News that you’re pregnant brings a tremendous amount of excitement and also a great deal of stress. Both are incredibly normal reactions, whether it’s your first child or fifth. Along with your new bundle of joy is going to come a change in your finances. By preparing early, you’ll be better able to make room in your budget for baby.

Stay Calm

While it’s completely normal to have a bit of a panic attack at the overwhelming thought of raising a child for the next 18 years, do your best to remain calm. Give yourself a day to freak out and then settle yourself down. By the time baby comes, chances are you’re going to be so well-prepared that you won’t even realize what she is costing you on a day-to-day basis.

Create a Baby Budget

Sit down together and create a list of short and long-term financial goals as they pertain to your child. Are you going to breast feed? If so, you won’t need a ton of cash for formula. Are you going to send your child off to a private day care? These are things that need to be considered before your child is born but don’t worry if you leave something off of your list; it can easily be added later.

Do plan on spending between $100 and $200 a month on your baby for things like food, diapers and clothes. This money should be added into your budget for immediate use when the baby is born. Because it is an immediate need, any monies for future day care or school tuition should be added on top of this basic amount.

Pay Off Debt

As soon as you find out your pregnant, begin to pay off as much of your debt as you can. Credit card debt and short term loans should be paid off if at all possible. This will free up some of your money each month. Add the money you’ll save into your baby savings account.

Buy Life Insurance

Part of being a parent is making sure your child is taken care of and provided for should you die. While it’s not something any new parent wants to think about, it’s a fact of life that bad things happen. Your new policy should be at least eight times your yearly income. For instance, if you make $40K a year, your life insurance policy should provide for $320K. If you can afford more coverage, by all means, go for it!

Plan for Daycare

If you’re going to be going back to work after the baby is born, you’ll need to arrange daycare. Will Grandma and Grandpa be watching your child while you are at work? If you can find a friend or family member that is willing to help you out, you’ll end up paying far less than you will for private daycare. You’ll also need to decide if going back to work makes financial sense. If your paycheck will simply be paying for childcare and gas, it might make better sense to stay home.

Don’t sweat the small stuff! Becoming a parent is scary enough without spending all of your time worrying about money. With a bit of advanced planning, and help from family and friends, you’ll be fine!

Author Thomas Hathaway is a financial consultant and content contributor to paydayloans, a site providing information and advances when you may need an advance to your regular paycheck.

Image credit =Dos rayitas by Esparta

Whether you’ve always had a budget, just started to budget, or think “budget” is a scary word, you probably have at least one financial weakness.  We all do.  We’re only human, after all, and money management doesn’t always come naturally.  We don’t always want to use our money sensibly, so sometimes we don’t.

Saving money can seem hard because it is a long term goal.  To save enough for the things we want in adulthood can take years, and we naturally may get discouraged.  Not everyone can afford to save much once the household bills and expenses like health insurance premiums have been paid. Even if you’re not actively saving or budgeting, you may wonder how on Earth you manage to spend your entire paycheck every month.

And this is when your financial weakness slips in to bite you.  That daily cup of coffee from your favorite café may seem small, but think of how it adds up.  Same goes for your regular evenings out with your friends, or your online shopping habit.  What can you do?

Identify your Weakness

First, figure out where your specific issue or issues are.  If you have a budget already, this is probably the easy part.  But if you don’t, spend a few weeks tracking your expenses by keeping receipts and writing down what you spend.  If you spend exclusively with debit or credit cards, you can look at your monthly statements as a shortcut.  Then you’ll have a clear picture of where your money is going.

Now really look at what you spent and start to categorize.  If you are shocked by the amount that falls into any single category, that is probably a great place to start.

Set a Limit

Once you can see how much you’re spending on your weakness, it’s time to decide how much you want to cut back.  This is entirely up to you, your goals and your budget.  But you shouldn’t just pick an arbitrary number; really think about what that number will mean to you.  Can you live with a budget that involves going out to lunch no more than once a week, or can’t you?  If not, you won’t stick with your limit and then you’ll be right back where you started. Be optimistic, but realistic with your goals.

