Let me make two qualifications on the post:

1. I do not advocate debt (except for real estate)–I’m a big fan of Dave Ramsey
2. I will never send something your way that I do not trust

Credit Karma is a pro-consumer company that offers you free credit score monitoring by allowing financial and insurance companies to advertise on their site. They offer their service for free in much the same way that Mint does. You can log in and get your credit score (something that is not available from AnnualCreditReport.com) at any time you wish.

This service is good for you to monitor if your credit is being used the way you want (i.e. identity theft) and for providing you assistance in getting out of debt by looking at offers that may present better interest rates. Nonetheless, it is a helpful financial tool. Give it a spin!

Popularity: unranked [?]

Need to freshen up your finances? Mint is a free financial panning interface on the web. It is a place to compile all of your accounts (checking, savings, retirement, investments, credit, mortgages, etc.) in order to review them and keep track of all of your expenses. It automatically categorizes expenses, however, you can adjust those categories and add to suit your specific situations. It also allows you to budget and compares the budget you set up with your expenses as well as compare your expenses at specific vendors with national averages.

The way Mint keeps its services free is by advertising various offers that may save you money. They analyze your personal financial picture and produce various credit card, mortage and bank account options that generally have better perks or interest rates. The cool thing is that they do not force these offers on you, you have to go to a special page on your account to view them. You could never even look at them if you so choose.

The big question that comes up is that of security. They have gained a great reputation for what they do and for their security. Here is a quote from their site. They say that Mint.com employees

can’t view your banking username and passwords. We do not store this information at Mint. Your banking login credentials are securely stored by our online financial service providers. Your Mint login credentials are not shared with these providers.

I personally use the site, not to budget or categorize my expenses, but to have one place where I can see a birds eye view of my financial picture. Most of us Childen’s Ministry leaders don’t make much money, so it important to know where our money is going. Overdraft fees and mis-charges can really put a hurting on us! It certainly can be a great resource to keep you organized in each of your financial areas.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Recently, I found out about a very nifty tool for the technological generation of parents that we serve. It’s called “Zefty” and is an online way for parents to help their children manage their allowance. They say they may add premium features down the road, but for now, everything is free. Here’s how the site describes its service:

1. Parents set up virtual accounts for their kids
2. Allowances can be automatically deposited
3. Parents manage withdrawals and deposits
4. Kids can print out ZeftyChecks to take to their parents
5. Kids can use ZeftyCalc to see how long they will have to save for purchases
6. Parents can use ZeftyCalc to find a reasonable amount for their allowance

Essentially, the parent is the bank branch with the actual money and Zefty operates as the online banking system. Obviously, the service will only work in a setting with older kids who can read and proficiently operate a computer. My daughters are preschoolers so we are resigned to giving them 4 quarters a week with one going to “Jesus.” Hopefully as they get older we’ll be able to use this site to teach them about Christ-centered financial management.

Popularity: unranked [?]