Here are six personal finance tips from Shelley Elmblad at About.com:
1) Find out where your money is really going While this seems basic, it is the cornerstone to much of the advice from professional financial advisors and is the activity that can jumpstart sound spending habits.
Result Increased awareness about your spending decisions
2) Identify and change at least one reckless spending habit Most of us know its not easy to change behavior especially ones that provide instant gratification like those daily $4 lattes. But by eliminating or replacing just one you can save a substantial amount of money.
Result Better control, understand, and curb impulsive purchases.
3) Pay your bills online With multiple bills to pay, at different times during the month, its hard to keep up. By scheduling payments online, bills get paid in a timely manner and without having to write out individual checks or getting dinged with late fees.
Result Spend less time paying bills and more time doing things that are important to you.
4) Set up an emergency fund Sock away money every month to ensure that you are financially prepared in case the unexpected happens. Even a small amount each month can add up to a lot over time.
Result Peace of mind knowing that you and your loved ones are prepared.
5) Use personal finance software Using a program like Quicken enables you to see all your finances in one place and truly gain control over your spending habits. You can view and manage multiple accounts, pay bills, prepare for taxes and more.
Result Organize your life and control your financial well being.
6) Create a budget Create expense categories that reflect where your money is going, (e.g, rent, groceries, entertainment). Then determine where you can spend less per category so that you can put that money into savings or investments.
Result Get out of debt, stay out of debt and start planning for the future.
Quicken Kathryn
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6 Personal Finance Tips That Can Improve Your Life May 23, 2007 01:00 pm
Follow these six easy tips from personal finance expert and Quicken product manager Jim Del Favero to freshen up your finances this spring.
6 Personal Finance Tips That Can Improve Your Life
1. Find out where your money is really going While this seems basic, it is the cornerstone to much of the advice from professional financial advisors and is an activity that can jumpstart sound spending habits.
Result Increased awareness about your spending decisions.
2. Identify and change at least one reckless spending habit Most of us know its not easy to change behavior especially ones that provide instant gratification like those daily $4 lattes. But by eliminating or replacing just one you can save a substantial amount of money.
Result Better control, understand, and curb impulsive purchases.
3. Pay your bills online With multiple bills to pay, at different times during the month, its hard to keep up. By scheduling payments online, bills get paid in a timely manner and without having to write out individual checks or getting dinged with late fees.
Result Spend less time paying bills and more time doing things that are important to you.
4. Set up an emergency fund Sock away money every month to ensure that you are financially prepared in case the unexpected happens. Even a small amount each month can add up to a lot over time.
Result Peace of mind knowing that you and your loved ones are prepared.
5. Use personal finance software Using a program like Quicken enables you to see all your finances in one place and truly gain control over your spending habits. You can view and manage multiple accounts, pay bills, prepare for taxes and more.
Result Organize your life and control your financial well being.
6. Create a budget Create expense categories that reflect where your money is going, (e.g, rent, groceries, entertainment). Then determine where you can spend less per category so that you can put that money into savings or investments.
Result Get out of debt, stay out of debt and start planning for the future.
Signature - Please remember that this is a User-to-User community forum. If you come in to get an answer, see if there are any that you can provide. The more people who do that, the more likely you will get your answer.
To help others trying to answer your question, go to "Preferences/Profile" to the left of the page and and fill in those fields.
Intuit Employees using the forum can be identified by the name "Quicken" followed by an Intuit logo. Unless a poster has the above requirements they are not an Intuit employee.
This is a great article
One thing I would like to add (especially for Americans where every individual owes a credit card) that shop around for the best credit card deals and banking programs. By shaving off a few percentage points on your credit card or avoiding bank fees, you can save hundreds of dollars a year.
6 Personal Finance Tips That Can Improve Your Life Nov 17, 2007 11:21 am
This post is about: Quicken Mac 2007
Regarding tracking expenses:
When we go out to restaurants with friends, my husband and I will often pay the total bill and our friends will reimburse us in cash for their portions. This is hard to track in Quicken. Say the total bill is $70, but only $35 was really our expense. We don't deposit the cash we get reimbursed--we will use it for whatever. At this rate, our dining expenses are inaccurately inflated. I make notes in the notes field whenever necessary, but the numbers still aren't right. Any advice?
6 Personal Finance Tips That Can Improve Your Life Nov 18, 2007 12:11 pm
This post is about: Quicken Mac 2007
Use a split transaction: Record the transaction against your credit card as $35 against 'dining out' and $35 against 'Petty cash' substituting appropriate categories as necessary.
Tod --- Know the calculations before drawing conclusions.
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6 Personal Finance Tips That Can Improve Your Life Dec 23, 2008 02:18 am
This is a great article
One thing I would like to add Go green car loan rewards citizens who drive eco friendly and environmentally friendly vehicles by reducing their car loan interest rates up to 0.50% APR. Interest rates on green auto loans are determined according to how green your vehicle is. Lower pollutions, lower emissions and lower use of oil by the car you want to buy, reduces your interest rate accordingly.
