More options for free online budgeting tools on clarkhoward.com

Looking to get a handle on your finances? Clark advises people to try some of the free online budgeting tools that are available.

The consumer champ has spoken at length about Mint.com, a service that's also been embraced by executive producer Christa. She particularly likes the automated reminders that tell her if she's approaching the limits of her monthly budget for groceries or entertainment, for example. Mint also allows Christa to then review her monthly spending and see exactly where her money has disappeared!

Now there's a Mint competitor that Clark's been playing around with called Rudder.com. Rudder works with your IM applications and popular e-mail sites like Yahoo!, Gmail and Hotmail. And for the 20something crowd, there's another site called JustThrive.com.

You can use all of these for nada.

The No. 1 complaint Clark hears from people is that they have no idea where all their money goes. There's a sense of powerlessness in that statement. But these free tools will help you gain control of your wallet again.

What others are saying

On Line Budgeting Tools
My Credit union, VyStar, offers a whole host of on-line budgeting tools. It is already connected to your accounts, I would check with my bank or CU before providing this info to some willy-nilly on-line site. Clark missed the mark on this one.
By Kathryn @ 11/07/09 09:00:38 AMreport abuse
Better than free
I use www.neobudget.com. It isn't free but doesn't have any ads and is only 2.50 a month. If you purchase it for a year at a time then you get 2 free months. It is the best envelope budgeting software I have used on the web.
By Brian @ 11/04/09 01:32:37 AMreport abuse
"Free"mium
BudgetToolkit.com is a slick budget management service that has both a free option and a premium (under $5 month) option. Worth a look...
By Megan @ 09/29/09 04:51:19 PMreport abuse
Another option to "free" ?
Budgettracker.com is another option to look at if you want online accessibility. It isn't "free" but neither is are any of the others if you factor in targeted advertising and data mining.
By Paul @ 08/24/09 09:26:54 PMreport abuse
Associated CU has their own Mint.com
Why in the world would anyone utilize Mint.com when your financial institution can now have FinanceWorks via Digital Insight, an Intuit Company. If you would like to check this out....go to www.acuonline.org. This is quicken integrated into your online account at the Credit Union. What more could a consumer want. CLARK.....have you signed up for this service yet at Associated CU????????
By Connie Steed @ 03/24/09 10:31:37 AMreport abuse
Mint.com
Mint works great but has one big shortcoming. While it does track what you have spent, and will do so compared to your budget, it does nothing for tracking your short term non-fixed liabilities (i.e. electric bill,utilities, or any "bill" you get that you need to plan to pay that is not on a fixed payment amount (car payment)) - so you might know where all your money went, but not before you forgot you still have to pay your bills.
By Scott B - Atlanta @ 02/17/09 08:42:35 PMreport abuse
Mint.com was a waste of time
I spent a bit of time setting up all my accounts on Mint.com only to have it stop updating my account information 2 weeks later. I sent a request in to have it fixed, but nothing has been done to fix the problem. Furthermore, I checked out some of the blogs on their website and found out that this has been a problem for several years. I'm very disappointed in mint.com since now I'll have to find another service to use instead.
By Robyn Thorn @ 02/08/09 03:43:26 PMreport abuse
security questions
For those asking about security, I wrote a long response about Thrive's security: check it out in the comments here.

http://ivebeenmugged.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/12/is-mint-dot-com-safe-and-secure.html
By matt @ Thrive @ 01/26/09 02:36:44 PMreport abuse
Security
So I have been researching this ever since I have posted my my previous question. Here is one link that I found helpful. http://forums.mint.com/forumdisplay.php?f=5

Many Financial instituions have also given there recomendation on this and say that it is secure. I also found this "Mint.com also uses Yodlee, the same online banking service provider that is used by leading US financial institutions. You can feel confident your account is safe and sound with Yodlee, as they are audited by the FDIC and the Federal Reserve, among others."

