Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with personalfinance

Is credit card settlement worth the hit to my credit score?

callmejay — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 12:28:53 -0800

Is credit card settlement worth the hit to my credit score? I have about $15,000 in credit card debt at rates approaching 30%. I know that I can settle at least part and possibly all of that debt by paying 70% of it immediately to the credit card companies with money from a lower-interest loan (15%) from another source. In essence, I'd be saving $4500 immediately, plus the savings resulting from the difference in interest rates. I realize that I will be taxed on that savings as if it were income and I also realize that settling can (will) hurt my credit score.

What I don't know is how to quantify the cost of my credit score being hurt. Is it worth $4500 + interest to keep my credit score up or is it better to (metaphorically) take the money? I own (mortgage) my house and don't plan to be buying another for at least another 4-5 years. I will need some sort of car in December. Otherwise, I'm not sure what I would need good credit for.

Can anyone place a monetary value on the difference in credit score if I do this and if I don't? And how long will it take my credit to recover?

Thanks!

Am I crazy to offer a gift of financial planning services to my cousins?

RecalcitrantYouth — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 05:10:13 -0800

My Aunt, Uncle and cousins have never been good with money, and have also never had well paying jobs. My Uncle has just inherited a (low) six-figure sum. Do I try to help them out by offering to build a financial plan for them? I'm a well-off thirty-something professional, with some accounting and finance training. My Aunt and Uncle are in their fifties, and the cousins are in their twenties and still living at home. From what I can tell, they have lived paycheque to paycheque for years. They own a home rather than renting, but that is mainly because of an earlier inheritance (and the home is not paid off). Without help, I fear that they will fritter away this latest windfall, and there's no more inheritance money to come.

They live about two hours away from me, so most of the planning work (other than an initial consultation) would be by phone or email.

I'd like to help them out, but I'm afraid it's just a recipe for unhappiness and family strife. Has anyone tried this before? Did it work out well or poorly? Any other ideas for ways to help?

Help a smart but inexperienced young man manage my money (UK)!

Anonymous — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:22:02 -0800

You Are Not My Financial Planner. But I'm a (still barely) young man living in the U.K. Took a long time to get a career together, with 2 good degrees, but finally achieved slightly below average salary with slow growth prospects. What approach to savings / investments should I take? Further to the above, I earn just below the national average (aout £1,300 monthly after tax etc) but hope to increase this in the next few years to just above the average (say £30k p.a. before tax). My job is in higher education libraries, which doesn't have huge prospects for salary increases. I guess maybe £40 or £50k in ten years is doable? I live frugally, don't even have a car, and rent at the lowest possible rate (about £400/month in !).

I've just got the point where I'm a "young professional" hanging out with others of my age (28) and realising they have way more financial sense (and success) than I ever have. I have about £1000 in a cash ISA. I add £50/month to it. That's it. Some of my peers have saved, invested and are now looking into buying houses. Why the disparity? Is it purely down to salary and willingness to risk on the markets?

Given that my aims in life are mainly just to get a modest house, raise a family, continue working like a dog until (or beyond) retirement, run a modest, boring car if I really need it for kids, work etc, take cheap inland holidays and live frugally til I die, what savings and investments should aim to get?

I'm already aiming to "save 3 months salary" as recommended by popular financial advice books. My bank supplied me with an "advice session" where the talk escalated quickly from my idea of investing £500-£1000 upfront then £50 per month in an investment ISA (in a medium risk band) to more like £200-£300 split 50-50 between medium and second-from-top risk bands... at this point I got cold feet and split.

I have a Masters in Physics so I can handle algebra but all the arithmetic makes my head spin (the sales pitch doesn't help!). I'm reading basic guides but I'm struggling to understand what I should do. My family never discussed these issues and I wonder if I'll ever afford to raise one of my own to teach them to... can anyone "hope me"?

PS. I know about moneysavingexpert.com etc and will continue to look into that. Pointers to specific relevant pages would be really welcome though! :)

PPS I have no debts except the usual UK student loan at about 20k, which I just ignore as a graduate tax. I only have credit cards in case I need to sign up to online stuff or prove I have a good record

When will check writing be obsolete?

junipero — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:20:39 -0800

When will check writing be obsolete? The only time I write a check is to pay my rent. On a few occasions I've written a check to a friend to pay them back for a concert ticket or what-have-you, but it is becoming increasingly easy to pay for things online.

