Helpful Resources & Tools

Here’s a list of links that I’ve used along the way and a brief overview of what you’ll find there!  Please share sites (along with a brief description) that you may have visited and found particularly helpful.

www.mint.com – a free online money management website

www.bankrate.com - a great all around resource for personal finance information.  They seem to be very objective as well. 

www.quizzle.com – another free site with lots of tools to track your personal finances

www.investopedia.com – a great informational page covering investment and finance topics.  Probably a little more info than the average person (or maybe just me) needs … but some great Personal Finance info and tools.

http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rhs/common/indiv_intro.htm - information about the USDA Loan Program.  Quite a few people don’t seem to be aware of this option but it’s a great resource for potential new homeowners.  A heads up – there are geographical (among other restrictions).

www.creditkarma.com - this site provides you with a FREE, no strings attached, credit score (courtesy of TransUnion).  While it offers a few other peripheral tools that may also be of use, Credit Karma is a great way to get a free look at your credit score.

http://www.vertex42.com/ExcelTemplates/personal-monthly-budget.html - this link provides you with FREE and VERY USEFUL Excel spreadsheets to use for your monthly budgeting.  Seriously, download it now, keep it on your desktop and track your spending.  The spreadsheets are easy to use and include different spending categories that are already broken down!