Method and apparatus for facilitating financial monitoring by guardians

A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method for enabling a guardian to monitor a financial account on behalf of an account owner, the method comprising:

• receiving a request from the guardian to access the financial account, wherein the financial account belongs to the account owner;
• determining whether the guardian is authorized to access the financial account;
• and
• if so, providing the guardian with read-only access to the financial account, whereby the guardian can monitor activity in the financial account, but cannot perform operations that modify the financial account.

A computer-based system that enables a guardian to monitor a financial account on behalf of an account owner, comprising:

• a computer system, including a processor and a memory;
• an interface within the computer system configured to receive a request from the guardian to access the financial account, wherein the financial account belongs to the account owner;
• an authorization module within the computer system configured to determine whether the guardian is authorized to access the financial account;
• and
• an access module within the computer system, wherein if the guardian is authorized to access the financial account, the access module is configured to provide the guardian with read-only access to the financial account, whereby the guardian can monitor activity in the financial account, but cannot perform operations that modify the financial account.