Is there any payment method in the works that would make it commonplace to pay rent online or transfer money easily between friends without having to write a check or use cash?

When can we get rid of these pesky checkbooks?!?!

Best way to pay debt collectors?

Loto — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:41:58 -0800

Now that I am able, I would like to pay the debts I have accrued over the past few years. When confronted with debt collectors, what is the best way to deal with them so that this positively impacts my credit report? Young and dumb, I didn't pay a number of bills that I should have when I was in school and just after I graduated. I would like to pay these off now. It isn't a huge sum of money, in total, but it is a black mark on my credit report. I've paid the original creditors when I've could but I have a number of debt collection agencies calling me about other debts. These are legitimate debts so I am not worried about that but with the horror stories I've heard about collection agencies I want to make sure that I do this right. It doesn't help that I have been ignoring the problem for a long time; in most cases I have never even spoken to these agencies.

When trying to pay a debt through a collection agency, how should I proceed? Should I request a bill in writing and then cut a check? Pay over the phone with a credit card? How do I ensure that the debts are marked as "paid" in my credit report?

How can I use a spreadsheet to track my accounts?

reenum — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:16:25 -0800

I want to start using a spreadsheet to track and reconcile my various accounts. How do I start? I've been using MS Money for years. Due to switching to the Mac, MS Money being discontinued, and generally hating the fact that my financial data is trapped in a proprietary program, I feel like I should use a spreadsheet to track my finances.

I have a savings account, two checking accounts, two credit card accounts, and a Roth IRA.

There are a couple of things I'm curious about: How does one reconcile accounts in a spreadsheet and are there any templates that have that checkbook entry system that MS Money has?

I've looked at some of the older posts on this topic and none seemed to answer my questions satisfactorily.

Links to templates, blog posts, howtos, general anecdotes, and anything else relating to this question are requested and appreciated. Thanks!

After all bills are paid when is it ok to finace "toys"?

kgreerRN — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 06:08:29 -0800

When is it ok to finance "toys"? We have a budget, all bills are paid, we are saving a set amount every month, the only debt we have is our cars and house. No credit cards. Each month we have about $900 left over. Between the both of us, we have a wish list including: a four wheeler, a vacation and cosmetic home improvements. Facts and opinions welcome. Should we save til we can pay cash? Or is it "ok" to finance, some or all of our wish list? If you really want a monthly break down here it is:
bills: 2100
income: 4700
save: 100
allowance: 1600 (gas, entertainment, groceries etc)
left over: 900
--------
18,000 total left on vehicle loans

Excel savings template

IanMorr — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:02:14 -0800

Can anyone recommend a good template for tracking multiple savings account balances in Excel? I have a number of savings accounts, plus an investment account. For our expense budget we have a whiz bang template that includes contributions to savings, investments, etc as an outgoing. I can't find anything similar to then track the balances and gains of the savings accounts.

Right now I have a clunky spreadsheet that looks kind of like this:

Accounts | May Bal | In | Out | Gain | Loss | June Bal
-------------------------------------------------
Sav 1 |
Sav 2 |
....... |
Invest |

I group the in month columns to only show the monthly balances, but it's still ugly and there must be a better way. Any ideas?

How do people afford kids and also have time for them?

rabbitrabbit — Thu, 14 May 2009 18:40:12 -0800

Time, money, work, and children. How do people do it? It seems we could afford it, or have time for it, but not both. I've been thinking about having kids for a while now, and Mr. Rabbit seems to slowly be warming up to the idea, so I think it's time to really analyze how we could make this work. The thing is, I already feel like my life is really busy -- how the heck could I add kids to that without going crazy?

We would both still have to work full-time -- we have a balanced household budget, but there's not a whole lot extra and we could not meet all our financial obligations on one salary -- and we don't have family close by (no built-in babysitters). I'm wondering how other people do this. If you and your partner both work full-time and make a modest living, how do you add children to the mix?

Better than a CD?

Anonymous — Thu, 14 May 2009 14:11:07 -0800

Saving for an engagement ring... Are there better options than a multi-year Certificate of Deposit? I'm looking for something safe, secure and higher yielding than a savings account. A 3 or 4 year CD seems like the best option, as it matches my time frame, but is there anything else out there that I might not be aware of that I should consider? General advice and tips welcome as well.

