在App盛行的時代，這家公司卻在復興Excel表格
Brett Haensel
2020-11-11
記錄支出是件麻煩的事情，但若想進行財務規(guī)劃，這件事情又非做不可。一年多以前，詹妮弗·穆德在讓客戶進行支出記錄時就碰到了麻煩。
穆德是洛杉磯Pathway financial Services公司的創(chuàng)始財務規(guī)劃師，當時，她根本找不到輕松、簡單的預算編制工具。Quicken軟件提供的個人財務數(shù)據(jù)過于深入、詳細，她的客戶大多不感興趣，而Mint在對支出進行分類時則會頻繁出錯，比如會把客戶在星巴克的消費記到購車支出之下。穆德還注意到，如果某種個人電子表格需要客戶手動輸入數(shù)據(jù)，那么不出幾個月的時間，客戶就會忘了這個表格的存在。
于是，她將目光投向了一家在推特（Twitter）上廣受好評、同時得到諸多財務規(guī)劃師推薦的初創(chuàng)企業(yè)——Tiller Money。Tiller Money可以在谷歌表格或微軟Excel等常用平臺上使用，能夠自動跟蹤個人的財務狀況，省去了手動輸入數(shù)據(jù)的麻煩，而且支持自定義，讓用戶可以根據(jù)自己的需要來設置支出分類及預算目標，簡直是穆勒心中理想的工具。
“在試圖說服人們嘗試新鮮事物時，每多一道障礙，人們嘗試的意愿就會降低一分，這時候熟悉度就顯得至關重要了，而這款軟件恰好與我們客戶常用的那些軟件沒有太大差別。”
Tiller Money由彼得·波爾森于2015年創(chuàng)立，創(chuàng)業(yè)之初，彼得原本計劃單獨開發(fā)一款應用程序，但通過與潛在客戶溝通，波爾森發(fā)現(xiàn)，大家對上手新應用程序并沒有多少興趣，反而更愿意使用電子表格，哪怕得手動輸入數(shù)據(jù)，他們也不想改用別的應用程序，這也讓波爾森得出了與穆德相同的結論：熟悉產(chǎn)生美。
畢竟，波爾森大半輩子都在用這些軟件，他很理解用戶會有這種想法的原因。于是，他放棄了開發(fā)應用程序的想法，轉而決定對電子表格進行優(yōu)化。
據(jù)波爾森回憶，當時他思考的是：“如果我們真把電子表格提升到一個完全不同的水平會有什么效果？如果我們可以簡化表格的使用方法、提供好用的模板、使表格能夠自動獲取用戶銀行賬戶的財務信息，那么效果又會怎樣？”
據(jù)美國國家信貸咨詢基金會（National Foundation for Credit Counseling）的年度財務素養(yǎng)調查顯示，2020年，只有不到50%的美國人表示自己有財務支出預算且會詳細記錄自己在食品、住房、娛樂等方面的支出，這與許多人的儲蓄和消費意愿形成了鮮明對比：西北相互人壽保險公司（Northwestern Mutual）的一項研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，79%的美國人認為“堅定不移地按照預算管理支出”是實現(xiàn)穩(wěn)健財務的關鍵所在。
美國聯(lián)邦儲備委員會（Federal Reserve）于2019年發(fā)布的報告顯示，如果因為意外支出需要臨時拿出400美元，那么有近三分之一的美國成年人將需要舉債或變賣一些物品。當前，經(jīng)濟局勢尚不穩(wěn)定，刺激計劃也未見蹤跡，或許只有做好支出記錄才能夠確保你可以按時付賬、避免陷入“財務危機”。
與其他個人理財工具一樣，Tiller Money也預置了表格模板，用戶能夠根據(jù)自身需求將其自動連接任意數(shù)量的銀行賬戶和信用卡，還可以對交易進行分類，了解自己是否在外出就餐或零售購物方面開銷過大。
Tiller Money的基礎工作表。圖片來源：Courtesy of Tiller Money
Tiller Money也為新手用戶提供了基礎模板，支持對月度及年度預算進行自定義。而借助其高級模板（同樣支持自定義），用戶能夠對其凈值、儲蓄目標、債務等項目進行追蹤。
波爾森表示，Tiller Money的活躍客戶數(shù)量每年都在成倍增長，目前擁有“數(shù)萬”用戶。公司團隊共有15人，包括10名全職員工和5名合同工，據(jù)波爾森介紹，Tiller Money僅收到過一個私人團隊的資助，該團隊由資深技術投資者組成，其成員主要集中在西雅圖地區(qū)。
Tiller Money會先在谷歌表格中填入支出類別，不過用戶可以根據(jù)自身需要對其進行刪改，自行決定支出項目的分類。波爾森說：“我們把規(guī)則的制定權交到了用戶手中。以在加油站的消費為例，你能夠這樣設置規(guī)則：低于15美元的開銷計入“外出就餐”這個類別（可以認為是在M&M買了杯康普茶）；超過15美元就計入‘汽油’這個類別，視為加油費。
Tiller Money與Mint等競爭對手的最大差異可能還是商業(yè)模式。Mint是免費的軟件平臺，而Tiller Money則會每年統(tǒng)一收取79美元的訂閱費。雖然這看起來不像是競爭優(yōu)勢，但波爾森堅持認為，這完美地說明了Tiller Money比業(yè)內其他公司更加重視客戶隱私。波爾森表示：“常言道：天下沒有免費的午餐。如果使用者無需為產(chǎn)品付費，那他本身可能就成了產(chǎn)品。”（財富中文網(wǎng)）
譯者：梁宇
審校：夏林