So it appears to be safe. I certainly understand the concern but I have not yet seen any reports about anyone being able to get access to information, because they do not keep your information on site. It takes a lot of research to understand how it works, but I encourage everyone to read the Mint.com web site, they have a lot of security questions and answers, and an overview of how it works. Also if you Google search "Mint.com reviews" you will learn a lot about it. Hope this helps
By Dave @ 01/15/09 01:39:45 PMreport abuse
Budgeting Tools
These tools can lead to the first step in getting control of your money and that's awareness. You can't change what you don't know about. Money issues are not just math problems, they're faulty belief systems. If you believe you're spending less than you make you have no reason to change your behavior. Any system of tracking your money can work if you use it. I don't think you need to put your info on line to track your money. Any of the money software will do it. So will a spreadsheet. And there's always the old fashioned paper and pencil.
By Eddie Reece, MS, LPC @ 01/14/09 12:34:11 PMreport abuse
Security of Mint.com
Like so many others, I tried Mint.com but am not comfortable with one site having access to all my bank accounts. So I stopped using them and went back to my copy of MS Money 2000. In true Clark-fashion, the software still does what I need it to do so upgrading hasn't been a large enough draw.
By Steve @ 01/13/09 05:30:20 PMreport abuse
Yodlee
moneycenter.yodlee.com is another site that allows you to see all your accounts in one place. I prefer it to Mint.com, geezeo, and wasabe. It groups like accounts together, calculates net assets, liabilities and worth.
By Rob @ 01/13/09 02:03:39 PMreport abuse
Security
I went to the site and wasn't thrilled to see that it's something I have to sign up for and use online. I'm not comfortable putting all of my financial information online--seems like a hassle to log onto some website and register every purchase I make too. Too bad it's not a downloadable program.
By Gabe @ 01/13/09 01:48:45 PMreport abuse
Mint
I had Mint until I realized they were sending me me acc't info in email at least everyday if not more often. And I got uncomfortable with them having my password, etc. Now I use a spreadsheet of my own design.
By Frank @ 01/13/09 01:44:48 PMreport abuse
security
There seem to be a lot of questions about security but no answers. does anyone have an answer?
By Dave @ 01/13/09 08:32:38 AMreport abuse
Envelope Budget program
Looking for something like mvelopes, I never wanted to pay the fees, I found http://www.snowmintcs.com/ Download for 29.95 and free upgrades for life. Windows or Mac. You can try if for free before you buy. It was well worth the money.
By corney4you @ 01/13/09 12:54:41 AMreport abuse
Is mint.com secure?
Earlier poster asked about mint.com's security. The prospect of putting my account info/passwords, etc. also scared me off the site. However, seeing Clark & Christa mention it caused me to reconsider. Is it secure to put this information on a third-party site? mint.com users, chime in, please!
By Carrie @ 01/12/09 01:36:04 PMreport abuse
Geezeo.com
You forgot Geezeo.com. They also have an account aggregation service and great forums where people help each other with financial issues.
By Grant @ 01/12/09 01:22:54 PMreport abuse
Mint
I tried Mint. I have several BOA credit cards. Mint was accessing my acct. so often that BOA said I'd have to change my password due to overuse.

If a service is so "good" that you have to change passwords, I've abandoned Mint.
By drt @ 01/12/09 01:03:29 PMreport abuse
For those who aren't getting support
First, Clark, thanks for the mention - we're always happy to spread the word about personal finance and how people can save.

Second, for all the commenters that are having trouble getting their accounts added, can you do me a favor? If you try Thrive (www.justthrive.com) and your bank doesn't appear in the system, send us a note using our built-in support system or e-mail me directly at matt@justthrive.com so that we can make sure that we get your bank added.

We here at Thrive work hard to make sure that we help every person we can, and if you just tell us your problem, we'll be happy to work towards fixing it.
By matt @ Thrive @ 01/08/09 05:37:42 PMreport abuse
Free Credit Union Budget Tools
I use Associated Credit Union in Atlanta, and they just gave us FinanceWorks for free with home banking. No more exporting to Quicken It's fantastic. It really has shown me what's happening with my money. You can loan all of your other accounts (banks, credit cards and so on) to see you total picture in one place. Check it out.
By Glenn M @ 01/07/09 04:56:53 PMreport abuse
Mint.com
I second the comment about my Credit Union not being supported. I switched from a 'Giant Monster Mega-Bank' that worked FINE with mint... only to find that the Credit Union I now love is not supported. This makes mint almost useless. Maybe this is something Clark can mention on a future show!
By Mike @ 01/07/09 04:13:30 PMreport abuse
Mint vs Mvelopes
I have used both Mint & Mvelopes. While I liked Mint's price, I found their budgeting features lacking.