Help me make personal finance fun for middle schoolers.

oceano — Thu, 14 May 2009 11:22:17 -0800

Help me make personal finance fun for middle schoolers. This summer, I am teaching a group of disadvantaged middle schoolers about personal finance. I'm considering covering topics like saving, budgeting, investing, the stock market, and scholarships for college.

This is supposed to be an elective, not an academic class. What I'm teaching is "competing" with topics such as arts and crafts, theatre, and dance, so I have to make personal finance sound appealing and be fun.

So hive mind, do you have any resource or activity suggestions? I've looked at The Stock Market Game and it seems that it doesn't run during the summer. Games are good, but I'm teaching in a 55 minute block. Is there anything I'm forgetting that middle schoolers should know?

Help find me a business model

junger — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 06:47:02 -0800

Is there a realistic business model in personal finance advice/coaching? I'm a personal finance blogger and enjoy helping people to better manage their money.

I've started doing some one-on-one personal finance coaching, teaching people how to save for goals, pay themselves first, and get a better yield on their money. I don't sell anything or recommend investments, and I don't "manage wealth."

My passion is more in helping people get more from personal finance.

But I'm not sure there is a real money-making business model in one-on-one finance coaching. (I know that sounds weird, given it's all about money)

I charge a flat fee for a sit-down coaching session, and that's it. No monthly fees, etc. It's the best (most moral) way to charge, but it requires a huge base of customers to make real money.

Is there a real business model in this type of personal finance coaching?

How to track two debit cards on one account effectively?

skypieces — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 04:10:20 -0800

Two debit cards + One checkbook register = Recipe for disaster. Suggestions? My wife and I have a checking account on which we can use a checkbook or either of two debit cards. I carry one, she carries the other. I usually keep the checkbook since the only thing we use it for are bills we can not pay online/with card. (I usually handle bills.)

Ideally, when paying with a debit card, we enter the transaction in our register as though it were a check purchase, usually immediately at the scene of the purchase. But, since we have two debit cards, we often are left hanging on to receipts with the intention of entering them later. In rare instances we have overdrafted due to lost receipts. But, mostly, it is that little bit of psychic drain that I get from knowing there is a hole in my system. Keeping two separate registers and reconciling them daily/weekly might prevent the receipt chase, but it would still be an extra step that would probably derail our system at some point.

I need to be able to establish a "best practice" routine for both of us that works. Between kids, grad school, etc. we really need something simple and effective. Suggestions?

Online Personal Finance Program Identification Help!

alpha_betty — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 10:49:45 -0800

Despite searching AskMe and Google in as many different terms as I can come up with, I can't find an old post about a personal finance program that allows you to automatically add transactions via text message. Do you know what program it is? I swear that I read about this program on AskMe, probably between 6 and 12 months ago. It referred to an online-based personal finance program that, among other things, allowed you to text transactions that would be automatically added to your balance sheet.

I have tried looking at the websites of various personal finance programs but can't figure it out. Can you help?

You're going to give it to me anyway, just give it over now!

EmpressCallipygos — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 07:27:01 -0800

Taxesfilter: I'm trying to fill out a new W-4 to have less withholding tax taken out -- do I really have to fill out the worksheet thing, or can I just decide how many allowances I want? This is actually a follow-up to an earlier question I had. A lot of people in here advised me that I was having too much withholding tax taken out of my paychecks, and recommended I adjust my W-4. Since I've been getting $300-$500 returns for the past couple years, I'm inclined to agree -- I've just gotten a copy of a new w-4 and want to add just one more allowance.

But there is that whole "worksheet" you need to fill out, and if I fill that out accurately, it doesn't appear that I am ALLOWED to take out that one more allowance. I can only claim 2 allowances in the main portion of the form (single, and head of household -- I am not married, I don't have dependants, I don't have kids), and the separate "if you are itemizing your deductions" worksheet actually doesn't give me any ground to claim that one additional allowance (I don't...have any deductions; in fact, the last time I tried to itemize my deductions, it worked out that it would make more sense for me NOT to and go with a 1040EZ return -- the only big adjustment to my income I can report on there is the annual IRA contribution).

