GirlsGuideTo | Fabulous (and Free) Online Financial Tools

I found this UHH-MAZING website thanks to a fellow GirlsGuideTo member and career expert, Mscareergirl.com. This article was so helpful... I thought I'd share!

14 Free Online Financial Management Tools
By Michelle Fabio

One of the best ways for busy career girls to keep finances in order is to record everything in one place for easy reference; seeing all of your money matters in front of you can not only give you a better indication of your overall financial health but can also spark ideas on where you can increase savings and decrease expenses.

Perhaps you’ve been getting along quite nicely with your trusty Excel spreadsheet or even Quicken, but since those basic programs were invented years ago, many online financial management tools have been developed, allowing you to keep track of your money no matter where you are–and they’re free to boot!

If you’re ready for some new ways to keep track of your finances that can offer financial goal tracking, online communities, and more, why not give some of these a test run? Here are:

14 Free Online Financial Management Tools

1. Billster: Allows you to keep track of personal and group expenses, receive reminders about money owed to you or money you owe, and see how much you’re spending on particular things such as gas and groceries.

2. Buddi: Free software designed for beginners that lets you record transactions, keep track of spending, and create reports to more clearly show you where your money is going.

3. BudgetPulse: Budget and tracking tools presented in a simple, functional manner; also, no need to worry about identity theft here as you don’t enter your account information.

4. Buxfer: Automatically downloads and categorizes expenses from your accounts but keeps your banking credentials safe and private offline on your desktop.

5. ClearCheckbook.com: Described on the site as an “online checkbook register with the added bonus of viewing reports, setting budgets, creating reminders and more.”

6. Geezeo: Track your finances and also discuss financial goals, money-making strategies, and more in Geezeo online community groups.

7. Just Budget: Promises you can manage your personal budget easily and quickly–in just five minutes per day.

8. Mint.com: One of the newest and most popular online financial management tools, Mint allows to keep all your accounts in one place anonymously; iPhone application also available.

9. Moneystrands: Provides free online tools and software for money management, debt management, and budgeting planning; replaces the now defunct Expensr.

10. Moneytrackin’: Keeps track of how you spend your money; also allows you to perform accounting tasks for small businesses.

11. NetworthIQ: Personal finance manager to help you figure out your net worth and then share and compare it with others.

12. Quicken Online: For those used to Quicken, this online version is basically a stripped down version and gives you a simple way to track expenses; iPhone application also available.

13. Wesabe: Financial management tools, tips based on your shopping habits, the ability to set financial goals, and a social marketing component that lets you communicate with other users.

14. Yodlee: One of the oldest online tools for money management, this program gives you the big picture so you can see your overall financial situation and find ways to improve it.

As the specifics of each of these free online financial management tools differ, think about trying out a few before picking a favorite. Then please come back and share your research process and final choice; of course, if you already use an online financial management tool, which one do you prefer and why?

Comments

Posted by Lisa Nguyen on October 1, 2009 at 8:44 PM

thanks. this looks great!

Posted by Chantal Stephens-Hoppenstedt on September 27, 2009 at 5:32 PM

I'd love to help out anyway!! I also chose to use the mint.com site! I loveee it!! So easy to use! Thanks again!

Posted by Chantal Stephens-Hoppenstedt on September 27, 2009 at 5:31 PM

worked for me..

Posted by Anonymous on September 17, 2009 at 11:37 AM

Mint.com uses the same security that banks do for online banking. There is a video on the website that goes into more detail on how it works. I have been using it for months and LOVE it!

Posted by Nicole Crimaldi on September 17, 2009 at 9:41 AM

Chantal!

Thank you for the compliment on my site mscareergirl.com! I've had so much fun creating it over the past year and I'm glad you enjoy reading it!

The tool I use from this list is #8, Mint.com. In fact, I even got my boyfriend to use it. It is very secure and you can break down all of your expenses and mint will create a pie chart showing where where money is going. The first time we used it we were pretty surprised how much money was being spent in certain areas so it made it easier to cut back.

Using mint gave me a huge reality check and led me to create the "Don't Go Over in October" financial detox challenge. Check it out on mscareergirl.com and I'm looking for participants for October!

Nicole

Posted by Ursula Wuerner on September 16, 2009 at 7:25 PM

All this online stuff personal numbers,accts etc You just have to know that you will or possibly get identity theft, CoME ON PEOPLE QUIT exposing your personal stuff to everyone!!!!

Posted by Anonymous on September 16, 2009 at 5:12 PM

They all worked for me... I'm not sure why they aren't working for you

Posted by Anonymous on September 16, 2009 at 4:45 PM

um, half these links don't even work...

Posted by Tiffany Lisle on September 16, 2009 at 4:31 PM

I think that using one of these will be very helpful for getting me and my fiance back on track. We just bought a house 6months ago, and ever since then, our budget has been all screwed up! THANKS :)