My$Manager FAQs

Background
Q: What is My$Manager and why should I use it?
A: My$Manager provides the tools to help you manage and track ALL of your finances easily and conveniently. It will help you to create a budget, identify where all of your money goes each month, set spending targets, and identify ways to cut back on spending while saving more. It will also help you to track your bills, cash flow and personal goals. Best of all, it allows you to do all of this without manually adding transactions, thanks to easy-to-use account aggregation.

This solution is secure, safe, easy, and it's 100% free. You've got nothing to lose, only savings to gain.

Q: How do I start?
A: To get started, follow these steps:

1. Simply log in to My$Manager by logging onto MyVantage online, accessing your account, and clicking on the My$Manager tab.

2. Within 24 hours, we will bring back all your Vantage accounts currently viewed in MyVantage online banking. Please note that Vantage loans will need to be added as 'Bills.'

Choose a nickname for each Vantage account suffix. See “How do I assign nicknames to my accounts?” for details. Now you can:

1. Add accounts from your other financial institutions.

2. Edit the "Tag" or transaction category for your transactions to get the most accurate financial picture (i.e. Starbucks could be dining out or coffee).

3. Set up your Budget.

4. View your Cashflow.

5. Create a Savings Goal.


Security
Q: Is my information secure?
A: Yes, your information is secure because we use several layers of security. First, your account information resides behind a firewall that is protected from unauthorized entry. In addition, all sensitive data is encrypted in the data warehouse and sessions are protected by your password, the security built into your browser, and SSL (Secure Sockets Layer), the standard security technology for establishing an encrypted link between a web server and a browser.

Your online security is our number-one priority. Read more about our security measures here.

Q: What happens to my financial institutions' usernames & passwords?
A: Your financial institutions' usernames/passwords get sent directly for aggregation. The financial institution usernames and passwords are NOT stored on our site. Instead a unique ID is created by our system that connects to the aggregation engine.

Q: Can a hacker access my financial data?
A: We've taken specific measures to ensure a very secure system. We also are required to have security suitable for interaction with other financial institutions. Security is of paramount importance to you and us, so we take the steps needed to mitigate risks.

Q: Can my identity be stolen?
A: The risk of stolen identity is extremely low. Make sure you keep your online banking username and password to yourself and no one will access your account under false pretenses. Furthermore, our support staff may ask for your username or e-mail address, but NEVER your password.

Q: When does My$Manager access my uploaded accounts?
A: We will attempt to aggregate your accounts at least once nightly, as well as any time you log into you’re My$Manager account. As a result, you may see that your account was accessed overnight in order to keep your accounts up-to-date and alerts delivered in a timely fashion.


Dashboard
Q: What shows up on my personal Dashboard?
A: You can view the following items from your Dashboard:

• Your accounts with us
• Uploaded accounts from other financial institutions
• Daily account transactions
• Money Snapshot (Budget progress)
• Goals
• Graph of expenses for the last 30 days

Q: Which accounts will I be able to see?
A: In addition to your automatically uploaded Vantage Credit Union accounts, you will be able to upload and track the following types of account from other financial institutions.

• Checking
• Savings
• Credit Cards
• Loans (auto, home, student, personal)
• Brokerage (401k, IRA, and other stock accounts)

Q: How do I add an account?
A: Adding an account is quick and easy. More than 10,000 banks, mortgage companies, and credit card issuers are supported. Please follow these steps:

1. Click the "Add" button next to the "Accounts" heading in your left sidebar.

2. Enter your financial institution into the search box below and click "Search."

3. Verify your identity: Enter your information as you would when logging into your financial institution and click "Login."

4. Answer your security question(s) (if asked), and click "Login."

5. Classify your account(s) (choose the closest choice if the exact account type is not listed), and click "Save."

6. Set up another account or wait for your accounts to upload. If you have more than one account at this particular financial institution, it will take longer to upload.