Strategize

The limit is great, but it doesn’t actually solve the problem.  Now it’s your job to brainstorm how you’re going to stick with your limit.  Let’s say your weakness is going out to eat from work.  Just thinking, “I’m not going to do that anymore,” won’t get you anywhere.  What do you need to set yourself up for success?  Do you need to pack your lunch the night before to save time in the morning rush?  Should you cook extra food at dinner so you have something really filling to take in to work?  The solution is up to you.  As you implement it, make sure it’s really working for you and be ready to make adjustments if it isn’t.

Know Yourself and Be Honest

A weakness in finances is a lot like a weakness in your diet.  To overcome either, you really have to know yourself.  Take desserts, for example.  Some people are able to have smaller portions less frequently and be perfectly happy.  Others are better off saying no entirely; if they have one cookie, it only makes them want three more.  The same holds true with finances.  If the ease of picking up a cup of coffee at the café is too tempting, you may be better off making a hard and fast rule that coffee is only to be made at home.

Once you get your money weakness under control, you may be surprised at how much you can save.  Just don’t be discouraged if you have a few setbacks, and never give up trying.  The point of saving money is to help you get the big things you really want: the house, car, wedding, vacation, etc.  Don’t let your financial kryptonite drain you of the power to achieve your goals.

This article is by Sabrina Matheson, a personal finance blogger sharing tips online about how to compare medical insurance, avoid credit card debt, and keep your finances running smoothly.

Begin saving and investing for college the minute your doctor confirms you are pregnant with your first child.

Although the advice may sound like a very unfunny joke, financial planners and college admissions directors agree that college preparation begins in the womb. If you have a child today and college costs continue increasing at their current rate, by the time your newborn starts her first year at Harvard, that first year will cost her more than $100,000. You cannot afford to wait, and you cannot afford to count on scholarships and financial aid. If you begin managing the cost of college today, you and your child will have enough to finance the full four years. Experts strongly recommend you set-aside 5% of each paycheck in a preferred college savings plan, and they suggest five proven investment products…

• Coverdell Education Savings Account You may invest up to $2000 per year in a Coverdell Educational Savings Account (ESA), and the principal will grow tax-deferred at the prevailing interest rate until the money is disbursed. Contributions are not tax deductible, but the accounts do have tax advantages. If the money pays the beneficiary’s regular college expenses, neither the student nor the account holder pays any income tax on the distribution. Of course, some restrictions apply.

• Conventional Savings Account When you reach the Coverdell limit, put 5% of each paycheck into a conventional savings account until you accumulate enough to move into certificates of deposit. Most banks set a $5000 minimum.

• Certificates of Deposit Requiring you leave your investment untouched for six months at a time, Certificates of Deposit typically yield approximately twice the standard savings rate. While your CD grows, continue your practice of saving 5% of each paycheck in the regular savings account. When the two accounts total $10,000, take that lump sum and invest in an annuity. Then, continue the 5% savings plan until you save another $10,000 for investment in a mutual fund.

• Fifteen-Year Indexed Annuity Technically an insurance product, an “indexed” annuity guarantees a minimum rate of return and then assures extra interest at a rate tied to growth in equities. The best indexed annuities are tied to the Standard and Poors 500, which has averaged approximately 8% annual growth over the last 100 years. When the annuity matures, it pays a monthly income which your student may use for his college living expenses.

• Moderate-risk Mutual Fund Not as safe as the other four investment instruments, a mutual fund nevertheless promises greatest growth over the long haul. Work with a trustworthy financial adviser to determine which fund best will take you to your goals.

