I’ve recently had the good fortune to stumble across a site known as Pigly.com. I had been searching for a template or spreadsheet to use to begin planning out my finances as I’m a medical student now completing my second year. While I’ve had the grace period of ignoring adult responsibilities by being a student for an additional 4 years post undergrad, that time is coming to an end. Living expenses, daily expenses and paying back my loans are all financial decisions I’m going to need to make in a short period of time.
While I’m somewhat proficient with excel and spreadsheets, it can still be confusing and frustrating to take the time to understand every feature or tool that the software offers. Pigly, however, is extremely user friendly and simple to navigate. As I discuss some of my favorite features of this tool, I will also include images (all from Pigly.com) of what the site and calculators look like to give you a better idea of what to expect.
It is extremely beneficial to me that in addition to already providing calculators for whatever it may be one needs, Pigly offers a wide array of additional calculators that one could use to get ideas of what else to include in their budget. For example, “Basic Savings” and “Present Value” could be considered common calculators one may think of on their own but a “Goal Timeline” or “Future Value” calculator is a unique idea that one could use to motivate themselves towards whatever it may be they are working towards. Those concepts are typically left as abstract thoughts in an individual’s head instead of something that can actually be calculated, considered concrete, and therefore have the ability to be worked towards.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, hundreds of thousands of people have realized that their financial situation either wasn’t the most efficient or dependable. We have the ability to learn from our mistakes or the mistakes of others through these kinds of reflections and should encourage one another to use services such as Pigly in correcting those mistakes so that you can have a better future because of it. The calculators and services are entirely free to use and don’t require any personal information whatsoever. Even if you wish to use the calculators with hypothetical situations, you have free range to input whatever variables you wish. In my opinion, this allows for a wide range of planning and research which is excellent for family-planning or if you’re someone who has multiple incomes or is exploring several business ideas.
It is crucial for people to realize that the alternatives to spending money they could be saving are easily accessible and not at all as complicated as one may initially think. Many sources such as The Wall St. Journal, and CNBC have released a number of articles highlighting how little the youth of America understands regarding financial planning. Specifically within the age range of 16-22 very little is done to teach the notion of taxable income, social security, retirement plans etc. yet a huge percentage of the American workforce (i.e. cashiers, retail workers, produce staff) are comprised of this age range. Websites such as Pigly are very useful in bridging the gap as they allow users to learn more about the aspects of financial planning without having to utilize the formulas or complete calculations on their own.
Link to Loan Calculator: https://pigly.com/loan/
Link to Compare Credit Cards: https://pigly.com/credit-cards/
Link to Savings Calculator: https://pigly.com/savings/