Free Spending Plan Spreadsheet available (no longer available – other options listed) If you have reached this page, I apologize, but the spreadsheet is no longer available. Over time, we found some mistakes and that raised a concern that there might be other errors which would mean you wouldn’t be able to trust the spreadsheet. Check out 12 powerful personal finance programs that will get you and your finances on track once and for all. I spent a couple of hours surveying the current personal finance software options. A great mac option is Moneywell, by NoThirst software. Great tool to control your spending and the best customer service out there!!! I created a spending plan that was pessimistic about my income and built into my plan money for savings and debt repayment. Then I followed the cash flow process in MoneyWell, which asks you to fill your buckets based on the income you make and spend only what money is currently in your buckets.

1. Spending Plan Options Moneywell Personal Finance Software
2. Spending Plan Options Moneywell Personal Finance Software 2018
3. Spending Plan Options Moneywell Personal Finance Software For Mac

Managing your money isn’t easy, so it’s no wonder that only 41% of Americans have a budget,. A budget is the most fundamental financial planning tool out there, and with one, you’ll have a better chance of reaching your short- and long-term financial goals. And if the “b word” makes you bristle, don’t worry: The best personal finance software can make it surprisingly painless. “Online banking is a great tool to pay bills and reduce paper statements,” says Dan Crimmins, New Jersey-based financial coach at. “However, it cannot establish a budget or categorize your expenses. A financial tracking software gives you the ability to review how you are spending your money.” Several personal finance apps and websites can help you plan and keep track of your spending. No one service is best for everyone, though, so it’s important to compare several options to find the one that works best for you.

To help, we’ve put together a list of the top three personal finance software options and how they can help you achieve your goals. Best Personal Finance Software: The Simple Dollar’s Top Picks. Mint: Comprehensive, free, and easy-to-navigate software; great for beginners. You Need a Budget: Hardcore budgeting for people who want to know where every dollar is going.

Albert: Does a lot of the legwork for you and provides you with timely and actionable advice. Mint has more than, and it’s easy to see why. For starters, the software is free to use, and it automatically syncs your financial accounts so you can budget and track your spending all in one place. Budgeting isn’t the only service Mint offers, though.

You can also:. Monitor your Equifax credit score. Stay on top of your bills. Track your investment accounts.

Get alerts when you’re being charged fees or going over budget. View your home’s value (courtesy of Zillow) and track your overall net worth.

For budgeters, Mint’s most valuable feature is its automatic syncing. Just sign into your bank and credit card accounts through Mint’s platform, and you’ll get updates on each account every time you make a transaction. When transactions come through, Mint will automatically categorize them based on their details. If the assigned category is wrong, you can update it and even split transactions into more than one category online or on the mobile app. Based on your spending, Mint will also create a budget for you. But as with the transactions, you can customize your budget based on your needs and spending habits. If you want a bird’s eye view of your spending habits, Mint has a Trends feature that shows you how you’ve spent your money by category over a set period.

You can also compare two periods to see how your current spending compares with spending in the past. While the service is free to use, Mint makes its money by recommending targeted financial products to its users. Depending on your tolerance for such ads, it can be frustrating to feel bombarded with the unsolicited advice. “Most free financial softwares make money by providing product recommendations or having advertisements within the software or app,” says Dominique Broadway, CEO and personal finance expert at. Mint is a great option for:. Beginners who are overwhelmed with the idea of budgeting.

Hands-off budgeters who want everything in one place. People who don’t mind the ads. You Need a Budget, or YNAB for short, is an intensive budgeting software with the goal of giving every dollar a job. The software is also designed to help users and live off of the previous month’s income. When you first sign up, YNAB provides you with some general budgeting categories to start with, like Rent/Mortgage, Electric, Groceries, and other essential expenses. You can add or change categories based on your spending habits. As you continue setting up your budget — either online or with the mobile app — you can add individual accounts and clarify whether each is a budget account or just an account you’re tracking, such as an investment account or auto loan.

