Though much of the information here is directed to the single-dad,  we can definately learn from single-moms too!  Check out the new Single Moms Rock! Carnival for some great info – and an included post from OmniSwami

Take Care,   Dan

I was a bit surprised when I recently found out that Microsoft Money has been discontinued.  I found the program to be one of the better personal finance software packages.  Wanting to get back on track with my personal finances, I started looking for an alternative solution.

I did a bit of online research which pointed me towards Mint.com, Rudder.com, and Quicken Online (all free).  I created accounts with each of these to test them out.  Honestly, they all seemed fairly decent, but none really seemed to fit what I was looking for.  I continued my hunt until I found Yodlee.com.

Now I know why MS Money is no more.  Yodlee’s free online MoneyCenter is very slick.  Even if you love Mint or Rudder or whatever, it is worth creating an account to see what you can do with MoneyCenter.  Once you signup, be sure to use the beta version of the software.

Accounts Overview Menu

Yodlee Account List

One of the features that Microsoft Money had that I loved was the ability to forecast account balances (taking into account bills, expenses, etc.).  Yodlee’s MoneyCenter takes it a step further with a fully incorporated calendar that plots out income and expenses for any given day past, present and future.  They definately got it right.

The Yodlee Financial Calendar

Yodlee Projected Balances

There are tons of really cool features MoneyCenter, but the best of all is that you can automatically link just about any financial account you can image for automatic updates.  For instance, all my banking, 401k, and brokerage accounts are linked to MoneyCenter.  Additionally, I was able to link my utility accounts (Comcast, TMobile, etc.), mortgage, 529 plan, home value tracking (via Zillow).  The odd-ball accounts like my home owner’s association still had to be manually added, but this is to be expected.

Below are some screenshots from Yodlee’s MoneyCenter.  You really must check it out if you use personal finance software – especially if you are paying to use it.  I can’t believe this is free – life is good!

Yodlee Transactions Menu

Yodlee Bills Reminders

Yodlee Spending Reports Menu

Yodlee Manage Accounts Menu

**Please note that I did modify the pictures a little – added some focal points and removed any personal information.

Take care, Dan

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Many of these emails will get a quick once-over before I’ll copy a significant phrase and paste it into the Snopes search field. Nearly every time I do, the email I received is found in the their database. More often than not, the email mom sent me is a hoax written by some unknown goof and attributed to someone such as Andy Rooney. This is done in attempts to give the actual no-name, opinionated writer’s words some validity.

I’m proud of you mom