Where did My Budget Day come from?

It all started when we ran a unique experiment, AXA Avenue, to understand what difference having access to financial advice and doing some financial planning can make. 20 households of average income were selected for the project, 10 were given free access to independent financial advice and the other 10 were left to their own devices.

One of the key findings from AXA Avenue found that people need to spend a minimum of one hour per month reviewing and planning their finances in order to get their finances under control. Consumers currently only spend on average 22 minutes a month on their personal finances.

What's My Budget Day all about?

AXA is trying to encourage individuals to take control of their finances. To help them get started, AXA is looking to encourage businesses to help their employees kick-start the financial planning habit by helping their employees improve their finances by giving them an hour to do some financial planning in the workplace. Anyone who takes part in My Budget Day agrees to give their employees one hour off to give them time to sort their finances. My Budget Day is the first of those hours and is essentially an awareness raising initiative to get the ball rolling.

For the past three years AXA has been committed to investigating the issue of financial education. We are determined to explore how the nation can improve their financial know-how in order to better manage their finances. There are millions of people who aren't well enough prepared to deal with money and that's what we want to change.

What do I need to have with me to get started?

When you're ready to get started it will help if you have the following information to hand before you click on "The Budget Planner":

• Salary after tax
• Investment returns and any other income
• Mortgage/rent
• Utility bills - water, electricity, gas and home phone
• Mobile phone bills
• Insurance premiums (house, travel, medical etc)
• Loan repayments
• Pension contributions
• Car and travel expenses (fuel, parking)
• Food and clothing
• Child-related costs (uniforms, school trips, pocket money, school fees)
• Leisure (cinema, theatre, sporting and other outings, subscriptions and equipment)
• TV and Internet access costs (including licence and satellite/cable subscriptions)

Can I download and/or save my budget to my computer?

Yes, you can download a budget using the "export" option underneath each budget. You will then be given the option to open or save the budget as a "csv" file. This file type can be opened by most spreadsheet programmes such as Microsoft Excel.

Will anyone be able to view my budget once saved?

No, once you save your using your own username and password only you will be able to access the information. If you are using a privacy area please make sure you log off once you are finished.

Can I go back and change my budget once I have saved it?

Yes, all you need to do is log in using your own personal username and password and you will be able to access and make changes to your budget.

How do I login to my previously saved budget?

In the budget selection panel on the left of the page, select the "Yours" tab. You should then see a login link. After entering your username and password, you will be shown a list of your saved budgets.

What happens if I forget my password?

If you forget your password, we can email a new one to you. Follow the "Forgot your password?" link, enter the email address you registered with, and a new password will be sent. Please remember it can take a few minutes for the email to arrive.

Will I lose my inputted data if I navigate between the various tabs without first saving my budget?

When you navigate away from your budget, you will always be reminded to save any changes.

Can I add other items to my budget?

Yes, you can do this by clicking on the custom box at the foot of the table to add any additional income.

Can I delete items from my budget once I have finished inputting them?

No, once added, it is not possible to remove items. However, you can set their value to nil, effectively removing them from your budget.

Who do I contact for more information?

If your query is not answered here, please send an email to mybudgetday.uk@axa-uk.co.uk. Please note we will respond to your query as quickly as possible, but this may not be immediate.