Which investment product is right for you? The answer is “all of the above,” because the five different investments work together. Each time you build to $5000 in the conventional savings account, you move the sum to a CD; and each time the CD grows to $10,000, you move it to the mutual fund. The annuity keeps growing on its own. Remember two fundamentals of skilled money management: (1) These are buy-and-hold products; just forget the money is there, and let the accounts keep growing. (2) Check with your tax adviser to determine which investments allow pre-tax payroll savings, so that you gain some tax advantages every year you invest.

Get ahead of the game.

You can begin college before you graduate from high school, saving money by reducing your time to completion of your degree. One option: Follow the traditional fast-track to college credit by taking honors and Advanced Placement courses; some first-year students begin college with enough credits to become instant sophomores. A second option: Many community colleges also allow college-bound 18-year-old high school seniors to take introductory courses on their campuses. In some forward-thinking high school districts, seniors may take their economics and government classes at community college, so that they simultaneously satisfy high school graduation and college general education requirements. In most high school and community college districts, everything is negotiable, so it cannot hurt to ask. While you explore your fast-track options, find out if your college-of-choice has a summer “readiness” or “transition” program for freshmen; the finest schools allow entering freshmen to live on campus and take basic English and math courses before they officially enroll.

In 2010, the average college graduate left the ivy-covered halls with a diploma and more than $100,000 in student loan obligations, and most alumni agreed the result was worth the financial burden. They confessed, however, they could have and should have saved for college instead of accepting the loans. When a family begins saving and investing early, the cost of college does not deter promising students from attending the schools of their choice.

Photo credit: Graduating Friends by blakeamick/flickr
Peter Savage is a career consultant and content contributor for Super Scholar, a site with incredibly thorough information, reviews, and even 2012 online college rankings.

Before you make a decision as to how much money you’ll have to save for retirement, you’ll have to figure out how much your Social Security benefit will be and how much money you’ll have available to you from your pension. You’ll have to save whatever you plan to spend in retirement that isn’t covered by those two options.

Get online and find a free financial calculator online and then take a look at your Social Security statement. It’s sent to you from the Social Security Administration every year. If you can’t find your statement, look up your benefits on the Social Security Administration (SSA) website or call them at 800-772-1213.)

Should you have plans to spend no more than you should be getting from Social Security and your pension, then you don’t have to worry too much about savings. But if you plan on spending more than you’ll be getting from Social Security and pensions, you’re going to have to have a healthy savings account.

Don’t expect your Social Security check to provide you with half of  what you need to live on once you retire (or even more.) Things have changed. Anyone retiring after the current generation of retirees is more likely to get about 25% of their retirement income from Social Security. This means that you had better start thinking “how much do I need to retire?”

Social Security does not have assets backing it up and it’s not funded. It’s really quite simple. Current employed individuals put money into Social Security through Social Security deductions from their paycheck. This money goes right into the benefit checks of retired individuals. In 1950, it took 16 workers to make enough money to support the benefits of one retired person. Today that’s down to about three working people per Social Security recipient. Forty years from now there will only be two workers to provide the benefits for every one recipient. And that ratio is simply not enough to provide benefits according to the schedule currently in place. To do this, taxes will have to be raised.

Today’s excess Social Security funds go into Treasury bonds that are meant to be spent in the future when they’re needed. Studies show that by the year 2041, not only will there no longer be excess income, but these Treasury bonds will be spent, and Social Security will only be able to pay about 78% of expected benefits. This means that anyone who was 35 in the year 2007 should not expect to get more than 78% of his or her scheduled benefits and there will be more reductions after 2041.

Options to Keep Social Security Alive and Well

There are a few possibilities open to the government to keep Social Security stable. It can plan on:

•         Plan on more taxes

•         Raising standards for getting Social Security

•         Lessening benefits

•         Causing inflation which will lower the value of benefits
•         Combine some of the ideas above

But no matter what the government does, it’s unlikely that Social Security will be able to provide the kind of benefits tomorrow’s . This means that current workers will have to save more, try to find an employer that offers a pension, and/or find an employer that sponsors a 401(k).

