Why PocketSmith Is the Fellowship of the Ring

Teamwork makes the dream work, right? Perhaps the greatest epic-fantasy-level teamwork was in The Lord of The Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. Taking a gold ring halfway across the world and dropping it into a volcano turned out to be a big job, and a big job needed a big team: Four hobbits, two men, a dwarf, an elf, and a wizard (not to mention Bill the Pony). They all brought something different to the table. Something unique. Something only they could do.

Like the Fellowship, PocketSmith brings a bunch of different skills to the table. There’s something for everyone, whether you’re a digital nomad, a household CFO, or even a real-life wizard. Let’s dive in.

The Hobbits

“Hobbits really are amazing creatures, as I have said before. You can learn all that there is to know about their ways in a month, and yet after a hundred years they can still surprise you at a pinch.”

Hobbits are down-to-earth creatures. They’re humble, grounded, fond of the simple life, and risk-averse. And yet, like PocketSmith, there are unknown depths to them. You might be zooming your way around categories, budgets and your custom dashboard within a week, but believe me when I say you’ll still be finding new features and diving into the Learn Center a year later! 

It’s easy for outsiders to paint all Hobbits with the same brush. They all look the same, right? What does it matter if someone’s grandfather was a Took or a Brandybuck? Likewise, it’s easy for outsiders to see all money management systems as the same. Who cares about the difference between Barefoot Buckets and Zero-Based budgeting? Well… PocketSmith cares. It can adapt to any system of budgeting on the fly — and like a hobbit, it always factors in historical data.

The Men

“And seated a lit­tle apart was a tall man with a fair and noble face, dark-haired and grey-eyed, proud and stern of glance.”

Men are perhaps the most multi-talented of the team. Noble and discerning, they’re equally at ease hunting deer, reciting tales from myth, journeying in the wild, or conducting diplomatic envoys. Like Aragorn, PocketSmith knows exactly what it is — the best dang Kiwi-grown money management software out there — and where it wants to go — “taking on life’s adventures on our own terms.” Like Boromir, it’s reliable and confident, happy to work in a team or strike out solo as needed. It’s also a little self-centered. It only really cares about one person’s interests: Yours — the user.

Gandalf Greyhame, Mithrandir, the Wizard

“A lord of wisdom throned he sat, / swift in anger, quick to laugh; / an old man in a battered hat / who leaned upon a thorny staff.”

Now Gandalf might look like an old man leaning on his walking stick, but there’s more to him than meets the eye. PocketSmith might not be powerful enough to take down a Balrog (or is it?), but it shares some traits with our old wizard. 

At first unassuming, PocketSmith reveals deeper and deeper layers the more you work with it. Gandalf speaks many languages — PocketSmith deals in many currencies. Gandalf has many names — so does PocketSmith. I’ve personally heard everything from “that purple money app” to “PocketSith? MoneySmith? HockeyStick? What’s it called again?” Gandalf travels far and wide, from the Shire to the Lonely Mountain to Gondor and beyond. So does PocketSmith: With its multi-currency support, PocketSmith has users in over 190 countries — although I can’t guarantee Middle Earth is one of them.

Gimli, Son of Gloin

“Gimli the dwarf alone wore openly a short shirt of steel-rings, for dwarves make light of burdens.”

When I think of how much data and research lies behind the smooth running of PocketSmith, it takes my breath away. Like dwarves, PocketSmith makes light of burdens, presenting a seamless custom interface to help manage your money however you want.

Stubborn, stout-hearted, intelligent, and well-spoken, dwarves are also remarkable engineers and craftsmen. Gimli dresses for the job at hand, whether meeting elves or fighting orcs. PocketSmith does this too, flicking from a Debt Management dashboard to a World Clock view at the press of a button. It offers fully customizable options, like a Sankey banner widget. If dwarves have one failing, it’s that they can be too fond of gold and gems — but hey, long-term investments in rising stocks aren’t a bad thing! You can track your investments in the Net Worth overview, or link your Sharesight account to your profile.

Legolas, Greenleaf of Mirkwood

“[Frodo] found Legolas seated with three other Elves. They were clad in shadowy-grey, and could not be seen among the tree-stems, unless they moved suddenly.”

Keen-eyed, long-lived, a tad competitive (or more than a tad, when it comes to contests with dwarves) — elves have had long years to perfect their skills. It takes iteration after iteration, user test after user test, to achieve the level of awesomeness that elves and PocketSmith share. Like the grey-cloaked elves, a good money system is seamless, easy, working so well in the background that you barely see it until you go to change something. Category Rules are your friend there! PocketSmith is also keen-eyed, tracking your budgets down to the last cent and sub-category. It’s long-lived, founded in 2008 and actively growing.

Is it immortal? That remains to be seen — but I for one certainly hope so!

Rachel E. Wilson is an author and freelance writer based in New Zealand. She has been, variously, administrator at an ESOL non-profit, transcriber for a historian, and technical document controller at a french fry factory. She has a keen interest in financial literacy and design, and a growing collection of houseplants (pun intended).