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Personal budgeting

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Personal Finance: Organize, Manage, Research, and Invest Online

The Internet can streamline your ongoing personal finance tasks and keep you informed about changes and opportunities in the financial world that may affect you. There are tools for learning the basics, doing your banking online, and managing your budget, credit, and loans.
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Basics of personal finance

Money makes the world go round, but leaves many of us in the dark. Understanding the nuances of... read more»

Financial news sources

The market changes every day. To stay up-to-date on global and private economic conditions, read... read more»

Online banking tips and tools

It's possible to conduct all your normal bank business from your own computer, 24 hours a day.... read more»

Personal budgeting

Since your allowance days, you've been on a budget. Then, you had to make tough choices like ... movies or candy? These days, things are a little more complicated. However, planning and sticking to a budget doesn't have to be difficult. If you do it right, you'll find you can get your finances running more smoothly than ever. In fact, with the right information and tools, the process can be simple and rewarding.

Dulcinea's Insight

  • You can make your own budget easily using any offline spreadsheet program, such as Microsoft Excel. Excel has tools that allow you input formulas into cells, get the sum of rows and columns automatically, and even make charts of your spending.
  • Many credit card companies will provide you with an end-of-year (or -month) summary of what categories you spent money on: groceries, clothing, furniture, electronics, restaurants, etc. Having information about where you've spent money in the past will help you to determine a reasonable plan for the future.
  • Personal budgeting software can be customized based on your unique expenditures. For information on online budgeting, check out PersonalBudgetingSoftware.com, where you'll find articles like this one, which discusses why (and how) to get an "Online Budget Makeover."
  • Some budgeting software programs ask that you enter your account information. Always make sure a site is secure before you input any personal information. If you feel skeptical, choose a software program that is less invasive. For more tips on protecting yourself online and spotting suspicious sites, consult the findingDulcinea Internet Security Guide.
  • "Open source" is Internet language for free software. Some budgeting programs are free, and to download them, you'll be redirected to another Web site that hosts open source material; for example, sourceforge.net.

Dulcinea's Picks

For budgeting tips ...
Betterbudgeting.com is the Web site of Living a Better Life, a free e-zine devoted to helping families save money. It's free and there are plenty of featured articles on a variety of pertinent money-saving topics. You can also search categories to find specific advice. Either way, the site offers plenty of helpful tips.
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For budgeting software ...
BudgetingOnline.com is the Web site for Mvelopes, an online budget-management software program based on the premise that most people spend 10 percent more than they earn. Mvelopes seeks to determine where your 10 percent comes from and then help you eliminate it. There is a monthly fee for the service-charges start at $7.90 per month-but the program is comprehensive. It was rated one of the best products in 2006 by PC World magazine and will fully integrate your financial life for you. For example, you can set it up so that you can have information automatically entered from your bank or credit card.
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Pearbudget.com offers budgeting software that works with any spreadsheet program. Once you download the software, you enter your predicted budget in the spreadsheet. Then, save your receipts and enter your expenses twice a month. The program gives you an analysis of your spending and shows you how you compared to your prediction. If you like the program, keep your eyes peeled for a Beta version coming soon.
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SimpleD Budget is an open-source Windows application that helps you make a budget by allotting money in a variety of spending categories. Simply enter the sum that you have available in each category. Every time you spend money, enter the amount into the program, which will automatically deduct the purchase and then tell you how much money you have left in that category.
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Buddi is another open-source budgeting program that you can download to your computer. It's designed for people with little to no financial experience and is simple to use. Simply input information about your accounts and spending habits and Buddi will keep track of where your money goes and how much you have available.
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Help calculating and filing your taxes

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Getting a mortgage or student loan

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Credit and debt

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