Can I just go ahead and claim that 3rd allowance anyway? It would mean an extra hundred dollars a month to my income, so I'd REALLY like to get it. And I've been getting big returns anyway, so it's not like I'd be cheating anyone out of anything (if I have to pay at the end of the year, I would, really!)

Mint? Wesabe? Yodlee? Is any better than the others?

TravellingCari — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 09:03:52 -0800

In looking at online personal finance sites (i.e. Wesabe, Mint, Yodlee, Quicken Online etc), is there any appreciable difference between them? I know the benefits of the sites in general, i.e. access to your accounts from a number of places rather than from one computer and have read threads where they're recommended, but do any of them have any significant benefits over the others? I switched from Quicken when I got a Mac in April and couldn't get Quicken for Mac to work properly. I also tried some other software that was recommended in these threads and ended up going witih Mint because it was dead simple and did what I needed, even more so now that they allow customized tags.

However I've recently learnt of Wesabe and some others. Is there any good reason to switch or not to, any concrete benefits? Mint seems to do what I need it to -- effectively keep an eye on my balance(s) in one place, track outflow and attempt a budget. It appears to handle all my accounts (save for one at USBank which has an odd login procedure and one Citi credit card that it can't find) well.

Is there anything I'm missing? As always, thanks for the input

Should I jump ship from my Vanguard mutual funds account?

metamush — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 08:03:59 -0800

Should I pull my money out of the stock market? I'm pretty clueless. Well, it seems we are facing the largest plunge on the stock market since 9/11. And I'm pretty clueless about the stock market in general, which is why I am seeking your superior knowledge.

In May of 2007, when I graduated college, I invested $3,000 in a Vanguard mutual fund (symbol VFINX). I've only lost money since then, and its sunk down to about $2300. For me, $700 is a lot of money. That's like half a paycheck!

Should I pull the money out and put it in a CD? Or just keep it in there and wait for things to turn around?

So...recession. That's bad, right?

EmpressCallipygos — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 05:02:08 -0800

I get that the economy is bad in general. But I'm trying to figure out how this is all going to affect me specifically. Because of some misfortune 6 years ago (my income completely TANKED in 2002, and I had to take a few cash advances on my credit card to make expenses), I have been operating under total tunnel vision economically since then, ignoring what was happening in the rest of the world and trying to get my own house in order. Now that I think I've just managed to do that, finally, comes the news of Bear Stearns and Lehman and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. I also am not too well educated on how the economy works on a detailed level; I do know generally the positive and negative trends, I just don't know how to translate them into a practical hands-on, how-does-this-affect-me kind of reality. So can someone explain how someone in my case could potentially be affected by this?

The stats:

* I rent, and I have no intention of even THINKING about buying anything until my credit card bills are knocked down, and that won't be for another 3 years. I also went for the 2-year lease when it renewed, so my rent will stay the same until 2010.

* I somehow kept up all my bills even when things were bad, and as a result I have AMAZINGLY good credit.

* I just applied for and received a super-low-rate credit card -- and my research confirms that the rate will actually not ever rise -- which I am using solely to transfer a balance from a higher-rate card. I rarely if ever use my credit cards for actual purchasing, I'm just paying down balances. I pay a little more than the minimum each month.

* I have a modest IRA and a modest 401-K plan. I have no intention whatsoever of touching either one for at least 36 years.
I also have a very, very modest savings plan -- a bit put in each month, but after a year that becomes my IRA contribution.

* I have pretty conservative spending habits, and they just got even more conservative when I started brown-bagging my lunch at work (but that was for health reasons; I'm taking the financial savings as a fringe benefit). I rarely eat out, I see maybe one movie a month in theaters IF that, I take a DIY approach to a lot of things.

* I usually get a decent couple-hunderd refund on my taxes each year; I haven't owed anything on my tax returns since about 2005.

* I don't own a car and rarely drive. As for home heating - those costs in this apartment are generally pretty low (got into the "leave the thermostat turned down and put on a sweater" habit early). So the oil costs aren't affecting me too much either. (Yes, I do know how gas figures into the cost of products coming to stores, though.)

I've tried asking a friend about this kind of thing before, and pretty much all he said that I would go through is that my taxes would go up a little and prices of things would also go up. Which doesn't sound that bad, actually (I'm used to living frugally as it is already). Can anyone else give insight into how else the economy might affect me specifically?

