Financial Planning

Technology has really changed in the 21st Century and this is certainly true in the world of personal finance. When I started out teaching people how to create a realistic budget we used good ole’ paper and pencil. Later when my clients started buying their own computer, we were happy to use Microsoft Excel for the adding and graph components.

When Quicken came on the scene, I was a “happy camper.” Now all I had to do was enter my transactions and choose a category. Down the road they added the “upload feature” that interacted with various banks and life was looking good.

As I went from a desktop to a laptop along came pre-loaded Microsoft Money and I was hooked on that until last year when I learned about Mint.com. Can I tell you that budgeting has never been easier? The graphs along are enough to let you see your whole financial picture with a simple click. I was in total disbelief by the experience.

So here is how it works in a nutshell. You go to http://www.Mint.com and register. Then you enter your accounts by typing in the information including passwords. So if you’re one of those people who have a fear about giving a third party this information you may not want to try this. However, I did hear that Clark Howard uses this site along with another one called Wesabe.com. I tried “Wesabe.com” but did not like it as much as Mint.

After keying in the account information you can update your transactions and give them a category. The neat thing that I noticed about my transactions is that the categories assigned are usually correct and I don’t have to spend too much time putting that information in.

Then like magic it shows you all the great information and even suggests things that you can do to help your financial life even more. My clients really like this tool and so do I. Check it out, maybe you’ll start keeping a 21st century budget. Remember no writing necessary!