Q: How do I find a financial institution if it isn't listed?
A: Please try these tips when searching for your financial institution:

• Input your financial institution's EXACT name
   
• Next, try searching with the least amount of words possible. (For example: You are searching for "State Employees Credit Union of Maryland". Try typing in "State Employees" and see if any applicable choices appear below your search box.)
   
• If your financial institution has a nickname (i.e. SECU) try searching under those terms.
   
• Lastly, if your financial institution has a state or unique word in it, try searching only by that term (i.e. "Maryland").

Q: I can't seem to find my financial institution. What should I do?
A: Requesting to add your Financial Institution is quick and easy. Here's how:

• Click the "Help" link.
   
• In the form provided, enter your financial institution's name and the exact web address (URL) that you use when entering your login credentials.
   
• Wait for a response from one of our support team members. They will handle the rest.

Q: How do I add a cash and/or manual transaction?
A: We do not currently support adding manual transaction to My$Manager. However, if you have added an account and have ATM transactions that were used for a specific transaction, you can use our split-tagging feature to allocate the money to different tags based on how you spent it.

Q: How do I delete a previously added account?
A: To delete an account, please take the following steps:

1. Click on the account that you wish to delete located under "Accounts" on the left side of your screen.

2. You will be directed to that account's detail page. Look to the small gray links at the top next to your account's name. Click on the link labeled "Edit."

3. At the bottom of the page, you will see the delete an account option. Click "Delete" to permanently delete your account.

Your account should now be deleted.

Q: How do I assign nicknames to my accounts?
A: Here's how you can personalize how you view your financial institutions:

1. Click on the account under "Accounts" on the left side of your screen.

2. You will be directed to that account's detail page. Look at the small gray links at the top next to your account's name. Click on the link labeled "Edit."

3. You will see a box that has your account's name. Type in a new nickname and click "Save."

That's it! From now on, your account will display the new name. You can change the name again at any time.

Q: Why am I missing some transactions from my Vantage Credit Union accounts?
A: Available vs. Ledger Balance: Your available balance is displayed in My$Manager. However, your pending transactions (i.e. POS) will not be present until they become completed transactions.


Tags
Q: What Is a Tag?
A: A tag is a one-word description you can add to each transaction in My$Manager. Use tags to categorize your transactions so you can track how you're spending your money. When you add or update a financial institution, we will automatically pull in your most recent transactions and auto-tag (gas, food, clothes, etc.) them for you.

We strongly suggest you edit your tags by clicking on the "edit" button associated with each transaction. Tags make it simple for you to track your spending in entirely new ways, and customized tags give you a more accurate view of your financial picture and budget.

Q: How do I edit a tag?
A: We automatically "tag" your transactions, but to get a more accurate financial picture, we suggest that you customize them specifically for your needs.

To change a tag, take the following steps:

1. Click on the account that holds the transaction(s) you would like to edit (under "Accounts" on the left of your "Dashboard" page).

2. Click on any transaction to begin editing it.

3. Review the "Title" of your transaction. If you wish to change it, simply edit the text.

4. Click the "x" next to the existing tag if you'd like to change it. Start typing your replacement tag and autocompletion suggestions will be displayed. Press the enter key to finish your tag, or choose a highlighted suggestion from the list that appears.

5. Optional: Click "split tags" if you would like to allocate portions of this transaction in separate tags.

6. Click "Save Transaction."

Q: How do I split the tags on my transactions?
A: If you would like to "split tag" your transactions, please take the following steps:

1. Click on any transaction when an edit button appears next to it.

2. Click the "split tags" link in the Tags area of the form.

3. Enter your first tag and its allocated value (respectively) in the first row of fields that appear.

4. Repeat the process for each tag, ensuring that the entire balance of the transaction is accounted for.

5. Click the "add another tag" button if you want to split between more than two tags.

6. Click "Save Transaction" to finalize the changes.

Q: How do I apply custom titles and tags to similar transactions?
A: If you'd like your changes to a transaction's title or tags to be applied to similar transactions, check the box in the "Create a Rule" area of the transaction editor. This will allow you to choose from a number of different recurrence styles:

• Apply for transactions from ALL ACCOUNTS from ANY TIME PERIOD
• Apply for transactions from ALL ACCOUNTS from THIS TRANSACTION MOVING FORWARD
• Apply for transations from THIS ACCOUNT ONLY from ANY TIME PERIOD
• Apply for transactions from THIS ACCOUNT ONLY from THIS TRANSACTION MOVING FORWARD

Q: The tag on my check is changing every check's tag category. What should I do?
A: Please be sure you do not check "Apply this tag and title to all similar transactions" checkbox when editing a check transaction.