While YNAB allows you to connect your financial accounts for automatic transaction importing, it doesn’t require it, allowing you to choose how hands-on you want to be. As you use YNAB over time, you’ll have access to a few reports to help you make better financial decisions:.

Spending report: This gives you a snapshot of how much you’ve spent in each category over a set period. You can also view how your spending in each category has changed over time. Income and expenses report: With this report, you’ll get a detailed breakdown of every source of income, plus exactly how much you spent in each category by month. Net worth report: You’ll not only get to see what your current net worth is but also how it’s changed over time. This is valuable because your net worth is a good measure of your overall financial health. If you have a specific financial goal you’re working toward, you can monitor your progress using YNAB’s goal tracking feature. Choose a target balance or a monthly funding goal, and the software will track your progress and give you some tips along the way.

In addition to giving you a platform to budget, YNAB also offers free, live workshops to give you advice on budgeting, paying off debt, saving and more. Read more: The biggest drawback to YNAB is that it’s not free. When you first sign up, you’ll get a 34-day free trial. But after that, you’ll pay $83.99 per year, which comes out to about $6.99 per month. YNAB is a great option for:.

Experienced budgeters who want a more hands-on approach. People who like to analyze their spending using reports. People who don’t mind paying for budgeting software. Albert If you prefer mobile over using your computer, both Mint and YNAB have mobile apps.

But with, all you get is a mobile app. Like the other software we’ve listed, Albert allows you to connect your financial accounts when you first get started. From there, though, it does most of the work for you. For starters, the app will automatically create a budget for you based on your spending, bills, and income.

You’ll also get a personalized financial plan, which can help you spot ways to save more and meet other financial goals. If it spots something out of the ordinary, you’ll get an alert.

If you opt in, Albert will automatically set aside a portion of your money into a savings account each week based on what it thinks you won’t miss. Albert even helps you negotiate your bills, which can save you money on ongoing monthly expenses like your phone, cable, security, or other bills.

If you want more personalized service, you can sign up for Albert Genius, which allows you to text the app’s human financial experts and get advice. There’s a fee for this service, but Albert allows you to choose how much to pay., most customers pay $6 per month or more for the Genius service, while the minimum cost to operate it is $4 per month. Albert is a great option for:. People who want to make better financial decisions but don’t have the time or desire to do it all alone. Budgeters who want to automate every aspect of their financial lives.

People who like the idea of getting personalized advice whenever they need it. How to Pick the Best Personal Finance Software For You The best personal finance software is easy to use and helps you improve your money management. But with so many options out there, no single app or website is best for everyone. As a result, it’s important for you to research these and other options and pick one that best serves your needs. Specifically, ask yourself how hands-on you want to be with the process and what kinds of tools and resources you’d need to make better decisions and stick with the program.

If you’re new to budgeting and feel overwhelmed by the process, it may be better to pick software that does a lot of the work for you. On the flip side, if you’re an experienced budgeter and enjoy getting into the weeds, choose an option that gives you more control. Whatever you choose, expect to put in a bit of time at the outset to get yourself up and running.

“Investing time in the initial setup is crucial to having the system work for you,” says Crimmins. After you get started, you may think your work is done. But the real challenge becomes checking in with your budget software regularly, even if the app does most of the work for you. “Once you’re all set up, make sure you actually look at the software,” Broadway explains. “Many people will take the time to set it up and never look at it again.” Most importantly, it’s crucial to understand that while the best personal finance software can help you make better decisions, it won’t, by itself, change your habits. As you take advantage of the different tools and resources available to you, use them to help you develop better spending and savings habits — so that eventually, and sticking to a budget becomes second nature.

It can take some time, but it’s time well spent. Related Articles:.

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From slide rule to online budget apps. Here are 5 alternatives to Quicken and Mint. (AP Photo) Mint had a similar effect, only with the Internet. Now no longer tethered to a hard drive, I could manage my finances from any place where I could get an internet connection.

