Mint for Money

Money is fun, but managing your personal finances is not; trying to keep track of all your accounts and entering in all the information every time you want to access your latest bank or credit card statement is time consuming and tedious. Mint is a free personal finance program that allows you to consolidate all your information in one place after taking only 5 minutes to complete your information. This is a great free alternative to those who are not already using Quicken. They will get all your credit card, bank, investment, and bill information and put it into your account so you can see your latest balances. The nice thing is that they also offer email or text alerts when you get hit with a late charge or overage. Think of Mint as your free personal finance secretary.

They make their money from advertisers who will offer you better interest rates on your savings or credit cards; this could be a great thing if you are paying too much on your current accounts, but it can be a nuisance if you already have a great deal, so you can look at the offers as confirmations that you have chosen a good bank. They also offer an easy budget module and their graphics show how your money is being spent; it is easier to make changes when you see that your shoe budget is equal to your rent!