If you’ve already retired, you will probably be okay. It’s those who plan to retire in the future who will have to seriously consider depending on Social Security for their retirement funds.

Those who were born before 1938 reached full retirement age, according to Social Security, when they turned 65. To account for a higher life expectancy, those born after 1960 will not be considered to be of full retirement age until they reach 67. There’s a gradual change in benefits for those born between 1938 and 1960. You CAN start getting Social Security at the age of 62 but checks will be smaller than if you start taking Social Security when you’re at full retirement age. You can beat the system but waiting until whatever your full retirement age is considered to be and then living longer than Social Security tables indicate you will. But that’s a little difficult to predict.

Improve your own future by putting a few more years into the workforce. While you’re working you can be increasing your social security benefit, saving money rather than spending your savings, and accruing interest on those savings. Try to bulk up your bank account: Saving more isn’t always easy but you’re going to need the money in the future. Use less. This is a good habit to develop for when you have less money to spend and a good way to save money.

Spend some time and effort improving your health. Everybody knows that eating healthy and getting some exercise is good for you. Keeping stress out of your life and sleeping enough is also good for you. And who knows? Maybe all this healthiness will increase your years and increase the enjoyment of those years. It may even save you a few visits to the doctor’s office and money on prescriptions.
But you’d still better have health insurance. Medical bills can drain a savings account quickly. A serious illness can wipe out a savings account overnight. And long term care? It costs an arm and a leg.

Get to work on a great financial retirement plan rather than sitting around worrying what you’ll get from Social Security.

About The Author:

Jason Munroe is an avid traveler, Internet explorer, and has always enjoyed money! When not enjoying his retirement in Nevada with his wife and two grown children, Jason speaks about retirement planning and wealth building.

Have you ever wondered why other people collect, sell, or buy coins; especially those made from gold? Some people think that is a waste of time and more importantly, money. Why buy gold coins when you are spending money for money?  Well gold coins are a way to own gold.  And rather than stocks which go up and down, gold remains one of the only investments that continues to grow in value year after years. Just look at the value of gold over the last decade and you can see the price keeps increasing.

When people buy gold coins, they are not merely collecting, but are actually investing. But there are two kinds of people who buy gold coins. Some are those who really collect and some are those who buy for business purposes. If you like the designs and when you like feeling and holding the coins, then, you are a collector and would rather keep the coins than sell it. But if you are particular with the price of the coins, your primary goal is to store up gold coins, and are concerned with the rising an falling value of the gold, then, you are no doubt an investor. Well, even as a collector, you can still always buy with a view towards making a profit someday and actually, many of the collectors have this kind of mindset. So, basically, they are both an investor, just on different levels. But how does one buy good gold coins?

Invest in gold coins – Tips and tricks

Buying gold coins, some think, is a complex thing but it really is just simple. Once you have found a good dealer and when you know how to identify good gold coins then you are all set. But if you are a beginner in buying and selling gold coins, then here are some tips that might help you’.

• If you are still planning to buy gold coins, then you might as well have a plan for the storage – all the additional costs and security storage – for as what they said, gold should not go unprotected.
• Gold coins come in a wide variation. Their sizes, weights and kinds really matter in determining their worth and value. You should also take note of gold bullion and numismatic gold coins.
• Gold bullion coins are those that are nearly pure gold and numismatic gold coins are what they call collector’s items since they are rare and are part of the limited edition types of coins.
• The best coins to buy if you are planning to sell them later are the gold bullion coins. Some of the most popular gold bullion coins that you might want to buy include South African Kruggerands, Austrian Philharmonics, American Eagles and Buffaloes, Canadian Maple Leafs, and Chinese Pandas.

Common mistakes people make when they invest in gold coins

After being acquainted with the two basic kinds of gold coins, you must know the top mistakes people make when buying gold.