Sadly (or not), both programs have lost a step or two. Quicken is clunky by today’s standards. And I’ve heard multiple complaints about Mint, especially about updating information from financial institutions. There are, however, several great alternatives to Quicken and Mint. We’ll look at five of the best replacement options, the first of which is an advertiser on my personal finance blog.

It also happens to be my favorite and the one I use every day. Personal Capital has become an extremely popular tool to manage money. There are several reasons for this. First, it’s free.

Second, Personal Capital’s financial dashboard manages every aspect of a person’s finances. It tracks cash flow and enables you to see your spending by account and category. Further, it’s a. The results of running Personal Capital’s fee analyzer on my 401k.

It enables you to link all of your investment accounts. Once linked, Personal Capital provides a wealth of information about your portfolio. From asset allocation to investing fees, this tool gives you easy insight into your investment portfolio. This is particularly helpful if you, like me, have multiple retirement and taxable accounts. Finally, Personal Captial offers a retirement planning tool.

You can see if you are on track to retire as planned. It even provides useful data on 529 accounts you may have for your children and tracks the value of real estate. YNAB For those focused exclusively on their budget, there’s nothing better than (short for You Need a Budget). I’ve tried virtually every budgeting tool available, and YNAB is without question the most effective. It uses a familiar spreadsheet format that’s very easy to use.

Spending Plan Options Moneywell Personal Finance Software

Categories can be assigned to your spending automatically. Once you’ve used the software for about a month, you’ll rarely need to categorize expenses manually. And YNAB follows a very interesting approach to budgeting. The goal is to live off of money you earned the previous month.

As a result, you’re not living paycheck to paycheck. It may take some time to get there, but I’ve found YNAB the best tool to support this type of prudent financial management. Banktivity For those with a Mac looking for software, is an excellent choice.

Much like Quicken, you can connect bank accounts, credit cards, mortgages, and even investment accounts. Once connected, Banktivity manages your entire financial life in one place. I’ve found connecting accounts to be, while not perfect, workable. I’ve successfully connected investment accounts from major brokers, a mortgage on an investment property from Chase, and credit cards from Citi, Capital One and other issuers. What I’ve found most appealing about Banktivity is that it just works. There is, however, one downside. The software set me back $64.99, which by itself would be fine.

However, if I want to automatically download transactions, I must pay a yearly fee of nearly $45. In the end, the cost was worth it.

Spending Plan Options Moneywell Personal Finance Software 2018

But it’s an important consideration, particularly when tools such as Personal Captial are free. EveryDollar For Dave Ramsey fans, is a good option. It is an online budgeting and money management tool. It comes in both a free and paid version. The paid version adds, among other things, online connectivity to your financial institutions. The budget is broken down into categories, such as housing, transportation, and food.

You can customize expense categories. Without the paid version, however, it’s an entirely manual process. For those following Dave’s Baby Steps, they are integrated into the budget. For example, save $200 and you’ll see Baby Step #1 (save $1,000 for emergencies), increase by $200. PowerWallet The last Mint and Quicken alternative on our list is.

This online budget tool enables you to link bank accounts, credit cards, loans, and investment accounts. I found the linking process to be smooth, with two exceptions. I was unable to link a retirement account at Fidelity and credit cards from Citi. PowerWallet uses a cash flow model of budgeting. In the dashboard, it shows your cash inflows, outflows, and what’s left. It also highlights your top spending categories. It does use an advertising model for revenue, so be prepared to see some advertisements. Connectivity One persistent problem with all personal finance software is issues connecting to financial institutions.

I have yet to use one that didn’t have at least one or two problems. I’ve found Personal Capital to be the one tool with the fewest problems.

Spending Plan Options Moneywell Personal Finance Software For Mac

But you should expect to encounter some connectivity issues regardless of which tool you use. Rob Berger founded, a personal finance website, a credit card and banking website, and, a free weekly newsletter. RECOMMENDED BY FORBES.