記錄支出是件麻煩的事情，但若想進行財務規(guī)劃，這件事情又非做不可。一年多以前，詹妮弗·穆德在讓客戶進行支出記錄時就碰到了麻煩。
穆德是洛杉磯Pathway financial Services公司的創(chuàng)始財務規(guī)劃師，當時，她根本找不到輕松、簡單的預算編制工具。Quicken軟件提供的個人財務數(shù)據(jù)過于深入、詳細，她的客戶大多不感興趣，而Mint在對支出進行分類時則會頻繁出錯，比如會把客戶在星巴克的消費記到購車支出之下。穆德還注意到，如果某種個人電子表格需要客戶手動輸入數(shù)據(jù)，那么不出幾個月的時間，客戶就會忘了這個表格的存在。
于是，她將目光投向了一家在推特（Twitter）上廣受好評、同時得到諸多財務規(guī)劃師推薦的初創(chuàng)企業(yè)——Tiller Money。Tiller Money可以在谷歌表格或微軟Excel等常用平臺上使用，能夠自動跟蹤個人的財務狀況，省去了手動輸入數(shù)據(jù)的麻煩，而且支持自定義，讓用戶可以根據(jù)自己的需要來設置支出分類及預算目標，簡直是穆勒心中理想的工具。
“在試圖說服人們嘗試新鮮事物時，每多一道障礙，人們嘗試的意愿就會降低一分，這時候熟悉度就顯得至關重要了，而這款軟件恰好與我們客戶常用的那些軟件沒有太大差別。”
Tiller Money由彼得·波爾森于2015年創(chuàng)立，創(chuàng)業(yè)之初，彼得原本計劃單獨開發(fā)一款應用程序，但通過與潛在客戶溝通，波爾森發(fā)現(xiàn)，大家對上手新應用程序并沒有多少興趣，反而更愿意使用電子表格，哪怕得手動輸入數(shù)據(jù)，他們也不想改用別的應用程序，這也讓波爾森得出了與穆德相同的結論：熟悉產(chǎn)生美。
畢竟，波爾森大半輩子都在用這些軟件，他很理解用戶會有這種想法的原因。于是，他放棄了開發(fā)應用程序的想法，轉而決定對電子表格進行優(yōu)化。
據(jù)波爾森回憶，當時他思考的是：“如果我們真把電子表格提升到一個完全不同的水平會有什么效果？如果我們可以簡化表格的使用方法、提供好用的模板、使表格能夠自動獲取用戶銀行賬戶的財務信息，那么效果又會怎樣？”
據(jù)美國國家信貸咨詢基金會（National Foundation for Credit Counseling）的年度財務素養(yǎng)調查顯示，2020年，只有不到50%的美國人表示自己有財務支出預算且會詳細記錄自己在食品、住房、娛樂等方面的支出，這與許多人的儲蓄和消費意愿形成了鮮明對比：西北相互人壽保險公司（Northwestern Mutual）的一項研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，79%的美國人認為“堅定不移地按照預算管理支出”是實現(xiàn)穩(wěn)健財務的關鍵所在。
美國聯(lián)邦儲備委員會（Federal Reserve）于2019年發(fā)布的報告顯示，如果因為意外支出需要臨時拿出400美元，那么有近三分之一的美國成年人將需要舉債或變賣一些物品。當前，經(jīng)濟局勢尚不穩(wěn)定，刺激計劃也未見蹤跡，或許只有做好支出記錄才能夠確保你可以按時付賬、避免陷入“財務危機”。
與其他個人理財工具一樣，Tiller Money也預置了表格模板，用戶能夠根據(jù)自身需求將其自動連接任意數(shù)量的銀行賬戶和信用卡，還可以對交易進行分類，了解自己是否在外出就餐或零售購物方面開銷過大。
Tiller Money也為新手用戶提供了基礎模板，支持對月度及年度預算進行自定義。而借助其高級模板（同樣支持自定義），用戶能夠對其凈值、儲蓄目標、債務等項目進行追蹤。
波爾森表示，Tiller Money的活躍客戶數(shù)量每年都在成倍增長，目前擁有“數(shù)萬”用戶。公司團隊共有15人，包括10名全職員工和5名合同工，據(jù)波爾森介紹，Tiller Money僅收到過一個私人團隊的資助，該團隊由資深技術投資者組成，其成員主要集中在西雅圖地區(qū)。
Tiller Money會先在谷歌表格中填入支出類別，不過用戶可以根據(jù)自身需要對其進行刪改，自行決定支出項目的分類。波爾森說：“我們把規(guī)則的制定權交到了用戶手中。以在加油站的消費為例，你能夠這樣設置規(guī)則：低于15美元的開銷計入“外出就餐”這個類別（可以認為是在M&M買了杯康普茶）；超過15美元就計入‘汽油’這個類別，視為加油費。
Tiller Money與Mint等競爭對手的最大差異可能還是商業(yè)模式。Mint是免費的軟件平臺，而Tiller Money則會每年統(tǒng)一收取79美元的訂閱費。雖然這看起來不像是競爭優(yōu)勢，但波爾森堅持認為，這完美地說明了Tiller Money比業(yè)內其他公司更加重視客戶隱私。波爾森表示：“常言道：天下沒有免費的午餐。如果使用者無需為產(chǎn)品付費，那他本身可能就成了產(chǎn)品?！保ㄘ敻恢形木W(wǎng)）
譯者：梁宇
審校：夏林
A little over a year ago, Jennifer Mulder was having trouble getting her clients to perform a laborious but essential task: tracking their own spending.
