, 2009
At the beginning of the year I discovered Smarty Pig, SmartyPig.com is about the easiest, smartest and cutest savings method I've ever seen! Smartypig allows you to set a goal, and save towards it automatically. For instance, we just adopted our daughter, but there was one bill left to pay- the legal fees for her "readoption" in America. I set up a SmartyPig account and told SmartyPig the date that I would like to have saved the money by (August 2008) and it calculated that I needed to save $13 a month.
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Dollar Banker
August 1, 2009
The savings account with SmartyPig is not your typical high earning savings account. It is specifically designed so account holders can set their specific goals. It is also like a tool for social savings where friends and family can view what your goals are. Another good thing to it is that they can add to your funds by using the ACH transfer facility to help you achieve your goal.
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Corporate Insight
July 27, 2009
Providing a fresh take on a still relatively fresh idea (direct savings accounts), newcomer SmartyPig has earned significant attention thanks to its high interest rates and unique savings plans. Add to that a recent investment from Red McCombs that, according to American Banker, significantly enhances the firm's marketing reach, and SmartyPig is suddenly a firm to watch in the online savings arena.
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Money Talk
July 25, 2009
Ever heard of SmartyPig a great web 2.0 concept of saving money with a goal. You set your own goal, how much money you want to save and it will suggest you the monthly deposit required to meet that goal. Easy fellas, don't flame me what I like best is their highly competitive interest rate.
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Counting On Currency
July 15, 2009
Combine this age-old strategy with the revolution of the internet and you get SmartyPig. SmartyPig is a savings plugin for your current banking strategy. By plugin I mean that you can combine the compelling returns of a SmartyPig savings account with your existing funds management strategy, rather than replace it with an online bank.
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Tomorrow's Plight
July 15, 2009
My husband recently sent me a text message telling me to check out SmartyPig.com, that it was talked about highly on a news channel. SmartyPig is an online savings website, that is through the West Bank, member of FDIC. SmartyPig allows you to set up savings goals and shows a nice break down of when you are expected to reach your savings goal based on the amount of monthly contribution you are depositing to the account.
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Fat Chic
July 14, 2009
I've tried to keep it simple, but only because people keep requesting this info, here are some basics: We have a wedding registry on Amazon and along with that we've opened up a SmartyPig account to sock back money to fly our nearest and dearest to Las Vegas to see the wedding, and to pay for a wedding reception at an as yet undetermined location in Minnesota. We're doing this the debt-free way, which means that things are pared down and as simple as we can make them. Absolutely nothing from our wedding is going on a credit card - why start a marriage in debt?
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Home Bank
July 14, 2009
SmartyPig, a newly launched site that brings a community approach to a single savings goal, has deposits skyrocketed up to ten-fold since January this year. In fact, this online banking service has one of the highest rates in the country today, currently at 2.75%. According to the report, the company is still planning to continue its aggressive pricing and marketing, with the goal to grow to a half-billion by the end of the year.
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Money Under Your Futon
July 14, 2009
Now there's also SmartyPig, which got a special mention in Ron Lieber's financial health day article on the NYTimes a couple of weeks ago. It offers a daring 2.75% interest rate (APY) and requires only a $25 minimum deposit.
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Celent
July 13, 2009
I love innovation, particularly when it takes place in the financial services industry. It's what prompted me to write my most recent report, Financial Technology Startups: Giving Banks a Run for Their Money. I have been following the activities of SmartyPig for some time now, and I must say that I am taken by their approach.
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Examiner
July 13, 2009
The NY Times today published a very helpful article about financial planning for 2009 graduates as well as a Q&A about the same issue. Their advice: pay off high interest loans, save for retirement early, use tax-free investment options, etc. were the same kind of advice they publish every summer for new graduates. What they didn't talk about was financial planning for students (as opposed to grads) who don't have a job that offers a 401k and probably don't have $5,000 to set aside for retirement.
