Online Financial Planning Tools
January 21, 2009 by Miranda Marquit
Filed under Finance
Right now, many people are thinking about their finances and trying to figure out how they can improve upon the situation they find themselves in. At the very least, the current economy has many wondering how they can prepare for the future — just in case.
Happily, there are a number of online financial planning tools that can help you figure out what you need to do to move forward on the path to financial freedom. Here are some of my favorite places to go when I need help making a personal finance plan:
- Bankrate.com calculators: If you are looking for calculators, this is the place to go. You can find out whether it is worth it to refinance, how long it will take to pay down debt and figure out how you can save more money.
- DebtGoal personalized debt reduction: I really like how this site helps you figure out a way to pay down debt. Create a personalized debt reduction plan, and see how quickly you can pay off debt in different scenarios.
- Instant Budget Make at CNN Money: This is a great way to figure out how you stack up with others in similar categories, and help you analyze your spending. I also really like the budget planning tools available at Mint.com.
- Vanguard financial planning tools: If you want help with creating an investing plan, or if you are trying to create a retirement plan or prepare for college, there are some great tools at Vanguard. I also really like this handy investment risk tolerance quiz that you can take at Rutgers. A must if you are planning to put together an investment portfolio that works for you.
- Life Happens insurance calculator: Figure out how much life insurance you are likely to need with this handy calculator. It comes from a non-profit together by a number of life insurance organizations.
- CreditKarma.com: Keep track of your credit score for free with help from Credit Karma. Also includes a neat Credit Card Simulator that can help you determine how certain financial decisions can affect your credit score.
Do you have any favorite online financial planning tools?
Great links! Thank you for posting this – I already bookmarked all of them.
I’m glad you found them useful!
Lots of useful information here. Thanks for the Dow 8,000 shout out :)