The nice thing about Mvelopes is that you allocate money to different envelopes before the month begins, then you can keep track of the balance for as long as you want. It carries over from month-to-month instead of starting over, like Mint does.

It does work with many financial institutions, and if your isn't there, you can suggest it and they will add it within a few days.

I'm still looking for something like Mvelopes that is free.
By Jeremy @ 01/07/09 03:24:15 PMreport abuse
Mint.com
I also use an Excel spreadsheet, and have since 2002. In fact, I have all those yrs in one excel file. I set up my sheet using the format from Dave Ramsey. To start a new yr, I copy and paste into a new workbook. I prefer to be able to manipulate my own information.
By Cindy @ 01/07/09 12:59:00 PMreport abuse
Mint.com
After hearing Clark and Christa rave about Min.com, I ran to check it out and signed up.

I then got this uneasy feeling about having all my financial information, usernames and passwords saved to an offsite location.

Is this really safe?
By Richard @ 01/07/09 11:52:33 AMreport abuse
Mvelopes another service that works with CREDIT UNIONS!
I'm a subscriber to The Home Economiser Newsletter, by the authors of America's Cheapest Family. They have been handling their budget using an envelope method for years, and they recently learned of an online system called Mvelopes. It's not free, but there is a one month free trial...and it's likely that it will network with your credit union, you can check here: http://www.mvelopes.com/mvelopes/credit-union-bank/index.php

Mvelopes has a thorough video demonstration of how it's software works. http://www.mvelopes.com/quick-tour/quicktour3/index.php

I personally like Excel because I can build the spreadsheets to fit our needs. There's a good book called something like Mananging Your Money with Excel. It's likely at your local library. It has a CD-Rom with an electronic version of the book and loads of templates for anything you can think of.

Hope that helps you, Scott, or anyone else out there.
By Marie @ 01/07/09 03:20:52 AMreport abuse
More great services that don't work with the credit union I bank with. How much longer must I endure quicken?
By Scott @ 01/06/09 09:59:47 PMreport abuse

On Line Budgeting Tools

My Credit union, VyStar, offers a whole host of on-line budgeting tools. It is already connected to your accounts, I would check with my bank or CU before providing this info to some willy-nilly on-line site. Clark missed the mark on this one.

By Kathryn @ 11/07/09 09:00:38 AMreport abuse

Better than free

I use www.neobudget.com. It isn't free but doesn't have any ads and is only 2.50 a month. If you purchase it for a year at a time then you get 2 free months. It is the best envelope budgeting software I have used on the web.

By Brian @ 11/04/09 01:32:37 AMreport abuse

"Free"mium

BudgetToolkit.com is a slick budget management service that has both a free option and a premium (under $5 month) option. Worth a look...

By Megan @ 09/29/09 04:51:19 PMreport abuse

Another option to "free" ?

Budgettracker.com is another option to look at if you want online accessibility. It isn't "free" but neither is are any of the others if you factor in targeted advertising and data mining.

By Paul @ 08/24/09 09:26:54 PMreport abuse

Associated CU has their own Mint.com

Why in the world would anyone utilize Mint.com when your financial institution can now have FinanceWorks via Digital Insight, an Intuit Company. If you would like to check this out....go to www.acuonline.org. This is quicken integrated into your online account at the Credit Union. What more could a consumer want. CLARK.....have you signed up for this service yet at Associated CU????????

By Connie Steed @ 03/24/09 10:31:37 AMreport abuse

Mint.com

Mint works great but has one big shortcoming. While it does track what you have spent, and will do so compared to your budget, it does nothing for tracking your short term non-fixed liabilities (i.e. electric bill,utilities, or any "bill" you get that you need to plan to pay that is not on a fixed payment amount (car payment)) - so you might know where all your money went, but not before you forgot you still have to pay your bills.

