Inspiration + Tools + Other Cool Stuff

One step at a time. Setting up systems and finding ways to love your money by staying connected to it is a key piece of creating financial flow in your life and your business. Here are some of my favorite resources.

Financial Systems for your Business

There are lots of online options available – simple, sweet programs that will help you keep track of your income and expenses. Outright is a favorite with people who want a simple option to track income and expenses. Quickbooks (the software) and Quickbooks online are solid, proven choices. They are more complex than Outright, but they get the job done. Kashoo is an alternative that looks downright fun (at least to me).

I use Paypal to accept payments, I have a business checking account (you have one too, right??) that is solely for business transactions and I use an obscure accounting program called MoneyWorks Cash Book. I like it and it’s simple. But my philosophy is use what works for you!!

Personal Budget Software that Rocks

I guess you might expect this, but I love to test and try different ways to plan and look at my money (and yours, too!) These are my top three picks for planning and tracking your personal finances.

You Need a Budget

This software is awesome and easy to use. They have software to download to your computer, and they have iPhone apps and a nice training program to help you use the software, pay down your debt, and make friends with your money on a technical level. My only caution about this program is that it doesn’t have a way to automatically download transactions, which is a deal-breaker for some. We use this and I like the fact that I stay so connected to my cash flows because I put everything in myself. It is also possible to use this program for your small business as well. Sweet!!

http://www.youneedabudget.com

mVelopes

I love mVelopes. There’s an app that you can put on your phone, but the entire program is run in the cloud. No download required. This company has good training videos and you can choose your focus: budgeting, saving or paying off debt and there are specific tools to help with each. Definitely worth the $95 per year, in my opinion.

http://www.mvelopes.com/

Pear Budget

I’ve used this for our personal finances in the past and it is great. Simple and straight-forward, it is easy to set up and easy to maintain. It encourages a “zero” leftover budget (like You Need a Budget) but there is no software to download. Pear is entirely online. My only complaint of this program is that it doesn’t have a way to automatically download transactions, which is sort of a bummer.

http://pearbudget.com

Debt Consolidation Services

I recommend seeking out non-profit organizations to help you consolidate and manage debt restructuring. There are lots of options available, but this is the organization that I used years ago and they have a solid reputation.

http://www.consumercredit.com/

Student Loan Support

This woman, Heather Jarvis, is a student loan expert and she has a fabulous site that is dedicated to helping people understand how to get a handle on their student loans.

http://askheatherjarvis.com/