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The Remix
July 12, 2009
I want to share some exciting news. I joined a team of people from our church, Cornerstone Family Church in Des Moines, IA, that is preparing for a short-term missions trip to Nairobi, Kenya in East Africa in September of this year... If you are able to support me, I've set up an account at SmartyPig.com, as well as linking it to my Facebook profile.
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Consumerism Commentary
July 7, 2009
Ron Lieber, a columnist for the New York Times, spent one day focusing on the financial tasks that he had been neglected. He calls this day a “fiscal health day,” like the mental health days everyone needs to take once in a while to remain a functional human being.
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Consumerism Commentary
July 5, 2009
Today’s guests in the eleventh episode of the Consumer Commentary Podcast are Jon Gaskell from SmartyPig and Consumerism Commentary’s newest contributor, Jeff.
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Lava Row
June 26, 2009
The Des Moines Register reported yesterday that billionaire “Red” McCombs recently invested a significant amount of money into SmartyPig.com, the social savings network founded here in Des Moines. (People in the Midwest may remember Red from his days as owner of the Minnesota Vikings.)
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The Financial Services Club Blog
June 25, 2009
As most of you know, I’m always on the scout for new stuff in banking and SmartyPig is one of my favourite stories. A social saving service designed for social networks, they’re a great little outfit and spoke at the Financial Services Club’s American Retail Banker’s forum I arranged last November.
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The Broke Yuppie
June 1, 2009
It's soooooo easy to get an account. Almost creepily easy. Chutes and Ladders easy. I think it took 10 minutes. And that was while my mother was nagging me to come help her cook dinner. Which can be distracting. Even with the nagging I had three new savings accounts within 10 minutes (not including reading the fine print, which added maybe five to seven minutes). Def worth your time.
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Own The Dollar
May 28, 2009
We all know the importance of saving money. Knowing and doing are two different things, which is why experts agree savings should be automated. SmartyPig takes automation to a new level.
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Simple Rich
May 27, 2009
Earlier today I twittered that I was a fan of SmartyPig. I got two e-mails asking me a) Is it for real with those interest rates and 2) how do I use it? Well a partial answer for how I use it is to show some examples of what I use it for.
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Kristen Rudd
April 22, 2009
Joshua and I sat down together a few nights ago and opened up a SmartyPig account. I opened one account with two savings goals - Killian's preschool fund and our emergency fund.
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Squidley and Sco
April 5, 2009
SmartyPig is easy - no decisions required for us or our guests. It’s where we’ve registered for our house fund. It’s a public online savings account.
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The Bottom Line
April 4, 2009
Piggy banks now exist for adults, AKA “big kids”. Hello, SmartyPig.com.
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KevinKahn.com
March 31, 2009
SmartyPig is for people who want to save for specific goals. Whether it's a family vacation, the latest electronic gadget, a wedding or a down payment on a house, SmartyPig's unique system can help you get there.
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The Remix
March 31, 2009
In my last two posts, I mentioned several uses SmartyPig.com offers that ministries should take advantage of... So today I went and set up my first savings goal, my missions trip to Africa.
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Fiona's Blog
March 30, 2009
My whines have been answered though, not by the credit union, but by this cool online site called SmartyPig... Maybe if more people take advantage of SmartyPig accounts then everyone can get back to learning how to save money.
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Blog.Margareting.com Margareting Along
March 24, 2009
I just wanted to give some recognition to a company I’ve had my eye on for a while, SmartyPig. Other than the fact that they have a really unique product I’m itching to try, I LIKE their co-founder’s take on customer service.
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Finaxyz Finance and Economics Commentary
March 24, 2009
SmartyPig is a new form of online bank. You can open savings accounts for specific goals and specify a monthly savings amount that will be automatically deducted from a traditional bank checking account...I just opened my first SmartyPig savings account today with a “retirement” savings goal 15 years from now, that translates into a $10 per month contribution.
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redOrbit
March 24, 2009
SmartyPig functions as a social network where, if you make your goal public, friends and family can provide financial support. You can also add your personalized SmartyPig widget to your Facebook or MySpace page, blog or Website.
