Tools and Services for Managing Money

I have mentioned quite a few handy financial tools in various posts. Today I am writing a consolidated post that covers everything I use to keep myself in line financially. With the right tools we can all get ahead and achieve our goals.

I use the following:

• Quicken Online: This is the hub for all of my accounts. It updates daily automatically so it is no work on my part. It has some pretty good tools that shows you where your money is going. It remember categories for expsenses too! They also have an iPhone app (free)!
• Excel: I keep my budget and cash flow projections here. I am very comfortable with excel and It makes it easy for me to make sure I can cover all of my bills and goals. A free alternative to Excel is openoffice.org.
• Online Banking and Bill Pay: These are probably the 2 most important. Doing most of my banking business online saves time, gas, money, mileage, etc. Bill Pay saves costs on stamps and paper checks and is free. The benefits are numerous and free!
• Direct Deposit: My salary goes directly to my primary checking account. This saves me lots of time and hassle!
  
• ING Direct: Their checking account is the best I have seen. Free overdraft protection (only pay interest), online payments to anyone, decent interest rates. No checks allowed! By far the best in my book.
• Local Credit Union: my local credit union offers a good savings account (7% for the first $500!) and also useful for depositing checks and cash to transfer up to ING as needed.

All of above tools and services all work together to create a stable and manageable financial life. Having all the right tools can help make managing money easier, more efficient, and get you closer to your goals. Everything we need is out there and available!