The founding financial planner of Pathway Financial Services in Los Angeles, Mulder couldn’t seem to find a tool that made the budgeting process simple and easy. Quicken’s software provided a more in-depth and detailed look into personal finances than many of her clients were interested in, and Mint too often confused categories of spending––a client’s Starbucks purchase could show up as an automobile expense. Personal spreadsheets that required expenses to be inputted manually, Mulder noticed, were usually ignored and forgotten about by clients after a few months’ time.
So, she turned to a startup that was both generating some buzz on Twitterand recommended by other financial planners: Tiller Money. An automated way of tracking of an individual’s finances on the familiar platforms of either Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel, Tiller Money was the exact tool Muller was looking for, allowing users to customize their own spending categories and budget goals without having to experience the hassle of manual data entry.
“It didn't feel like something that was all that different from what they were already familiar with, and that's really important when you're trying to get people to do something new––every hurdle you put in their way makes it that much more likely that they're not going to actually do it.”
Founded in 2015 by Peter Polson, Tiller Money was originally designed to be an app, but when interviewing prospective customers before the launch, Polson came to the same conclusion as Mulder: there’s comfort in familiarity. Those Polson interviewed didn’t seem interested in an app; they liked their spreadsheets and were unlikely to switch over even if it meant they had to handle date entry on their own.
Polson understood where these people were coming from––after all, he had used them himself throughout most of his life. So, he abandoned the idea of an app and instead embraced the idea of optimizing the spreadsheet.
“What if we could actually take spreadsheets to a whole other level,” Polson remembered thinking. “What if we could automate them with financial feeds from any of your bank accounts and make it easier to use spreadsheets to give you helpful templates.”
In 2020, less than 50% of Americans say they currently have a budget and closely track their spending on expenses like food, housing, and entertainment, according to the National Foundation for Credit Counseling's annual financial literacy survey. That behavior comes in stark contrast to many people's saving and spending desires: 79% of Americans believe "sticking to a budget and never deviating" is key to financial stability, a Northwestern Mutual study found.
With the Federal Reserve reporting in 2019 that nearly a third of U.S. adults would need to borrow or sell something if faced with an unexpected $400 expense, the economy still in a rather precarious spot, and no stimulus bill on the horizon, carefully tracking what you are spending could very well mean the difference between being able to pay a bill on time and tripping into financial turmoil.
Tiller Money provides customers with pre-built spreadsheet templates that, like other personal finance tools, automatically connect to as many bank accounts and credit cards as a customer desires and categorizes transactions, leaving users with an understanding of whether or not they are spending too much on, say, eating out or retail shopping.
A Tiller Money spreadsheet.
There's a foundation template that provides beginners with customizable monthly and yearly budgets, as well as more advanced templates (also customizable) for tracking net worth, savings goals, debt, and more.
Polson said Tiller Money's base of active customers has been doubling annually, with the company now having “tens of thousands” of subscribers. Tilley Money is made up of a team of 15, including 10 full-time employees and five contractors, and has only received funding from "a private group of experienced technology investors, primarily centered in the Seattle region," according to Polson.
And while Tiller Money will initially populate your Google Sheet with spending categories, you can change and delete them as you see fit, allowing customers to pick and choose which expenses should fall under which bucket. “We let people build their own rules,” Polson said. “I could create a rule that says if it's a gas station and it's under $15, it's probably M&M's and kombucha, so it's eating out. And, if it's over $15, it's filling my tank, so it's gas.”
Perhaps the most important distinction Polson makes between Tiller Money and competitors such as Mint involves the two companies’ business models. Whereas Mint is a free software platform, Tiller Money charges a uniform, yearly subscription fee of $79. While that hardly may seem like a competitive advantage, Polson insists that is perfect example of how Tiller Money values customers’ privacy more than others in the industry. “As the saying goes, ‘if you're not paying for the product, you are the product,’” Polson said.
財富中文網(wǎng)所刊載內容之知識產(chǎn)權為財富媒體知識產(chǎn)權有限公司及/或相關權利人專屬所有或持有。未經(jīng)許可，禁止進行轉載、摘編、復制及建立鏡像等任何使用。
