Liz Koh: Tidy up finances with smart tech tools

It's time to down tools, tidy the office, leave a holiday message on the answering machine, prepare for guests or pack suitcases.

It's as if the year can be put in a box and filed away, with a clean start to be made next year.

Now is a good time to think about tidying up your financial records, particularly if you are intending to travel.

The days of keeping piles of paper are long gone. Bank statements, invoices and receipts can all be received online now. Technology can save a huge amount of time but needs to be managed if you want to get the most benefit from it.

Start by looking at whether you are making full use of direct debits and automatic payments to pay your bills and transfer money between your bank accounts each payday. To avoid nasty surprises, it is a good idea to have all your direct debits and automatic payments paid out of an account that is separate from the account used for other household running costs.

Set up an electronic filing system for the invoices and receipts sent by email. Keep track of donation receipts and anything you can claim as an expense if you are self-employed.

Scan important documents such as passports, birth certificates and wills, however be careful how you store this information. Use a password-protected USB or an encrypted cloud storage system rather than leaving it on your computer, and make sure at least one other trusted person knows how to access it.

Before you go on holiday, make sure you take copies of your insurance details for your car and personal items, so if your camera disappears overboard while you are on your cruise, for example, you can quickly lodge a claim.

Happy holidays.

Liz Koh is an authorised financial adviser. The advice given here is general and does not constitute specific advice to any person. A disclosure statement can be obtained free by calling 0800 273 847. For free ebooks, see moneymax.co.nz and moneymaxcoach.com