Getting your finances in order - the fast way

Organising your finances is a monumental task - even for the most money-savvy of us. But doing it online can take a lot of the drudgery out of the chore and leave you free to concentrate on the important stuff - making your money grow.

The easiest place to get started with eFinance is with your banking. All the large banks in New Zealand have online banking where you can do virtually all your day-to-day banking, such as paying bills and setting up automatic payments.

According to BNZ, the only reasons a customer needs to step foot in its branches is to:

* Load a new PIN on a credit or EFTPOS card;

* Open an account;

* Cash cheques;

* Withdraw more than $800 in a day;

At the ASB, 38 per cent of personal customers have registered to bank online and between 6000 and 10,000 more apply each month.

When you've mastered online banking, it's worth turning your attention to other electronic services aimed at private investors.

When it comes to share trading, gone are the days when you needed to call a stockbroker. You can now trade shares using online share dealing services such as ASB Securities, where you pay as little as $29.45 for a trade, including a stock exchange fee.

If you want to learn more about share trading, visit specialist websites such as Sharechat.co.nz - where you'll find stock market news feeds as well as experienced private investors to bounce ideas off.

You might want to consider using personal finance software such as Microsoft Money. Or, if you're a property investor, you can get software such as RentMaster to track your rental income and expenses. These programs allow you to download your bank statements and use your software to see what you're earning, spending and saving.

These days, almost every aspect of your finances can be managed online to some degree. You can, for example, apply for insurance and make claims, apply for loans, and eFile your GST return.

Even if you're not transacting, there's a wealth of useful websites designed to make managing your money easier:

* Sorted.org.nz from the Retirement Commissioner has useful information and calculators for adults and children;

* Cardwatch.co.nz will help you choose the best credit card;

* Interest.co.nz lists market-beating interest rates on savings;

* Consumer.org.nz has some eye-opening reports that will help you choose where to park your money;

* At Fundsource.co.nz, you can compare fund prices;

* Visit Goodreturns.co.nz if you're looking for financial books to educate yourself.

Whatever you decide to do online, make sure you check out advice on the website to ensure you keep your finances safe from hackers and phishers - people who copy financial websites and trick users to give away their account numbers and PINs.

Finally, if you're looking to make your money go further, you could take tips from websites such as Moneysavingexpert.co.uk or Stretcher.com.