Archive for the ‘Financial’ Category
iGoogle - Organize your homepage [Idea]
Probably the main thing that keeps me organized and sane on a daily basis is my iGoogle page, or portal to the Internet. Lots of people already use something like this through Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, or even AOL (or others), but I personally prefer iGoogle because of the flexibility and how it ties into other Google products easily.
What does it do: this lets you put everything in one place when you get online so you do not have to go to multiple sources for information.
How does it do it: again, using the magic of RSS and other web technologies, homepages or “portals” like iGoogle are possible. RSS information is shared in a standard format that allows other pages to use the content. Information from a blog, a news website, your email, and more can all be in one place.
How much does it cost: free. Simple.
What is on my homepage(s): (oh yeah, you can have tabs with multiple home pages to categorize them like work and personal for example) I have just about everything on my homepage, but here are a few things: bookmarks (in case I am not at my own computer and need to get to some bookmarks), Gmail (a quick look at new emails), stock market quotes (up to the minute quotes from Google Finance), Google tasks (quick list of things I need to do), On Organization RSS feed (to check out my blog postings and when they are available on the feed), quote of the day (always fun), tech news (build in feed from Google), Google Reader (shortcut to seeing top feeds in my reader), and weather (again, through Google using Weather Underground). Just from reading that you can see how it is great to get all the information in one place instead of having to go to all those different websites to see what I want. When I am ready, I can look at all my emails in Gmail or look at detailed weather. I will go over to Google Reader to look at all the postings and to Google Finance to get more details on the stock market.
I think that this is such a great product and something that anyone who is online should use. The “gadgets” you can put on your homepage are endless, and if you are really creative, you can even create your own.
Do you use iGoogle or something like it? Share your story for others to read.
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iGoogle homepage [Google.com]
Setting Goals In A Bad Economy [Idea]
Posted by Phillip Burger in Financial, Ideas on April 30th, 2009
This article has a few key ideas related to organizing your financial situation, especially in a bad economy. Sure, you have started to save more money, but what do you do with it to make sure it is there to help you when you need it. Here are a few suggestions from the article:
These are some great suggestions and the main idea of this article is to make you think of what are you saving for, where are you putting the money, and if you need it, how can you determine how much you can safely use.
What things do you do to keep some money safe in hard times? Leave a comment and let us know.
Also, if you like this article, please share it. Here is a link to RT on Twitter.
Original article: Setting Goals in a Bad Economy [Lifehacker.com]
Beyond The Kitchen Table: Sorting Finances Online [Financial]
Posted by Phillip Burger in Financial, Home, Ideas on April 28th, 2009
I heard a great story on NPR last night during “All Tech Considered” talking about using online resources to keep track of your finances and generally organizing your money. I always like the “All Tech Considered” pieces that Omar Gallaga does because he does an excellent job of explaining things well.
Yesterday he talked about websites like Mint.com and SmartyPig.com as online resources for your money.
Click the link below to read the story and take 7 minutes or so to listen to the piece, it is really good:
Beyond The Kitchen Table: Sorting Finances Online [NPR.org]
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Track your spending and organize your checkbook [Opinion]
Posted by Phillip Burger in Financial on March 25th, 2009
“Where did all my money go this month?”
How often have you asked yourself that question? I know I have a few times because it seems like the paycheck is not lasting as long as it used to. More importantly, what have you done to answer that question in the past? Did you look at your utility bill to see if it went up from the previous month, or look at all the new clothes in your closet to see what you have spent money on?
As an excellent way to organize my spending, I love a feature that is offered for free with my Discover Card, it is called “Spend Analyzer“. This tool is very straightforward and shows your spending in the past month, 3 months, etc., all the way back to 24 months. Here is how I have used it:
Organizing your Monthly Bills [Idea]
Posted by Rachel Welland in Financial, Home on March 23rd, 2009
When my now-husband and I moved in together, I felt as though our monthly bills magically multiplied by thousands!! Dramatic, I know, but I truly felt like bills were arriving everyday and I couldn’t even keep track of them, much less remember what was due when, and if certain bills had been paid. It was madness, and something had to be done to get the madness under control.
So I spent some quality time with my favorite software program… good ol’ Excel. I made a fantastic spreadsheet that I consult each and every time I pay bills – and I mark off what is paid! That way if we overlook a monthly bill, or it never arrives in the mail, I can nip it in the bud before it becomes past-due.
Very simple instructions for creating the spreadsheet: Down the left side in column A (starting with row 2), type the name of each bill in order of it’s due day. Next, type in column B the approximate amount of the monthly bill (some bills are more predictable - like cell phone, cable, water… other bills vary - like credit cards). Type in column C the due day each month. Then on row 1, starting in column D through column O, write each month, January through December. Print it and store it at your desk or wherever you typically pay bills. Ta-da! Now you have a beautiful spreadsheet on which you can proudly and confidently mark a “X” each month as you pay each bill.
Say “goodbye” to past-due bills forever!!
Plan and organize your savings [Idea]
Posted by Phillip Burger in Financial on March 17th, 2009
I use Discover Bank online and I really like it. It is easy to use, pretty easy to mail in deposits or use their online tools to transfer money in. For withdrawing money, they give you checks you can use for taking the money out or you can use their online system to pay bills.
The key to this or any savings account is to plan your savings and organize them and keep track of what you have. Discover Bank has made a Savings Goal calculator (http://www.discoverbank.com/savings-goal-calculator.html) that helps you put in your goal of amount to save, time frame you want to save in, and how much you can deposit each month. The helpful chart will allow you to visualize how long you will have to save for or will let you put in how long you want to take until you reach your goal, and tell you how much to put in each month.
If you are comfortable using an online savings account, look around to find the one that works for you, and expect higher interest percent that you will make on your money.
They key to financial organization is planning - set a goal and keep up with it. Treat the deposit into your savings account like a “bill” that you must pay each month, and you will stay on track.
Good luck and enjoy your rewards!
