Personal Finance Tools

"You aren't wealthy until you have something money can't buy." Garth Brooks

These personal finance tools will help your to find resources to keep your finances on track, and help ensure you have the resources you need to survive a career crisis or build your dream career.

Best Personal Finance Software
Household budget software programs are fantastic personal finance tools. I have used this type of software for years, and I always know on a daily and monthly basis exactly how much I have to spend and where my finances are headed on a long term basis. Tracking household income helped me to know I'd manage. financially at a point when I lost my job, it let me know that I could afford the early lean times of launching my own business and be a work at home parent.

When you start using household budget software, it takes a little patience (not to mention time to dig up financial documents) to set everything up initially. It's worth it though, because once you enter all of your financial information, it takes very little time to keep your financial information up to date.

In my opinion, Quicken and Microsoft Money are tied for the best personal finance software. I've used both Quicken and Microsoft Money at different times to track my household budget. Both have great graphs and reports that can help you to understand your financial big picture and motivate you to keep on track with your financial goals.

You'll find current versions of Intuit Quicken 2008 Deluxe - PC and Microsoft Money 2007 Deluxe - PC here.

Personal Budget Worksheet
If you are looking for a simple way to track your finances without all of the extra features of personal finance software, you might like to try out this free personal budget worksheet.

Credit Reports
If you need to borrow money at some point in your life (and who doesn't), you'd be wise to know your credit score. See your credit score on FreeCreditReport.com to know where your stand in the eyes of lenders.