• Price matters but it doesn’t mean you should go looking for cheap priced gold coins and avoid dealing with a lot of dealers because obviously, it will create confusion on your part.
• Also, remember that when you have already bought those gold coins, do not remove them from their packaging since their value would decrease.

These are just the basics of buying gold coins. Buying gold coins is a method for wealth protection, profit potential and also because when you buy gold coins it has intrinsic value that can’t be wiped out by a currency crisis or a collapse in economic stock market.

Cash for Coins is an online coin dealer that specializes in buying and selling gold coins.  See Gold Coins for Sale Online or just get some information if you are interested in investing in gold and silver coins.

If you’re wondering how much money is needed to retire, you’ll have to figure out how much you’re going to get from social security and then add in any other forms of income you may have, like savings. The amount of money you’re going to need to start saving now for retirement is dependent upon how much money you’ll be getting from social security and other forms of retirement income.

It used to be that Americans could depend on their social security to provide them with about 50% of their income upon retirement. This is no longer so. If you’re right behind the current “Baby Boomers,” your social security benefit is unlikely to provide you with more than 25% of your needed income upon retirement. This makes a big difference when you have to start thinking about how much to save for retirement.

If you think that you can make it on the amount you’ll be receiving, between Social Security and your pension (let’s say $20K), then you don’t need to worry about saving much now. But, if you’re hoping to have $120K per year once you retire, then you’re going to have to start to put away lots of money. The difference between the $20K and the $120K is what you need to come up with.

How Does Social Security Work?

Social Security is not a fund that’s supported by money in the bank. When young workers have money taken from their paychecks and put into social security, this money is given to people who are no longer working. Today, it takes about three workers to provide enough funds to provide Social Security for one retiree. Forty years from now that ratio is going to drop to two workers paying the Social Security of one retiree. This ratio is simply not going to provide enough money to pay for that retiree’s Social Security unless it’s accompanied by an increase in taxes.

What Happens to Social Security after it’s Deducted from Your Paycheck?

Today, money that is garnered through Social Security tax is put into Treasury bonds. Unless the Social Security system is changed, studies show that there will be no more surplus income by the year 2041. Bonds will have been depleted and the benefits that retirees expect to be paid will be down to about 78% of the numbers on the schedule of benefits. This means that when 2041 rolls around, that today’s 35 year old worker should be expecting to get 22% less than what he or she is looking forward to getting when they retire in 2041 and that there will be reductions in benefits every year after 2041. That’s a scary prospect.

Already Retired?

Lucky you! This means that you’ve gotten Social Security ahead of the Baby Boomers and you can expect a better amount from Social Security than those who haven’t yet retired. If retirement is in your future, it’s best not to think about leaning too heavily on your Social Security benefits as your main source of income.

Changes in the Age at Which You Can Collect Social Security

Changes have already been made, by the government, to the age at which full Social Security can be collected.

• Full retirement age is 65 for those born prior to 1938.
• Full retirement age is 67 for those born after 1960, reflecting changes in life expectancy

You can start getting your benefits at 62 but your benefit checks will be smaller than those you’ll receive if you wait to collect until you’re 67.

So what’s the Government to Do About Social Security?

Well, there are a few options: the government could lower benefits, increase taxes, increase qualifications, devalue benefits through inflation, or combine all of these options.

No matter what does happen to Social Security, those who plan to retire in the future should not depend on Social Security to provide most of their retirement funding. This means that today’s workers must put more aside themselves to provide for their futures. Make sure that you have savings and, if possible, a 401 (k) sponsored by your employer to supplement your social security.

What Can You Do to Provide for Yourself in Retirement?