By Scott B - Atlanta @ 02/17/09 08:42:35 PMreport abuse

Mint.com was a waste of time

I spent a bit of time setting up all my accounts on Mint.com only to have it stop updating my account information 2 weeks later. I sent a request in to have it fixed, but nothing has been done to fix the problem. Furthermore, I checked out some of the blogs on their website and found out that this has been a problem for several years. I'm very disappointed in mint.com since now I'll have to find another service to use instead.

By Robyn Thorn @ 02/08/09 03:43:26 PMreport abuse

security questions

For those asking about security, I wrote a long response about Thrive's security: check it out in the comments here.

http://ivebeenmugged.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/12/is-mint-dot-com-safe-and-secure.html

By matt @ Thrive @ 01/26/09 02:36:44 PMreport abuse

Security

So I have been researching this ever since I have posted my my previous question. Here is one link that I found helpful. http://forums.mint.com/forumdisplay.php?f=5

Many Financial instituions have also given there recomendation on this and say that it is secure. I also found this "Mint.com also uses Yodlee, the same online banking service provider that is used by leading US financial institutions. You can feel confident your account is safe and sound with Yodlee, as they are audited by the FDIC and the Federal Reserve, among others."

So it appears to be safe. I certainly understand the concern but I have not yet seen any reports about anyone being able to get access to information, because they do not keep your information on site. It takes a lot of research to understand how it works, but I encourage everyone to read the Mint.com web site, they have a lot of security questions and answers, and an overview of how it works. Also if you Google search "Mint.com reviews" you will learn a lot about it. Hope this helps

By Dave @ 01/15/09 01:39:45 PMreport abuse

Budgeting Tools

These tools can lead to the first step in getting control of your money and that's awareness. You can't change what you don't know about. Money issues are not just math problems, they're faulty belief systems. If you believe you're spending less than you make you have no reason to change your behavior. Any system of tracking your money can work if you use it. I don't think you need to put your info on line to track your money. Any of the money software will do it. So will a spreadsheet. And there's always the old fashioned paper and pencil.

By Eddie Reece, MS, LPC @ 01/14/09 12:34:11 PMreport abuse

Security of Mint.com

Like so many others, I tried Mint.com but am not comfortable with one site having access to all my bank accounts. So I stopped using them and went back to my copy of MS Money 2000. In true Clark-fashion, the software still does what I need it to do so upgrading hasn't been a large enough draw.

By Steve @ 01/13/09 05:30:20 PMreport abuse

Yodlee

moneycenter.yodlee.com is another site that allows you to see all your accounts in one place. I prefer it to Mint.com, geezeo, and wasabe. It groups like accounts together, calculates net assets, liabilities and worth.

By Rob @ 01/13/09 02:03:39 PMreport abuse

I went to the site and wasn't thrilled to see that it's something I have to sign up for and use online. I'm not comfortable putting all of my financial information online--seems like a hassle to log onto some website and register every purchase I make too. Too bad it's not a downloadable program.

By Gabe @ 01/13/09 01:48:45 PMreport abuse

Mint

I had Mint until I realized they were sending me me acc't info in email at least everyday if not more often. And I got uncomfortable with them having my password, etc. Now I use a spreadsheet of my own design.

By Frank @ 01/13/09 01:44:48 PMreport abuse

security

There seem to be a lot of questions about security but no answers. does anyone have an answer?

By Dave @ 01/13/09 08:32:38 AMreport abuse

Envelope Budget program

Looking for something like mvelopes, I never wanted to pay the fees, I found http://www.snowmintcs.com/ Download for 29.95 and free upgrades for life. Windows or Mac. You can try if for free before you buy. It was well worth the money.

By corney4you @ 01/13/09 12:54:41 AMreport abuse

Is mint.com secure?

Earlier poster asked about mint.com's security. The prospect of putting my account info/passwords, etc. also scared me off the site. However, seeing Clark & Christa mention it caused me to reconsider. Is it secure to put this information on a third-party site? mint.com users, chime in, please!

