internet | Online Savings Blog

7 Online Tools to Optimize Your Budget
10.30.08 | Money Management | 0 Comments | by junger
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The number of Web sites and online applications available for you to manage your money and improve your finances keeps growing all the time.

CNNMoney.com has put together a slideshow of 7 technologies for optimizing your budget.

These are targeted at small businesses, but are certainly applicable to many home users.

They include:
The only one of these I can highly recommend is Yodlee, which I've been using for over a year.

Have you used any of these services? What do you think of them?

Let us know in a comment.
Is a Financial Planner Worth It?
03.06.08 | Money | 3 Comments | by Tom Valenti

I was thinking today about how much the Internet helps us make financial decisions.

We research products, connect with experts, read news, etc. Pretty much all my life I've leaned on the Internet to either learn more about something or to even open a new account.

I can't imagine what it was like before, when you actually had to deal with live humans to learn or transact.

I would think that the wealth of knowledge and options available online would make professional financial planners a dying breed, but the opposite seems to be true (if you believe job forecasts, that is).

I've always steered clear of planners, because the commissioned planners (in my opinion) are biased, and because the few non-commissioned planners I've found charge for a consultation, or I don't have enough money for them to want to bother with me.

I'm hesitant to pay for something I may already know. But I do wonder if I'm leaving something on the table by not using a good planner.

Anyone have any opinions?

Tom Valenti is a marketer and project manager who currently works for a financial institution in New Jersey. For more info, visit him at http://tomvalenti.com.
What Did You Do Before Online Banking?
02.19.08 | Online Banking | 2 Comments | by junger

Open thread here: what did you do before online banking?

This might sound like a silly question, but for as long as I've been managing my money, I've been banking online. I honestly don't know life without it.

But you might.

How did you manage your money before you had access to the Internet? Did you use software like Quicken, or keep a hand budget?

How about balancing your checkbook? (I've never done it before.)

Did you (do you) keep all your receipts? I just check my charges online, since I pretty much only use a debit card.

Let us know: what did you do before online banking?

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