So i'm frugal, but what's next ?

fizzix — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:28:42 -0800

I am a frugal person entering his senior year in college [age 21]. I have been following advice like the stuff in thread 84915and thread 99852 and living below my means. I sought advice in Financial books for college kids my age [for example, generation debt], but left feeling wanting more because they focus primarily on how to cut expenses [skipping the latte, etc]. So, I have some student loans already, but will need more for my senior year. I also have some money set aside, but I should I use this money to lower the loan amount that I'll take out or use this money for an investment (Roth IRA, index fund), and take out more for my student loans ? Here's my scenario:

- I have NO debt - EXCEPT from my Student Loan Debt

($46,025.40 for undergrad so far, heading into my senior year).
($27,519.40 are government loans - fixed rates, ),
the rest is from a private company, at variable rate -
A combination of federal and private loans
I am getting VERY Scared about affording this (right now, I have
estimated payments of $ 541.34, given the current interest rates and a normal payment schedule that is not income contingent).

- I have NO credit cards.

- I do have a checking account (with a debit card).

- I have a saving account (only 1.05% APR) of $ 800 (a 6 month
emergency reserve).

- In the past 5 months or so, I have saved 40 % of my income to a
general savings and a checking account

(it's only 1.05 APR, and I know there's better ones (ING, etc) but
both my [savings and checking]
banks charge a rather large fee (of $30 or so) for transactions from
one bank account to another,
for retirement.

My most important question is THAT I have received conflicting advice
regarding the following
situation:

This fall, I'll need to take out an additional $5,500 (estimated) for
living expenses (this is living frugally, rent, utilities, etc) (I am aware that I could work off campus more hours, but I have tentatively decided not to do that.
(I decided not to work more than 12-15 hours a week, while in school,
which can be for metatalk if you want to discuss that).

Should I take that 40% [which I saved - $650] and my federal work study job income ($2220) towards my expenses and take out a smaller loan (the advice from a counselor at the school financial aid office) ?
(Because any rate that I get on investing wouldn't be higher than my loan rate)
(I have not applied for the loan yet, so not sure of the rates that I'd be getting. This loan would be a private loan, because I am already taking out the maximum from Stafford and Perkins loans. I am looking at PLUS Loans - another govt loan, but that may not work, because my parents do not want a loan in their name).

Should I take that money and put it into certain investments for retirement (Roth IRA, Index Fund,etc) ?

Should I put that into something more safer like a money market account (Andrew Tobias' advice for those with less than $5,000) ?

Help me cut costs without feeling the pinch.

HotPatatta — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:38:28 -0800

Obvious or creative--shameless or shady, even!--ways to cut costs and live cheap? Be creative; I'll determine the ethicality on my own.

Personal finance and personal guilt

Anonymous — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 16:45:44 -0800

Please give advice on dealing with money and guilt about money. [Long question.] How can I learn to feel less guilty about financial decisions, trust my judgment about money, and have faith that I can support myself?

There is some evidence that I am pretty financially responsible. (I am going to give some details here, so you can judge for yourself.) I am currently in my 30s. In 2000 when I finished school my net worth was about -$20,000 from school debt. Now my net worth is just over $200,000. My first job out of school paid about $30k per year; I have worked my way up and now earn about $90k. I worked hard to be frugal and saved $10,000 my first year working. I have good job security. I follow most recommendations for good finances. I max out my 401(k) and Roth IRA, and save some extra outside of that, in good investments that I understand (mostly low-cost index mutual funds). I have an emergency fund. I have a house (an affordable one, with a 30-year fixed rate mortgage). My mortgage is my only debt. I have good insurance, including for the house, car, health care, death, and disability. My accountant says I'm doing well. I'm generous with friends. I give money to charity; currently about 2% of my take-home pay but I'm working on increasing that.

