How I Use Origin: Zach Hawtof
Once a month, we talk to an Origin member about their lives, finances, and how Origin is helping them balance both. In November, we're meeting Zach!
Can you share your name, where you’re based, what you do, and a little bit about yourself?
Hey all 👋. I’m Zach Hawtof. I’m based in New York City, about a bagel’s throw from Union Square. I’m the co-founder and CEO of Tightknit, a software company that helps businesses build communities for their customers.
I'm a big lover of the darkest and driest stand-up comedians, snowboarding back in Colorado, and if there’s something on a menu that I haven’t tried before, that’s what I’m ordering.
What money goals did you have when you first downloaded Origin?
Like most founders will tell you, starting a company is not particularly good for finances. I wanted to gain a clearer picture of my current situation.
My biggest goal was first to see where and how I was spending my money. NYC loves to slip its fingers into your pockets and pull out a few bills. If I could better understand what I was spending money on, then I could figure out where I could spend more and where I could cut back.
My secondary goal was to track my investments and net worth over time. I have been earning small returns on investments made over the years, and it’s comforting to feel that you’re not losing too much money as you spend a few years investing in yourself.
What’s your financial story? What motivated you to get serious about money, and where are you hoping to go from here?
I actually have always been serious about money. I come from a family where paying off your credit card was the 11th Commandment. What got me started with Origin was more that I just found it leaps ahead of other applications in both ease-of-use, set-up, and accessibility.
The sugar on top was all of the other perks. Not only did I move off my previous finance tracker (Personal Capital), but I also transferred money from both Wealthfront and Ally into my new Origin account because the APY and no-fee robo-advisor seemed to be unmatched.
And even though it’s not tax season, I’m already excited about testing Origin’s services here too. (I used CashAppTax—which was previously CreditKarmaTax, because taxes should be free to file! Call your senators!)
With the current market ups and downs, how are you feeling about your finances, and what helps you stay steady?
I’ve invested a significant amount of time and money (opportunity costs are real!) in building a company. Taking any amount of anxiety off my plate about my current financial situation is helpful for me to focus on the business and the rest of my life.
Sometimes knowing I have an extra $25 to splurge on a meal out is worth its weight in dumplings — er, I mean gold.
Tell us about a specific win — big or small — that Origin helped you achieve.
The app and the financial services are already fantastic — I’m using essentially every feature at the moment. However, what really stands out to me is the team and the community built around it. Their founder is all over their Reddit answering questions, and I’m part of their private Slack community, encouraging them to make things even easier for me than they already are.
What advice would you give someone starting with Origin on their financial journey?
My advice for someone getting started on the app is to do the work upfront so you can get a better picture of your finances. Connect all your meaningful accounts and create rules so that transactions are correctly aligned with the right categories and buckets. Once you teach the system, it becomes much simpler to manage and work with AI Advisor on what you’re looking to accomplish.
Anything else you’d like to share? Feel free to plug any work you are doing, etc.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of my job is working with entrepreneurs who build communities for their livelihoods. I spend a lot of time discussing growth tactics, customer support, and one of my absolute favorite subjects, pricing. Just like me, these entrepreneurs are trying to build sustainable businesses, and I envision a world where my product, Tightknit, handles their professional finances while Origin handles their personal ones.
An exciting future for owning your own path to financial stability!
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Want to join Zach in the Origin community? Find us over on Reddit! Or…
Get started with Origin today.
Answers to your questions
Yes. Origin offers partner access so you can manage your finances together at no additional cost. You’ll be able to filter transactions by member—making it easy to see which spending is yours and which belongs to your partner.
Yes. You can edit existing transactions and add new ones directly in Origin, so your records stay accurate and personalized.
Origin connects securely through trusted partners including Plaid, MX, and Mastercard.
Yes. Origin supports CSV uploads. You can upload a .csv file of your transactions, and we’ll import them into your account.
Yes. Your data is protected with bank-level security and advanced encryption. When you connect accounts through Origin, your login credentials are never shared with us. Instead, our partners generate secure tokens that let Origin access only the data you authorize—keeping your personal information private while enabling personalized insights.
Yes. You have full control to organize your spending in Origin. Transactions are automatically categorized by Origin, but you can always edit categories, add your own tags, and filter transactions however you like—so your spending reflects the way you actually manage money.