Budgets
Q: How are budgets used?
A: By creating a budget, all of your spending from aggregated accounts begins to take form. As you spend money and save money, My$Manager will show you how you're doing with what you've budgeted.

Also, be sure to view our video tutorial on setting up your budgets on the Budget page.

Q: What's the difference between a Spending Target and a Bill?
A: Spending Targets include routine expenses like groceries, entertainment, or coffee. These expenses can be linked to a tag. The tag then links to your account transactions (if you've previously uploaded an account).

Note: You can add multiple tags here. For example, if you create a spending target for "Transportation," this may include multiple tags such as: Gas, Tolls, Car.

Bills are recurring expenses such as rent, auto loan, or utilities. These expenses have a due date and you can input them into a calendar to keep track of your Cashflow and payment due dates. You can also set up Alerts to remind you as bills are coming up on the calendar.

Q: How do I use my Cashflow Calendar?
A: Use it to get a quick glance of when your bills are due, when your paycheck is coming, and for setting up budgets. Click the navigation item "Cashflow" to open it and click on a day to add a new income source or bill due. Complete the details and the item is added to your Cashflow Calendar.

Q: How do I create a bi-weekly income?
A: When adding an income source, simply choose between bi-weekly and semi-monthly frequency options. Bi-weekly is once every two weeks (on the same day), whereas semi-monthly is twice per month, separated from each other by 15 days.


Goals
Q: How are Goals used?
A: Goals are a way for you to visually track your financial progress. What do you want to accomplish? Make a goal and we will chart your success.

Q: Why should I create a Goal?
A: We help you monitor your financial goals. Actually seeing the progression of reaching your goals will help you achieve success.


Alerts
Q: What are Alerts?
A: These are personalized notifications sent to your mobile device and/or e-mail, which help you keep track of activities in your accounts. If you've set up a bill, it can alert you when that bill is coming up. If you want to monitor your checking account to avoid overdrafts, you can set up a low balance alert to let you know when your account falls below a preset amount.

For more details in setting up Alerts, be sure to view our video tutorial on the Alerts page.

Q: How do I set up my e-mail and mobile phone settings?
A: From Dashboard, click on the navigation item "Alerts." You can now enter these preferences at the bottom of the Alerts page.

Q: What cell phones do you support?
A: As long as your cell phone can send and receive text messages, you can choose the Text Message option. Standard messaging charges will apply, so check with your wireless carrier for more details on text messaging fees.

Q: How do I set up Alerts?
A: Here's how to set up your Alerts:

1. Click on the navigation item "Alerts" at the top of the page.

2. Click on "Add an Alert" to get started.

3. Choose your Alert type:

• Account Balance Alerts
• Budget Alerts
• Bill Reminder Alerts
• Large Transaction Alert
• Goal Progress Alert
• Specific Store Alerts

4. Choose the Alert Options:

• E-mail
• Text message

5. Click "Add Alert."


Mobile
Q: I want to check My$Manager from my mobile phone. How can I do this?
A: We offer two different ways to use My$Manager from your mobile phone: web-based and SMS-based. To use the SMS features, please follow these steps:

1. Make sure you have set your mobile phone number. Do this by clicking the "Alerts" link. Enter your phone number (without punctuation or spaces) at the bottom of the page and click "Save."