Despite this I feel very insecure about handling my money. I frequently read news, posts, and questions here and on other sites about people with debt spiraling out of control, going into foreclosure, being unable to control their spending, etc. I overidentify with these stories and am convinced this will be me any day. This is in part because my family was financially irresponsible and unstable, and I fear being back in that environment. There are several practical consequences of this mindset: I worry too much about money. I feel very guilty whenever I buy something indulgent for myself, like I am bringing on financial ruin. I think, for example, I have too few nice clothes I can wear to work, because buying nice things makes me feel guilty. I can afford to let go of some of my frugal habits, but I feel guilty when I do. It's hard for me to let myself go out to eat. I haven't really decorated my house because I don't think I deserve to replace the 15-year old ratty couch. Recently I did bring myself to buy a unique, well-designed, durable, and comfortable chair that cost $3,000 - but only after I saved up for it and agonized about it for a year. I love it and will use it for years, but I still worry it was a wasteful decision. And so on.

I also think it's a waste of my time that I spend so much time reading tales of financial doom and imagining it is happening to me. The simple answer would be "just stop doing it", but that's hard. Almost every month I use an online calculator to forecast how much money I will have in retirement, and it always says I am on track to have enough money. Yet I still feel anxious about it.

I know that you think I should see a therapist; trust me, I already have one. I'm looking for other suggestions that are outside the therapeutic paradigm, if that makes any sense. Often mefites have great, creative suggestions and approaches that I never would have thought of - that's what I'm hoping for here. For example, just getting random strangers' take on my financial situation (do I seem financially responsible? will I go bankrupt like my parents did?) could help.

This related post was helpful, but more insight would be appreciated.

How much is too much?

Anonymous — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 15:02:22 -0800

How much credit card debt is too much? I'm a freelance guy in the arts at the beginning of a big (read: expensive) personal project which will almost certainly NOT earn me my money back, although it is definitely related to my work. I have a good new job coming up in a few months which, while there are no guarantees, looks likely to provide me with steady work for some time to come. As such, I'm considering relaxing my usually strict credit card practices, in order to better complete my project. I'm not sure how far I should go with this. Mind you, I'm not talking about trivial purchases (expensive dinners, clothes, etc) - things that will directly (albeit luxuriously) help me practice my craft. So - am I just rationalizing my desire to go on a spending spree? Do you have any personal rules of thumb that govern your credit card usage?

View my savings as separate sub-funds?

forthright — Thu, 29 May 2008 20:26:11 -0800

Personal Finance Filter: Is there an application that can help me track money in separate accounts AND what that money is earmarked for AND keep a log of the movements? I have looked through Quicken help, and done a MeFi search on "personal finances separate funds". I also have tried using a spreadsheet for a while but it's cumbersome, especially the part about keeping a log of the funds movements. I apologize if the answer was obvious and I missed it.

To elaborate: what has worked well for our savings and budgeting efforts (until recently) is keeping a savings account and a spreadsheet to split up what parts of the account (sub-funds if you will) are earmarked for. We can then transfer between funds if we change our minds, move funds in or out of the savings account to/from the checking account, as we find extra cash or need to pay for a justified expense.

It started to break down when the account got too large to keep in a local savings account (there are worse problems I know). So we put some of the longer term funds in ING. We don't want to continue using two spreadsheets, because it's proving hard to keep funds movements between each of them and the checking account straight, etc.

Does anybody else do this? Is there an app or a feature of an app that supports this? All suggestions welcome, but we want to stay in the general spirit of our system because it has worked so well for us!

Thanks in advance!

Help me introduce iCal to my bills

evariste — Fri, 16 May 2008 14:44:02 -0800

Do any of the new breed of financial websites like Wesabe, Mint, Yodlee et al. offer an iCal-subscribable calendar of your bills' due dates? Or do you have an idea for how to achieve this easily? It would be great if I could subscribe to an automatically generated iCal calendar of all the upcoming due dates for my various bills. Some of the dates move around as months wear on, so setting up my own recurring events wouldn't work very well for me due to the maintenance hassle. That's kind of what I was already doing and I'm fed up with it. Mint will email and/or text me a week before a bill is due, but I'd really prefer an iCal pull kind of thing to these push-notifications.

Help me find UK-compatible Personal Finance Software or Sites?

Scramblejam — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:47:42 -0800

What are the best UK-compatible Online Personal Finance Software or Websites? I am making a real effort to get my finances under control.

I used to use Microsoft Money to collate all my financial information, but am dubious about it now that it's so far out of date.

Can anyone recommend UK-compatible personal finance software, or websites that allow bank-synchronization or import?

I love the look of software like Wesabe, Yodlee, YNAB and the like, but need something that works great for the UK currency and links to UK banks and institutions.