Every summer I give one of these articles over to the subject of apps that I use regularly. This year I’ve zoned in on 5 apps that I use very regularly, in some cases many times each day.
App 1: ChatGPT
Of course, I could give all 5 Apps over to Artificial Intelligence developments, as AI is the greatest technological revolution in decades and starting to change how we live and work beyond our comprehension. ChatGPT was the entry point for many people and is still the poster child for AI – certainly at the moment. It has grabbed most of the headlines as it is so simple to get started with, enabling many people to harness the power of AI. However, to use it well and to its full potential is another matter altogether…
I’m finding myself using it for a wider range of functions now – whether that’s in carrying out research, as an alternative search platform to Google and as an assistant in content development. I’m beginning to see how it can help in a much broader range of business tasks – and this applies equally to the work that financial advisers carry out every day. I know many of you are using it daily too, usually to assist in an array of back-office tasks.
The power of ChatGPT and AI more broadly is quite mind-blowing. It is anticipated to fundamentally change the role of a financial adviser in time, as machines will complete any of the “math based” tasks quicker and better. This will enable financial advisers to spend their time building valued, empathetic relationships with their clients and helping them manage their very human behaviours and emotions.
App 2: Ayoa
For any of you that I’ve been fortunate to develop strategies and plans with, you’ll have seen this one in action. Ayoa is the replacement for iMindmap, which was the business established by the king of mindmaps, Tony Buzan. I use this all the time when brainstorming, whether on my own or with clients as part of the planning process. Because of the highly visual nature of them, technology based mindmaps are a very effective way to capture ideas, as you can easily edit items, move them around, expand ideas or simply lose the weak ones. You then also have a digital record of the work which can be shared with others or can be exported into other programmes for further use. I’d struggle to cope without this one.
App 3: Feedly
An old favourite that I know some of you now use. Feedly is an app that I use all of the time in seeking out useful content from the web to share, and indeed for content ideas to write about. It enables me to track blogs / news feeds that provide content I don’t want to miss. Rather than receiving an email every time there’s a new blog post or news article, instead the new content is sent to Feedly which gathers all of these articles in one place. It is like a magazine rack for online articles, waiting for me to go through them.
I can then flick down through hundreds of articles in minutes, reading only the headlines, dipping into an introduction or indeed the full article if I think it is actually worth reading. And I can mark them all as “Read” very easily as I go along, ensuring those particular articles don’t appear again. I’ve categorised the different feeds into groups, which further speeds up the process too. The benefit of Feedly is the time it saves me in getting through huge numbers of articles.
App 4: Raindrop
And then there’s Raindrop, which I see as my sister App to Feedly – another old favourite. This is my scrapbook of articles that I’ve “cut out” and saved for later. As I see articles of interest on the web or that come through to Feedly, some catch my attention to be read later when I’ve a bit more time on my hands. With 2 clicks, I put them into Raindrop and can also tag the articles for different purposes – it might be to share out later, to rewrite with my perspective, maybe to help me develop a new angle for my proposition etc.
I can then go back into Raindrop when I want to carry out an activity and simply click on the article that I’ve saved for that very purpose. It’s all very easy and it means you don’t lose great articles that you’ve read.
App 5: Xero
Xero has had a transformational effect on the financial management side of my business. I have real-time profit & loss statements, balance sheet and a host of other useful reports that are available at the press of a button. All my invoicing and bank reconciliations are done through Xero and my accountant and I can both view the up to the minute real time information about my business. I’m saving hours every month with this software and have much better information available to me.
Specifically with the app, a great overview of business bank accounts, invoices and purchases is provided. I’ve a full view of my outstanding invoices in the App and other important information. I now have all the information I need, and the time spent on “the books” is a fraction of what it once was.
