Powerpoint: Most people have some kind of spreadsheet dashboard (I kind of still do), I prefer PowerPoint charts to report on my finances. Because I’m a consultant by trade.

Beancount: This is the “core platform” where I store all my finances. Beancount is a plain-text accounting software. Why do I use it instead of YNAB, GnuCash or any other platform?

• It’s open source, free (download from Github here), and digests data from a plain text file which pretty much contains double-entry accounting transactions and historical fund prices and FX rates
• I run it on my home server set-up using Docker and Proxmox (for you home server geeks)

Fava: A front-end platform that connects with Beancount to serve all my financial data in a web-based interface. I also run on Fava in my home setup, and I can access it from any browser anywhere in the world. Go have a look at the online demo, it’s great.

I use Wise all the time to transfer money for my overseas investments or payments. Their fees are very competitive, and their app is so easy to use.

Why are their fees so low and how are they able to provide very little to no spread on the FX crossing? Unlike traditional ways of exchanging money through correspondent banks and the OTC FX market, the majority of Wise’s FX transactions are within their internal treasury, meaning swap your currency within their reserves and with other customers that want your currency. This saves on fees and makes it instant.

Also, their mission is to make money transactions to be eventually free, which I love.

They even have a debit card that you can use for your holidays and overseas transactions to save on payments and FX fees.

If you don’t have an account yet, open an account using my affiliate link here. It’s free, quick and simple.