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The Nepal Adoption Journey
March 21, 2009
It’s no secret the cost of international adoption can be overwhelming, especially in light of the economic challenges we are all facing. So, I thought it might be worth sharing a tip for saving that I have been using this past year. It’s a company called SmartyPig.
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Thrive
March 19, 2009
SmartyPig offers one of the best interest rates for a savings account. In a world where putting $100 in the stock market a year ago would leave you with $61 today, having a savings account with $103.25 a year from now sounds pretty darn good.
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Visible Banking
March 16, 2009
SmartyPig, the leader in the social banking space, today announced the launch of its OFX Solution, enabling customers to add their SmartyPig accounts into their preferred money management sites.
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Mummy's Product Review
March 12, 2009
Saving is all the rage these days. SmartyPig is there to help. Using its one-of-a-kind technology individuals and families can set aside savings to reach certain goals and do it privately or publicly.
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Store Envy
March 3, 2009
Obviously, we have a lot of awesome stores at Storenvy. But none combine saving money, social networking and lots of pink as awesomely as SmartyPig does.
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Another Expired Prescription
March 2, 2009
Yeah, call me crazy. I just decided to start a SmartyPig.com account to start saving for Baby's college
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Money Cake
March 2, 2009
SmartyPig is currently paying one of the highest interest rate for a savings account that I’ve seen.
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Centsability to Wealth
February 26, 2009
In yesterday’s guest post, Nate talked about goal-oriented savings. He used his personal situation–moving to Egypt–as an example of identifying a goal (that will cost money), figuring out how much it will cost, and saving for it.
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The Penny-Wise Family
February 20, 2009
If you’re like me, the only savings you’ve ever been successful at is the automatically-deducted 401(k) account you’ve got at work. If you aren’t like me, well then I’m embarrassed. I liked thinking I wasn’t the only one with a savings problem.
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The Amateur Financier
February 19, 2009
My most recent online savings account is with SmartyPig. I came across an ad for the site, and was impressed by its high interest rate and friendly appearance. I joined, and have been using various savings goals to save up my money.
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The Journey
February 18, 2009
And we all wish it did: I’m going to share with you what I use to save and track my money.
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The Budget Smart Girl's Guide to the Universe
January 15, 2009
Late last year I was sent some information about SmartyPig. The name got my attention and when I checked out their Web site, I knew it was something I had to share with other Budget Smart Girls.
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AppVita
January 2, 2009
These days it’s not uncommon for Americans to have thousands of dollars in credit card debt and no savings account to speak of.
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SunDog
December 30, 2008
Move over ceramic piggy bank. SmartyPig wants to change the way 20- to 30-year-olds save money using an online savings account with built in social networking functions. It’s kind of like an “ING Direct meets Twitter and Facebook” savings account with a virtual twist.
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Associated Content
November 7, 2008
It’s hard to remember exactly when I first discovered SmartyPig. And now that it’s become a major part of my financial life, it’s even harder to remember life before SmartyPig.
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Marketing Vox
October 30, 2008
The model’s ideal for an economy like this one. American consumers increasingly confine their discretionary spend to the internet, hoping both to save gas and find deals.
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The Better Banking Blog
October 29, 2008
In the current economic climate, saving to spend seems like an odd behaviour to encourage. However SmartyPig is encouraging saving rather than creating debt which is a welcome change. Also in a sign of the times, 5 per cent of US SmartyPig customers have identified that they are saving for an “Emergency Fund”.
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We're In Debt
July 10, 2008
“We decided to try out SmartyPig, primarily because the 4.3% APY rate is pretty good in these tough times. Creating a savings goal consisted of a few steps, which seemed complicated at times, but it wasn’t anything more difficult than opening any other bank account online.”
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Gather Little By Little
April 13, 2008
“I think SmartyPig is a great idea that is really going to take off. They offer a great website, a unique goal oriented approach to savings, and a higher than normal interest rate. Not to mention my experience with one of the co-founders was just plain great. He was very responsive and always available to answer my questions and help me out. I think it says a great deal about a company when you have someone at the top of the house providing that level of support.”
