Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with moneymanagement

Life with online banking: possible?

chesty_a_arthur — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:52:17 -0800

Our money management software (Quicken) is constantly getting us locked out of our online banking accounts (Keybank). Keybank is no help. Has anyone successfully conquered this? So Quicken Online wants to get our information from Key.com. Fine with us; this is why we went through the elaborate security yadda yadda ya. Not so fine with Key -- they keep locking us out, and locking Quicken out. Having to log into Key to log into Key via Quicken kind of defeats the whole purpose. Key's money management interface seems lame, although using that is our BATNA right now.

Has anyone conquered this problem, especially with Key? They even have a dedicated Quicken team, which may or may not actually exist.

(Their corporate position seems to be that yes, there's a problem, and their temporary solution is to not do anything about it.)

Also, we've already abandoned Mvelopes and Mint at different times for having the same problem, although interestingly they had the same problem with different banks/credit cards.

Finally, this is the free Quicken Online. It seems like it accesses Key whether we log in or not, which is what triggers the lockout (X number of automated logins without a ... non-automated login.) I can't figure out how to change this, and I don't know if it would help.

Fiscal Responsibility: The gov't isn't setting me an example. Maybe I can set an example for the gov't.

silkygreenbelly — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 17:25:27 -0800

Personal Fiscal Responsibility. Help me turn over a new leaf (and keep it turned over). Looking for a new bank and some advise. My track record for being responsible with my money is not very good. Over the past 10ish years I've lived paycheck to paycheck with only a few short stretches of managing my money well. I need some advise in the following directions:
1. A new bank: "Christine" from Wells Fargo just cheerfully agreed with me that my financial life sucks, but the issue in question "wasn't the bank's error" so she was going go ahead and let Wells Fargo fuck me over $80. I'm sick of Wells Fargo's bullshit banking practices*.
I've looked through previous askme's but some of them are pretty old (ie recommending BoA). I've heard about ING Orange Checking seemed to be all the rage a couple of years ago, is it still good? Are their better alternatives? Requirements for a bank account would be: no minimum amounts required, no annual fee (unless having direct deposit gets it waived), free electronic transfers to other peoples bank's accounts at other banks.

2. Tips, tricks, advice, links to blogs (besides get rich slowly already know about that one) or classes in the Seattle area, on small personal finance management, how to curb spending, but most of all how to stick to it.

3. I currently have only student loans and I am concerned the fact that I do not having any credit is going to screw me over when I eventually need to get a car of my own (currently using my sisters until november). I have tossed around the idea of getting a credit card for a dedicated expense (like gas). Bad idea? How would this work with money management?

*I asked why they took out my withdrawls largest to smaller and she said it was because most people don't want their largest checks to bounce. I asked why it would matter when WF doesn't actually seem to bounce checks, they just "overdraft" the account and she told me it was because they can technically return checks if they choose to and they might want to (at some ill-defined point) decide to return a bounced check instead of charging overdrafts.

What steps are needed to managing OPM

erd0c — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 19:03:36 -0800

What are the steps towards managing other people's money? I've been asked to manage other people's money (family and friends) and to act as a fiduciary. What are the responsible acts that need to occur for me to do so? In addition, I do not have a business degree. I do have an opportunity to return to school and obtain an MS in finance or anything else, or get my MBA. This may sound a large undertaking, but this is the first step in a long journey. Thanks.

No Zipcode

mattoxic — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 17:25:03 -0800

Australian readers, what is a good financial planning/money management site (like mint.com) that is localised?

What's the safest possible thing that I can do with my money?

Afroblanco — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 12:18:24 -0800

What's the safest possible thing that I can do with my money? Anyone who's seen me around the finance threads knows that I take bearishness to an extreme. Having witnessed the 2000 tech crash, I have no faith in the stock market or the US economy. I keep all of my money (USD) in a savings account. However, with the recent financial turmoil, I have a few questions :

1) Is it conceivable for the FDIC to fail?
2) If so, is there a place where I can put my money that will be safer than a savings account?
3) What's the safest, most risk-free way for me to save money and not get killed by inflation and the tanking US dollar?
4) If there is a safe way for me to save money and not be punished by inflation and the depreciating dollar, is there a way that I can do this without having to stress out and micromanage my finances? I don't want to be checking the finance page and making adjustments every day.

One thing that I must ask of you all - please do not turn this into a political debate. I know that issues of economics are often politically charged, but I ask you to please not address that aspect of the situation. Also, please take it easy on me. Even though I follow finance news, I've never done any investing or money management other than socking money away in my savings account. I'm a n00b, I admit it, so please don't talk down to me.

Any links to relevant articles or informational resources - especially those readable to the layman - will be appreciated.

Thank you.

Accounting software for dunces

MasonDixon — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 10:22:38 -0800

I need accounting software that will help me manage 20-30 people's income and expenses. I am not an accountant, and write this question as a complete babe-in-the-woods in terms of accounting software.

I work in an organization that helps those on different types of government assistance manage their money. We receive their funds and then disburse it to rent, bills and personal spending.

All of the checks however are written through a single account not 20 different ones.

Which software do I need? Being able to track all of the transfers and to categorize expenses is absolutely necessary.

Account Aggregators

nathan_teske — Wed, 07 Dec 2005 19:06:12 -0800

My bank (Wells Fargo) is discontinuing its account aggregation service. I'm looking for recommendations for a replacement. Mostly I want to find a company that I can trust as much as Wells Fargo - they must have an acceptable privacy policy and must be secure. Other than that, my only concern is that their web site plays nice with Macs.

How should American living overseas handle inheritance

planetkyoto — Fri, 02 Dec 2005 06:51:27 -0800

Expat American hates money, inherits share of house, perhaps $100,000. Do I need an accountant, a lawyer or something else to advise? I have no debts, but a 1-year-old baby I'd like to sock away education money for. Should I keep money stateside and invest, bring it to Japan, send it to Jersey Isle shysters? What kind of accountant/financial adviser keywords should I be looking for?

What are annuities?

spicynuts — Tue, 04 Oct 2005 08:41:11 -0800

What are annuities and why should I be wary of them? My mom has inherited a good amount of money in a trust and has been approached by a good friend who is a financial advisor and wants to put her money in an annuity. This person says that the principal is guaranteed and can never be lost. Number one, I don't believe that for a second. Number two, I'd heard bad things about annuities, but don't really understand what they are. What are they, what should I look out for and what are the specific risks?

Easy Money Management

jare2003 — Thu, 15 Jan 2004 09:23:28 -0800

I'm a college student, and I was looking for a (cheap) money management software package to manage my loans, credit card, and income from work. Does anyone know of a cheap one that works well? I was looking at Quicken, but that's 80 bucks and seems like overkill.