By Carrie @ 01/12/09 01:36:04 PMreport abuse

Geezeo.com

You forgot Geezeo.com. They also have an account aggregation service and great forums where people help each other with financial issues.

By Grant @ 01/12/09 01:22:54 PMreport abuse

I tried Mint. I have several BOA credit cards. Mint was accessing my acct. so often that BOA said I'd have to change my password due to overuse.

If a service is so "good" that you have to change passwords, I've abandoned Mint.

By drt @ 01/12/09 01:03:29 PMreport abuse

For those who aren't getting support

First, Clark, thanks for the mention - we're always happy to spread the word about personal finance and how people can save.

Second, for all the commenters that are having trouble getting their accounts added, can you do me a favor? If you try Thrive (www.justthrive.com) and your bank doesn't appear in the system, send us a note using our built-in support system or e-mail me directly at matt@justthrive.com so that we can make sure that we get your bank added.

We here at Thrive work hard to make sure that we help every person we can, and if you just tell us your problem, we'll be happy to work towards fixing it.

By matt @ Thrive @ 01/08/09 05:37:42 PMreport abuse

Free Credit Union Budget Tools

I use Associated Credit Union in Atlanta, and they just gave us FinanceWorks for free with home banking. No more exporting to Quicken It's fantastic. It really has shown me what's happening with my money. You can loan all of your other accounts (banks, credit cards and so on) to see you total picture in one place. Check it out.

By Glenn M @ 01/07/09 04:56:53 PMreport abuse

I second the comment about my Credit Union not being supported. I switched from a 'Giant Monster Mega-Bank' that worked FINE with mint... only to find that the Credit Union I now love is not supported. This makes mint almost useless. Maybe this is something Clark can mention on a future show!

By Mike @ 01/07/09 04:13:30 PMreport abuse

Mint vs Mvelopes

I have used both Mint & Mvelopes. While I liked Mint's price, I found their budgeting features lacking.

The nice thing about Mvelopes is that you allocate money to different envelopes before the month begins, then you can keep track of the balance for as long as you want. It carries over from month-to-month instead of starting over, like Mint does.

It does work with many financial institutions, and if your isn't there, you can suggest it and they will add it within a few days.

I'm still looking for something like Mvelopes that is free.

By Jeremy @ 01/07/09 03:24:15 PMreport abuse

I also use an Excel spreadsheet, and have since 2002. In fact, I have all those yrs in one excel file. I set up my sheet using the format from Dave Ramsey. To start a new yr, I copy and paste into a new workbook. I prefer to be able to manipulate my own information.

By Cindy @ 01/07/09 12:59:00 PMreport abuse

After hearing Clark and Christa rave about Min.com, I ran to check it out and signed up.

I then got this uneasy feeling about having all my financial information, usernames and passwords saved to an offsite location.

Is this really safe?

By Richard @ 01/07/09 11:52:33 AMreport abuse

Mvelopes another service that works with CREDIT UNIONS!

I'm a subscriber to The Home Economiser Newsletter, by the authors of America's Cheapest Family. They have been handling their budget using an envelope method for years, and they recently learned of an online system called Mvelopes. It's not free, but there is a one month free trial...and it's likely that it will network with your credit union, you can check here: http://www.mvelopes.com/mvelopes/credit-union-bank/index.php

Mvelopes has a thorough video demonstration of how it's software works. http://www.mvelopes.com/quick-tour/quicktour3/index.php

I personally like Excel because I can build the spreadsheets to fit our needs. There's a good book called something like Mananging Your Money with Excel. It's likely at your local library. It has a CD-Rom with an electronic version of the book and loads of templates for anything you can think of.

Hope that helps you, Scott, or anyone else out there.

By Marie @ 01/07/09 03:20:52 AMreport abuse

More great services that don't work with the credit union I bank with. How much longer must I endure quicken?

By Scott @ 01/06/09 09:59:47 PMreport abuse

Listen Live:

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Consumer Action Center:

Quick Links:

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Jan 06, 2009 -- More options for free online budgeting tools

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