Since depending on Social Security to support yourself in your retirement is a risky business, here are some ways to enhance your retirement income planning and to either replace, or to supplement, your Social Security benefits:

• Plan on staying in the workforce longer: A couple of more years can make a noticeable difference in your benefits upon retirement. Plus, you’ll have more time to save, make interest on your savings, and less time to spend your savings if you’re still working.
• Increase the amount of money you set aside for retirement: the more money you have in the bank, the more you’ll have to spend upon retirement, and the more interest that savings will accrue.
• Plan on spending less: if you develop a habit of spending less now, you’ll not only have more to put away for retirement, but you will have developed some good habits to use when your paychecks stop coming.
• Maintain and improve your health: Good eating habits and regular exercise with the addition of enough sleep and a lower stress lifestyle can improve your quality of life now and in the future. It may give you more years to spend in retirement and may even lower doctor’s costs and the number of prescriptions you’ll need as you age.
• Be sure to insure: Do what you can to provide yourself with good health insurance. Medical bills can decimate savings. Look into insurance for long-term care. Long-term care can also cost you most of your savings, should you need it.

While you may have hoped that Social Security would provide for most of your future needs, don’t be too disappointed. It’s never too late to do something about your future finances. Look at the steps above and implement them for a happy and healthy financial future!

Don’t get out the old retirement calculator, until you review the statement your receive every year from Social Security, go to the Social Security website at www.ssa.gov, or call the Social Security office at 800-772-1213 to find out what kind of benefit you should expect to receive when you retire.

Mark T. Harris is a lifelong fan of money (he started his first savings account at 13!) and loves to surf the Web. He is retired, loves to travel, and lives in Austin, Texas with his wife and two grown children.

Gold and Diamond

Gold and diamond have always been held in high appreciation by the majority of society, and many people have a habit of purchasing gold and diamond as a form of money management. While gold does have a higher overall value, it’s price is subject to more daily fluctuation than diamond. When you see the price of gold is increasing, you may sell your gold for cash. It won’t make you a millionaire, but it can definitely put some money in your pocket.

Art

Art is another type of item that can turn out to be a great investment. However, most experts on the matter tend to agree that investing in works of art is a risky business, compared to other items of intrest. Unlike many other possible items, art is very vulnerable to fluctuations in public worth, as the main reason that pieces of art are bought in the first place is simply based on personal taste. As you can guess, personal taste varies widely among people and is extremely abstract, making it hard to determine whether it is worth the value of investment. All in all, art can be a risky business, but if you’re willing to take a risk, it can be a valuable investment.

Crystal

Quality made crystal wine glasses, vases and even small sculptures from reputable glassware companies can be valuable keepsakes, and will only get more valuable over time. Many people spend much time collecting exquisite glasses, and various items like this, if made with valuable and legitimate crystal, can be worth a great sum of money when finally sold. Just be sure to take good care, as crystal is very fragile, and nothing is worse than sweeping away the broken pieces of your investment.

Wines

It is quite common practice, especially among the rich, to purchase and store wines for many years. Many wines are quite old (some even over a hundred years), which can make them remarkably valuable. The truth of the matter is, the longer you keep a bottle of wine for, the more valuable it becomes. Many wine enthusiasts will purchase sufficiently old wine for ridiculous prices, which makes wine a very good item to invest in.

Yourself

One thing that you can never lose money from investing in is yourself. To invest in yourself means using your money to provide yourself with opportunities to live a healthier life, which will always greatly pay off later in life. Some ideas are to invest in vitamins and supplements, to help make sure your body is nourished and prevent disease in the long run, or to invest in a membership for a gym, to keep yourself healthy and in shape. Another good place to put your money in is an education, which can lead to major profit in the long-run. No matter what you invest in, if you invest in yourself, you know your money is going in the right place.

Miles Walker is a freelance blogger who usually writes about car insurance over at Car Insurance Comparison .org. His recent review looked at where to get North Carolina car insurance.

Being able to know what you are worth, is crucial to make effective financial decision and provide incentive to reach your financial goals.

