For those of you who don’t use an online personal finance tracking tool, you are missing out big. These tools are the cornerstone of my budgeting and tracking. They save me boatloads of time and are all 100% free. Here are the ones I am using today.
General Personal Finance Management
In the volatile world of free online money management tools, we have seen many great options come and go. For more options, check out my list of Mint Alternatives.
Personal Capital
My new favorite money site is Personal Capital. The site is focused primarily on investments, but it has great cash flow and transaction tracking tools as well. Like the two sites below, Personal Capital is 100% free for their main service.
I signed up for Personal Capital to give it a whirl a couple of years ago, and found out I was overpaying on my mutual fund fees by hundreds of dollars per year! I moved some investments around and will be saving around $300 per year every year going forward, plus interest! Give it a try for free today.
Free Credit Report and Free Credit Score
Credit Score: Credit Sesame
Get a free credit score once a month along with advice on how to improve your score from Credit Sesame.
Best Bank Account
Charles Schwab Bank Investor Checking
I have my primary checking at Charles Schwab Bank, as I was already a customer of their investment service.
- No fees for typical banking activity
- Free ATM use worldwide – automatic reimbursement
- Instant transfer to/from Schwab investment accounts
- Free transfers to accounts at other banks
- Free checks, if you still even use those
- Free online bill pay
Learn more at Charles Schwab.
Investing
Betterment
Leading roboadvisor Betterment has over $7 billion under management. After answering a few questions about your investment goals and risk tolerance, the award-winning bots at Betterment choose the perfect mix of low-cost funds personalized for you.
Lending Club
Peer-to-peer lending pioneer Lending Club is the biggest marketplace in the industry. At Lending Club, you can invest in loans starting at a $25 investment. Review borrower credit profiles, job information, and more to ensure you only get the best loans. With no bank in the middle to take out the profits, they go to your pocket. Just make sure to get a basket of diverse loans to spread the risk.
Running a Website
Website Hosting: SiteGround
This host is affordable, powerful, and responsive. I send all of my website design and development clients to SiteGround because they are the host I trust most for the best value available.
Email Marketing: ConvertKit
If you ask most successful bloggers what they would do differently, the number one answer is “I wish I had started my email list sooner.” Don't make the same mistake the other bloggers did. Use the email platform I use myself: ConvertKit. With easy-to-use tools to create campaigns, broadcasts, and signup forms that convert, ConvertKit is a no brainer.
Website Design: Genesis Framework from StudioPress
For all of my sites and client sites, I use the Genesis Framework. Genesis, coupled with a premium child theme, is the easiest way to build professional, highly customizable websites. With built-in SEO tools and add-ons to build beautiful sliders, custom image areas, signup forms, and more, I highly suggest Genesis for almost any WordPress based site.
Logos: 99Designs
I had my first professional logo designed with a contest at 99 Designs. More than 20 designers submitted over 100 logo designs. I worked with the designers to customize the one I liked best and took advantage of useful tools to provide feedback and poll my friends. I highly recommend 99 Designs for any logo or graphic project for your blog, website, or print needs.
Domain Registration: GoDaddy
I have used GoDaddy since I started running websites in 2006. I keep many of my domains there. Always be on the lookout for a sale! You can often register new .com domains as low as 99 cents! The average price of a domain is around $7-$12 per year. If you are willing to put work into a website, it is worth the ten bucks to get your own .com!
Business Cards: Moo
Moo Cards offers an easy-to-use platform to build your own high quality, custom business cards exactly the way you want. Whether you are looking for the stand-out Moo Mini cards or something more traditional, Moo can handle whatever you need.