2. Send a text message to 314.485.9963 containing one of the following keywords:

• BALANCE – updates accounts and returns a list of their balances
• GOALS – returns a list of your goals and their current progress
• BUDGETS – returns a list of your budget items and their current progress
• BILLS – returns a list of your next five upcoming bills

3. Wait for the SMS response.

To use the web-based mobile site, please follow these steps:

1. Visit the mobile-friendly MyVantage site from your mobile phone.
2. Log into your account using your MyVantage account credentials.
3. Click the "My$Manager" link.


Community Dashboard
Q: What can I see on the Community Dashboard?
A: From the Community Dashboard you can ask the community a question, talk about money (Money Talks), review your asked questions, and view the latest Money Talks. Take a look at the screen clip below to see an example.


Money Talks
Q: What are Money Talks?
A: Money Talks is a tool that lets you share your money secrets, concerns, accomplishments, or thoughts. This can be done publicly or anonymously.

Q: How do I share my money thoughts via Money Talks?
A: Follow these steps:

1. Click on the "Money Talks" link in the navigation bar.

2. Share a money victory or a money defeat with the community by writing in the text box.

3. Click the "Share" box below the text box.

Option: To make your confession anonymous, click the "Make it Anonymous" box above the "Share" button.

Q: Where do Money Talks show up?
A: Money Talks are listed under the top "Community" tab then under the sub-link "Money Talks." Scroll down under the text box to view all comments.

Q: Can I comment on other user's Money Talks?
A: Yes. Preface comments with the @ sign and a user's name. This works a lot like Twitter.

Example: @Sally $500?! Maybe you should reconsider how much you spend on a pair of shoes!


Answers
Q: How do I ask a financial question?
A: Follow these steps:

1. Click the "Answers" link in the navigation bar.

2. Click on the button "Ask the Community a Question."

3. Fill out the form and click the button "Submit Question."

4. Wait to hear from the community – Click the “follow” link beneath your question to be notified when responses are submitted.

Remember: You can also save time by searching our database for existing questions that may already contain your answer.

Q: Why should I ask a question?
A: Ever wish you could ask for free financial advice? With Answers you can. It's easy to pose a question for all of the Community to see and respond to.

Q: How do I rank the answers and choose the best answer?
A: You can rank each answer you receive and decide which answer is best. Here's how:

1. Click the "Answers" link in the navigation bar.

2. Click on your question.

3. Click either the + or - to rank each answer (+ = good, - = bad).

4. Once you see a very helpful answer, click the link "Mark As Best Answer."

Remember: Once you mark an answer as the best, no other community members may submit answers for your review.

Q: How do I answer a question?
A: If you have advice or an opinion to share, you can sift through questions and provide answers yourself. If your answers are valued enough, you could even be labeled a Community Expert. Here's how to answer a question:

1. Click the "Answers" link in the navigation bar.

2. Click on the question you wish to answer.

3. Click the "Answer Question" button.

4. Fill out the form provided with your answer and click "Add Answer."

5. Wait to see if your answer gets marked as the best!


Experts
Q: What is the Expert section?
A: Want to ask a financial expert about your current money situation, but don't know where to go? Just Ask an Expert. Our experts have various financial backgrounds, so you can get sound advice on anything from buying your new home, saving for retirement, getting out of debt, to so much more.

Q: How do I view an Expert's answers?
A: Follow these steps:

1. Click the "Experts" link in the navigation bar.

2. Click on the expert whose answers you wish to view.

3. Now you can view all their community activity.


Technical Issues
Q: Your site is working in one browser, but not in another. Why is that?
A: We currently support:

• Mozilla Firefox 2+ (Windows + Mac)
• Safari 2+ (Windows + Mac)
• Internet Explorer 7 and 8
• Google Chrome

If you are not using one of these browsers, please upgrade to one that we support.

Q: My financial institution uses image/word verification. Can you support it?
A: Unfortunately, we cannot support your financial institution for automatic account aggregation because they require an image-based, randomly generated security code to be completed each time you sign in. We hope to be able to support such accounts in the future.

Q: I have another question and need to contact someone. What do I do?
A: Please click the "Help" link to submit your question or other communication to us.