Your wealth can be measured in different ways, but one the most common way is the net worth. Net Worth is basically the difference between your assets and liablities. Calculating your Net Worth is fairly easy. From the simple pen and paper and  the spreadsheet to the complex software, there are many tools, which have all their advantages and drawbacks.

Among the various options available, the free Net Worth Calculator Plugin for WordPress recently released by Credit Card Finder offers interesting features for those who want to track and display their Net Worth on their blog.

The plugin can be easily installed on any WordPress blog. Directly in your blog you can enter your personal finance data about monthly assets and liabilities. The information can then be displayed in a table or a graph.

The calculator is particularly useful for doing monthly blog posts about your net worth as it can display your results directly in your blog. Using the plugin is usually faster than calculating your net worth in a spreadsheet and then using Photoshop or any other graphic software to create nice looking graphs.

A great way to learn about investing is to listen to the experts. You can learn from their mistakes, learn from their successes, and simply learn more about the world of investments. If you read or listen to a wide variety of topics for a period of time, then it won’t be long before you become an expert yourself. Here are 10 podcasts about investing money to fill your iPod with.

1. Money Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for a Richer Life

This is a weekly podcast hosted by Laura Adams, a business professional who has years of experience in the corporate world, real estate, and finance. Her podcast covers a different topic each week.

2. Mad Money Machine

This is a podcast by Paul Douglas Boyer, who is a self-proclaimed Jim Cramer fan and who wants to help you get rich the lazy way. He only does a podcast about once a month, but they are packed full of good information. Each episode is about an hour long and focuses largely on choosing stocks and balancing your portfolio.

3. The Disciplined Investor

This is a weekly podcast brought to you by Andrew Horowitz, the founder of the investment advisor firm Horowitz & Company. Horowitz covers topics such as the economy, homebuilders, stocks, following trends, and retirement portfolios.

4. Vanguard: Investment Commentary

This is a professional podcast from Vanguard, which focuses on the economy, financial markets, and managing your investments. Every month, there is an in-depth interview with a different economist, investment expert, or fund manager.

5. Vanguard: Plain Talk on Investing

This is another high quality monthly podcast from Vanguard. This podcast focuses on giving advice to the individual who wants to control the majority of his investments himself. Easy to follow, practical advice without a lot of financial jargon is what gives this podcast its name.

6. Marketplace Money Podcast

This is another weekly podcast with a new episode every Friday. Host Kai Ryssdal tackles both international and national issues that are likely to have an effect on individual Americans. Kai Ryssdal calls it “the money show for the rest of us”.

7. The American Advisor

This is a daily radio show that has been adapted to a podcast format. You can browse to their website to learn about the latest market news, current events, financial information, and interviews with experts.

8. Wall Street Confidential

This is a podcast hosted by Jim Cramer and other experts on the Street.com team. Every market day they take a look at the most noteworthy stories, the market action, and the most important news in the financial world.

9. The Millionaire Zone

Jennifer Openshaw hosts this podcast three times a week. Since releasing her best-selling book The Millionaire Zone in 2007, Jennifer Openshaw has been teaching people all around the world how to create wealth for themselves. She also discusses how to manage your money once you have it.

10. The Real Story

This podcast was selected by iTunes as a staff favorite and the Best New Podcast of 2006. Ever since then, it has been going strong. On every market day, this podcast educates investors on the latest news on Wall Street. It seeks to look behind the headlines to find out what is really moving the markets so that you can make more money.

There are many other great podcasts out there that can help you become a smarter investor. Listen to one each day and you’ll soon be a competent investor yourself.

Mark Brown is a personal finance blogger who writes for CreditCardCompare.com.au, an Australian website where it’s easy to find the best balance transfer credit card. Check out their blog, The Credit Letter, where you can get advice on managing your money.

Most of us are either online or in front of the computer for the majority of our days, and even when we’re not at the computer, we can be connected to our files and browsing the internet from our phones. Therefore, to help you manage your finances, get control of your budget and boost your savings, go online for the top five budgeting and money saving personal finance tools you’ll actually want to use.