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Webware
April 8, 2008
“SmartyPig brings a disciplined approach to savings to consumers. And if SmartyPig isn't right for you but you think it might be good for someone you know, you can — surprise! — buy the other person a gift card to SmartyPig itself to get them started on the service.”
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Queercents
April 7, 2008
“SmartyPig reminds me of the days when my grandmother made weekly deposits to her Christmas Club. Remember those? The special savings program offered by local banks to ease the expense of holiday shopping. These were still quite popular when I was growing up as a kid in the 1970’s. Well, SmartyPig is giving good old-fashioned savings a boost with some social networking.”
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Some What Frank
April 2, 2008
It sounds like it pays to use SmartyPig to save towards your goals.
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The Wisdom Journal
March 31, 2008
“I recently experienced excellent customer service with SmartyPig. SmartyPig is a new savings concept that will outshine any competition if my recent experience with them is any indication.”
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RotorBlog
March 27, 2008
“You just got to love the uber cool design of SmartyPig. And the cutesy pig logo on the banner is definitely a winner. Who would have thought that saving some of your hard earn money could be easy, fun and social? Before I begin this post, let me just give a well deserve hats off to whoever thought of coming up with SmartyPig.”
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Consumerism Commentary
March 25, 2008
“SmartyPig presents a unique approach to reaching and sharing your savings goals. Once you open your account and set your first goal, your contributions and the contributions of your friends and family will earn a high interest rate. The bonus of up to 5% when you redeem your savings is more than you can get from credit cards and is a contributing factor to my recommendation.”
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Moolanomy
March 24, 2008
“I think the underlying theory of this tool is very powerful. It has many valuable financial management concepts… I think SmartyPig definitely has a good concept going here.”
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Bankaholic
March 23, 2008
“Although SmartyPig just launched this month, I am very excited to see how it evolves. The management team seems very tech-savvy, and they are not afraid to embrace new trends and try different things to shape the way we do banking online.”
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The Simple Dollar
March 23, 2008
“SmartyPig excels at facilitating goal-oriented saving - if you’re saving up for a specific item, this is perhaps the best way I’ve ever seen to self-motivate to get it done and earn some solid returns in the process, both from the interest earned in the account and in the potential gift card you can get when you cash out.”
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KillerStartups
March 16, 2008
“Either way, when money’s hard to come by, saving it is key. If you don’t want to have to resort to digging through rusty treasure chests for precious gold to melt and trade, try SmartyPig, a new online bank that’ll help you reach your goals. Think of it as a bank, but Web 2.0 style.”
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Inside Out Branding
March 13, 2008
“SmartyPig is public, it's social, and it's easy. And it just might be the future of saving.”
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Guillaume’s Blog
March 11, 2008
“SmartyPig is what a product should be: not technology, but very well done integration… In a nutshell, SmartyPig can be viewed as a small attempt at bringing back the social role of money.”
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About.com
March 8, 2008
“SmartyPig is a new service that helps people save for their goals. Want to buy a bike by next summer? You can create a goal at SmartyPig and make it a reality… SmartyPig seems to package a few processes that you could already do online, but now they're easier to coordinate. If this will make it more likely for you to save (and avoid borrowing), then go for it.”
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Finextra
March 5, 2008
“SmartyPig is the latest outfit to take advantage of the Internet to challenge traditional financial institutions.”
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BankNet360
March 4, 2008
“The coolest feature is that you can make your goals public and have friends and family contribute directly to the fund. I can see a fad coming down the pike of people making their birthday and holiday wish lists on SmartyPig, and letting close ones just finance the gifts they want to buy.”
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NetBanker
March 4, 2008
“We like how SmartyPig is part gift registry, part savings account, and potentially a big help in getting users in the habit of saving for larger goals. The look-and-feel is very Web 2.0 and should resonate with teens and twenty-somethings… We are impressed with SmartyPig and are awarding it our first OBR (Online Banking Report) Best of the Web award for 2008.”
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