Websites that help you budget better
First, it happened to word processing and photo editing. Now, personal finance management has entered the nebula of “cloud computing,” where Web-based applications slowly replace software installed on a computer hard drive.
A handful of websites are helping users build and manage their own budgets free of charge. By monitoring websites run by banks, credit- and debit-card companies, brokerages, and other financial institutions, these sites allow you to put your financial activity in one place
Mint, Quicken Online, Geezeo, Buxfer, Justthrive, and a few others will gather an individual’s financial information over secure links daily to present a comprehensive financial picture. Each site offers different tools to illustrate this snapshot (spending comparisons, financial health scores, social network discussion pages, etc.). But all feature some form of spending tracking and budget building, which can help users stretch their dollars and avoid losses such as late fees and overdrafts.
After registering with any of these sites, users can then provide account numbers, pin numbers, and any necessary passwords required for clearance. The sites are all insistent about their safety, using encrypted connections and promising bank-level security. And since you can’t use these sites to move money, potential hackers can’t either; all connections are “read only.”
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