‘2009 Goal’ Category
» posted on Monday, December 29th, 2008 at 4:12 am by Lily
FREE Financial Software – Quicken Online
My new year’s resolution is to no longer be broke in America in 2009, and one of the steps towards that direction is to keep track of my finances better. The late fees and insufficient fund fees were bleeding me financially, and I just got so tired of juggling the bills. The insanity has to stop. I am not any good with paper, so I had to find a software that will help me do that.
It is past midnight and I had been asleep for over two hours when I was woken up and felt the urge to go online and search for Quicken. This is very strange in itself as I know what Quicken is and where to get it, and had no reason to Google it at all. The first website displayed by Google was Intuit’s Quicken site, and lo and behold, the word “FREE” caught my eye. “Quicken Online – Now FREE”, it screamed. I had to check for more information to make sure it wasn’t free only for the trial period. As far as I know, it is not a trial account and there doesn’t seem to be any hidden charges. If you have evidence that it isn’t so, please let me know!
So I signed up, all the while expecting to be accosted with “Aha! Now here’s the catch!” So far I haven’t encountered any. What freaked me out was it asked for the login and password of my bank account, and I had to make sure that I was still on Intuit’s Quicken website by checking the URL. Once I provided that, Quicken contacted my bank’s server and loaded all my transactions. Just like that, everything was in place.
I am excited with the Quicken Online. I love that I can access it from any computer with internet connectivity. It seems easy to use, and it has financial tools for budgeting and setting up financial goals. I was also pleasantly surprised that Quicken Online comes with Quicken Beam, a beta service that sends alerts to your mobile phone. It can send you your account balance, your last 5 transactions, when your balance dips below your set amount, etc.
If you have never used a financial tracking software before, now is a great time to start. Get your free Quicken Online account now!
2 comments | filed under 2009 Goal · Featured · Food For Thought · Personal · Saving Money | tags: financial tool, free, money saver, personal finance, quicken online, Saving Money
» posted on Monday, December 29th, 2008 at 3:20 am by Lily
No Longer Broke in America in 2009
Today is the beginning of the rest of my life, and I choose to no longer be broke in America. Worrying about my finances is taking a toll on my life, so much so that it sucks up all my creativity and my passion for life.
Instead of being reactive, I choose to be proactive, and here is the plan:
First, I have to stop the bleeding. The late fees and insufficient fund fees I paid in 2008 have been shamefully staggering. This tells me that not only was I broke, but that I need to keep track of my money better. I need to plan my expenses accordingly, and work from a budget. This is going to be tricky. I do not do well with paper, so it will have to be some finance software that is easy to use. The goal is to have a workable budget so that I will no longer pay any late fees on my utilities by the end of Q1.
Second, I need to raise my income. With the economy and job market the way they are, this will be hard to do. In order to be more competitive, I will need to raise my qualifications. I plan to get a certification in the technical field that interests me, and this will help me get a better position — and better pay, I hope — than what I have now. The goal is to have passed the certification exam by the end of Q1.
I am keeping it simple enough so that it is achievable. How about you, what are your financial goals or resolutions for the new year?
3 comments | filed under 2009 Goal · Employment · Getting Out of Debt · Personal | tags: budget, certification, goals, late fees, new year resolution