1:  Auctions for the highest interest in savings

Instead of searching the internet for the best savings account or the highest interest rate on your savings, register with Money Aisle to participate in a reverse auction.
Rather than approaching the banks to see what they’re willing to offer, you can register your needs with Money Aisle and have hundreds of banks bid on your business in real time.
They’ll offer higher interest rates or better features to close the deal with you, and this means your savings can get an instant boost and a great ongoing deal. Not all banks and financial institutions participate in the Money Aisle auctions, but of the hundreds which are involved, all must have a high rating to participate so you know your savings will be secure, no matter who seals the deal.

2:  Find a better mortgage

If you feel you are struggling with your mortgage repayments, while family and friends, even your neighbours, seem to be able to afford expensive holidays and fancy cars – their mortgages are the same as yours right?
Not always, mortgages and home loan products can differ significantly from providers and for different customers, so head online to find out if there is a better deal out there for you.

Using an online personal finance tool called SmartHippo, you can compare the features and benefits of the mortgages of real people already using them. This means you can find out whether your neighbours really are managing their mortgage better, and whether there is an easier to use home loan product out there by reading reviews of other mortgage holders.
As part of the Smart Hippo community you can offer your own advice on the products you are using too, and reading the reviews of all the users you can gain a picture of the wider home loan lending market, rather than just the offers from the big banks.

3: Financial planning and goal tracking

If you need to have access to your budgets and financial plans quickly and simply, and there are a number of free online finance tools which can help with this.

For example, Simplifi offers you the advice of a virtual advisor named Sophie, who guides you through creating and sticking to a financial plan. You can enter all of your personal finance details into Simplifi, including your earnings, your expenses and your goals. Sophie can then offer you advice on repaying your credit card debt or saving for your retirement, allowing you to keep your finances and plans updated wherever you are.

Another financial planning tool you can find online is called Boulevard . Once you create an account with Boulevard, you can drag and drop your financial and life goals onto a timeline of where you hope to achieve them in your life. You can then prioritise different goals, enter an amount you are comfortably able to save each month, and Boulevard then shows you how and when each goal can be achieved.
4:  Budgeting online anytime

Creating and sticking to a budget can be time consuming, especially if you have to hang onto receipts to enter your actual spend each week and find the time to make your calculations based on changes to your budget. To make budgeting faster and easier, which will in turn save you not only time, but money, utilise an online personal finance budgeting tool such as Mint , Wesabe or Geezeo.

While they all have funny names, they can all help you track and manage your budget more efficiently. Once you register with one of these personal finance tools, they will collect all the information from all your banks accounts, savings accounts, home loans, personal loans and credit cards, in one place. Mint, Wesabe and Geezeo can track the fees of each account so you can avoid unnecessary charges, and you can set up alerts in case the balance of a savings account dips, or your credit card balance is approaching its limit.

To help you budget, you are able to enter your income and your expenses when you first register and each finance tool will track your budget, mortgage repayments, account balances and can even manage a brokerage account for you. all you have to do is login online, or using an enabled smart phone to make changes or view your progress and ability to stick to a budget in any month.

5:  Finances on Facebook

For a personal finance tool which links to another of your most used accounts – Facebook – you can use the MyMoney tool. Similar to Mint, Wesabe and Geezeo, MyMoney allows you to track all of your finances from the home screen of your Facebook account so you can create budgets, monitor account balances and avoid late payment charges and fees.
Facebook has made sure the MyMoney app uses all of the same security features required of an online banking site, so no one else can access your information and none of your Facebook friends can see the information in your MyMoney account.

Being financially savvy and saving instead of spending is in, so get connected and enjoy the ease and efficiency of some of the top personal finance tools available online right now.

About the Author:

Alban is a personal finance writer. He offers tips and advice to helps people to compare credit cards online.