Academy Bank gives consumers digital budgeting help

Academy Bank launched an in-house personal finance tool to help its customers manage their money better.

The Missouri-based community bank built a financial management tool called My Finance360 that’s now embedded in its online and mobile banking offerings. The tool helps customers set and track budget and savings goals, net worth and debt monitoring.

The bank, which has $2.9 billion in assets, conducted a survey of 300 people in February 2025 focused on the role of budgeting apps in personal finance. Just under half (45%) of those surveyed use some form of digital tool or app to manage their finances, but of those that do, nearly 80% use their digital budget tools at least once a week.

“That level of consistent engagement shows these tools don’t just get downloaded,” said Academy Bank Chief Digital Officer Jodi Vickery. “They become a meaningful part of how people manage their finances.”

Academy Bank built and released My Finance360 in response to the results of the bank’s in-house research, according to Vickery.

“Our research findings reinforce that while consumers recognize the importance of budgeting, many still lack the right tools to effectively manage their finances,” Vickery said. “Banks and fintech providers that prioritize intuitive, feature-rich budgeting solutions stand to capture a growing market demand.”

My Finance360 lets users link external financial accounts to the bank’s website or app, much like the offerings of third-party budgeting apps like Quicken and the now-shuttered Mint and many banks’ budgeting and financial management tools.

“We use a secure, industry-standard data aggregation method that enables this functionality,” Vickery said. “The technology ensures that your information is encrypted and protected during the connection process and supports our broader commitment to empowering customers with greater financial visibility and control.”

Vickery didn’t disclose what data aggregators the bank partners with, but said that “the approach aligns with emerging open banking practices, giving clients safe, seamless access to their financial data across institutions.”

Banks have strived to offer budgeting and personal financial management tools for decades, but in the past have stumbled on the challenges of categorization of expenses and of aggregating information about accounts at other financial institutions. The data aggregation hurdle is lowering as many banks are looking to expand their open banking capabilities, even as the regulatory future of the U.S. open banking rule is uncertain.