Steve Diamond is a computer consultant, a web developer, and a long-time web surfer. His consulting services are offered at http://consulting.necessaryvirtues.com/. Steve knows a good site when he sees one.
There's lots of online information about personal finance. If you're looking for advice on budgeting or investing, you'll find plenty. If you want quotes for loans or insurance, they're available. If you need help getting out of debt, you can find it online.
Predictably, some of the personal finance resources online are better than others. Some are frankly self-serving, trying to sell you some product or service. Others give information freely. Some of the information is good and some is not so good. You have to evaluate and discriminate when looking for authority and accuracy in personal finance information. After all, it's your money that you'll be risking if you follow bad advice. So be careful out there.
We can't hope to list all the good online sites for personal finance. There are just too many. But here's a short list to get you started in the right direction. We've included a few of the standard mega-sites plus some really good ones that are not so well known.
Necessary Virtues Personal Finance
http://finance.necessaryvirtues.com/
Specializes in information about how to manage your money efficiently and live a prosperous life. Offers several full-length books as free downloads, including these titles: "Solving the Money Puzzle: Personal Finance Made Simple," "The Science of Getting Rich," "Money for Life," and the classic, "Think and Grow Rich." Also offers free newsletter, "Your Money Plan."
MSN Money
http://moneycentral.msn.com/
Specializes in information for investors, including free stock quotes and analysis tools. Also has sections on planning, banking, and taxes. Good investment advice columns and features. Some analysis tools require Internet Explorer for best results. (The site is owned by Microsoft.)
CNN Money
http://money.cnn.com/
More breadth than MSN Money but less depth on investing. Covers many areas and has quite a bit of unique content from Fortune and Money magazines. (This is a Time-Warner site so there is common ownership.)
Kiplinger.com
http://www.kiplinger.com/
Mostly about investing, but also has good articles on credit management, real estate, insurance, retirement. Do be aware that much of their focus is on selling subscriptions to their various newsletters, like the Kiplinger Report.
Zen Personal Finance
http://www.finance-weblog.com/
This is something completely different, a blog with a unique perspective on personal finance. Has sections on retirement, housing, credit, and investing (a mammoth 30-part series of posts on "How To Think Like Warren Buffet"). Not the place to go for everyday reference, but recommended for browsing.
The Motley Fool
http://www.fool.com/
Specializes in help with investing, particularly in stocks and mutual funds. Information is of high quality, but registration is required to access most of it, and payment is required for parts of the site and for some newsletters.
Yahoo Finance
http://finance.yahoo.com/
There's a lot here, but most of it is conglomerated by Yahoo from various third-party sources. You'll have to be discriminating.
Carnival of Personal Finance
http://carnivalofpersonalfinance.com/
A blog carnival that offers weekly collections of recent blog posts on topics like budgeting, saving money, earning money, managing debt, and living below your means. The quality is uneven so be prepared to dig deep.
So there you have it, a quick introduction to some of the best of the web when it comes to personal finance. Some of the big sites made our list as well as some smaller hidden gems. Here's hoping you find it useful.
- Related Videos
- Related Articles
- Ask / Related Q&A
- Cheap Personal Finance: Money at Low Rate for Personal Needs
- 4 Things You Can Do to Control Personal Finance, and not Have it Control You
- Keeping An Eye On Your Personal Finances
- 8 Great Personal Finance Sites
- Personal Finance: What People Buy On Payday
- Personal Finances - Getting Off the Paycheck to Paycheck Roller Coaster
- Personal Finance Articles: How Changing Your Mind About Your Personal Finance Will Change the State of Your Wallet
- Basic Tips on Personal Finance
Wealth Creation - What You Need to Know
By: Ashley Byres | 09/07/2009Wealth creation is not an easy process. Even those people who inherit tons of money from their parents or long lost uncles realize that money can go dry if you do not do anything to multiply or make it bigger. So, even if you have a billion bucks, if you...
Investment Strategies - Mistakes You Need to Avoid
By: Ashley Byres | 09/07/2009Not all investment strategies turn out to be positive and lucrative. There are investment schemes that go sour, particularly if the tactics employed are solely based on hunch and speculation. If you are planning to put your money in the stock market with wealth creation in mind, then you have...
Investment Strategies - Top Secrets Revealed
By: Ashley Byres | 09/07/2009Investment strategies need not be complicated. More often than not, the simpler you approach your wealth creation schemes, the better the outcome will be. Although mathematical equations are helpful in projecting how much money will you earn over time, these equations are not the only things that you need to...
How to Calculate General Damages
By: James Coetzee | 09/07/2009Since a car accident is never on one's to do list when it happens it can be overwhelming. Very quickly there is significant documents that need to be prioritized and the potential for medical expenses, you might miss time from work and suffer lack of income and ongoing pain, both...
Credit is Not a New Concept or Innovation of 2009
By: Kirk W. Nobbe | 09/07/2009Credit, finance, credit cards, finance and financial charges on your credit and charge cards. You might well think and imagine that credit is a relatively new invention that has got most of us into big time trouble currently in the year of 2009. If the banks had not loaned all...
Do You Know which Pension Plan is Right for You?
By: Andrew Regan | 09/07/2009There are a number of different pension plans available. But, how do you go about finding the right one for you?
Conquering the Current Account
By: Andrew Regan | 09/07/2009Current accounts are essential for everyday living, whether they are used to pay wages into, pay bills from or take savings out of. Your current account is an important service so pick the right one for you and your finances.
IEEMA unhappy with Budget Allocation for Power Sector
By: David Parks | 09/07/2009Despite the abolition of the Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) and proposed introduction of GST, the electrical engineering industry is disappointed with this year’s budget
Top 7 Reasons You Need a Budget
By: Steve Diamond | 28/09/2006 | FinanceA budget is a roadmap that empowers you to take control of your money instead of letting your money control you. It can give you peace of mind, improve your marriage, and help you prepare for a prosperous future.
Your Success Is All in Your Mind
By: Steve Diamond | 28/08/2006 | MotivationalYou can have success, however you wish to define it. You can change your life, however you wish to change it. But you must change your mind first.
Evaluating Credit Card Offers: Essential Terms You Must Understand
By: Steve Diamond | 28/08/2006 | Non-FictionCredit card offers, they're everywhere! They appear in your mailbox. They pop up while you're surfing the Internet. They're in slick brochures next to the cash register or gas pump. They're in full-page ads in the Sunday papers. If you need a new credit card, how do you choose? You should evaluate each offer carefully, and to do that you must understand these essential terms.
Four Damaging Myths About Your Credit Score
By: Steve Diamond | 26/07/2006 | CreditBanish these myths from the way you handle your credit! Your score will be as good as it can be when you know the truth about how these actions affect your credit score.
Get Out of Debt in Four Easy Steps
By: Steve Diamond | 22/03/2006 | FinanceTake control of your finances. Get out of debt and stay out of debt. These four easy steps tell you how to reclaim prosperity in your life.