A money app built around the way pensioners actually manage their budgets
Kemivi is a small Manchester company that makes a mobile application for personal finance management for people who are retired or close to it. We started in 2023 with a narrow question: why do so many budgeting apps assume the user is thirty, paid monthly and comfortable with tiny buttons?
Retirement income rarely looks like that. A state pension arrives every four weeks, a workplace pension may land on a different date, and a small annuity or savings interest comes whenever it comes. Our app was designed around that mix from the first sketch, not patched in later.
How the company began
The idea came from a simple observation. Relatives of several of our early team members were asking the same questions at the kitchen table: where did the money go this month, is the council tax payment due yet, and how much is left before the next pension date? They kept paper notebooks, and the notebooks worked, but they could not warn anyone about a forgotten direct debit.
In 2023 we set up a small office on Cheetham Hill Road in Manchester and began testing paper mock-ups with retired neighbours before writing a single line of code. Their comments shaped the first version: larger type, fewer screens, plain words instead of financial jargon, and no pressure to link a bank account.
Where we are now
Three years on, we are a team of 8 people. We offer 7 services around the app, from setting up a personal budget to help with reading statements. In total we have worked with 312 clients and completed 446 jobs, and 78 of those clients came back for a second one. We cover 7 districts across and around Manchester.
We do not publish satisfaction scores, because a percentage tells you very little about whether a person feels in control of their money. What we can say is that most requests receive a reply within about 4 hours on a working day.
What we are trying to do, and why
Our mission is modest and specific: to help retired people see their income and spending on one clear screen, so that nothing important is missed and nothing needs to be guessed. We do not promise that anyone will save a certain amount. We promise that the figures will be easy to read.
Our longer-term aim is for the application to be something a person can hand to a daughter, son or carer for a quick look, with the owner choosing exactly what is shared. Independence matters more to us than convenience for the family, so sharing is always optional and can be switched off in two taps.
We are not a bank, we do not give investment advice, and the app does not move money on anyone's behalf. It records, reminds and explains. Anything that involves a regulated decision stays with the proper professional.
The values we work by
These are not slogans on a wall. Each one has changed a real decision in how the app looks or how we answer the phone.
Clarity first
Text is set large by default, buttons have wide touch areas, and every screen does one job. If a label needs a footnote, we rewrite the label.
Privacy by default
The app works without linking a bank login. You enter figures yourself or import a statement file. Nothing is shared unless you decide to share it.
Patience
A session with us is not timed against a queue. If it takes three visits before the budget makes sense, then it takes three visits.
Honest limits
We say plainly what the app cannot do. For tax questions, benefits entitlement or investments, we point you to the right independent source.
Experience behind the app
Our team brings together people from retail banking support, community care coordination, interface design and software testing. That mix matters. The designers have sat beside older users and watched where a finger hesitates. The support staff know which questions come up in the first week, such as how to record a one-off gift or how to mark a bill as paid by cheque.
Over three years we have run small workshops in community rooms and libraries around Manchester, usually with a handful of people and a few spare tablets. Many of our current features began as a remark made over a cup of tea: a monthly view that starts on the pension date instead of the first of the month, a calm colour for upcoming bills instead of an alarming red, and a printable summary for people who prefer paper.
How we work with you, step by step
Whether you want help getting started or only a short check of your setup, the process follows the same plain sequence.
- You get in touch. By phone, email or the contact form. We reply within about 4 hours during opening hours, and we ask only what we need to arrange a time.
- A short conversation. We ask how your income arrives, which regular bills you pay and what you find hardest to keep track of. There is no form to fill in beforehand.
- Setting up together. We install the app, enter your pension dates and regular payments with you, and choose the text size and layout that suit your eyes.
- A practice month. You use the app at your own pace. We check in once, usually after two weeks, to answer questions that only appear in daily use.
- Review and adjust. We look at the first month together, tidy up categories and set reminders. After that you can return whenever something changes.
Some of the people you may speak to
Eight of us work at Kemivi. Here are three, with what they do day to day.
Margaret
Leads the setup sessions and keeps the plain-language guides up to date.
Daniel
Designs the screens and tests every change with retired volunteers before release.
Priya
Answers calls and emails, and follows up after the first fortnight of use.
Have a question before you decide?
Tell us what you would like to keep track of and we will explain, in plain terms, whether the app fits. There is no obligation, and a real person will answer.
Contact Kemivi