Quicken has recently announced that it's online software will now be available for free, and it has me thinking. I've been really, really slow about moving to software to help me keep track of my money. I still use self-made Excel spreadsheets and notebook paper to do my budgeting. I feel pretty sure that a software solution would give me better results. I did try Quicken once, and after hours of trying to get my checkbook balance and its checkbook balance to match, I gave up.
The new generation of financial software works online. This makes me very nervous - I don't really want all my financial information, including passwords, on some hackable website. Of course, I do all my banking online already, so I'm not sure why I think this is a different concern.
I went off in search of financial software to try. I found this clear, understandable article at Slate, but it deals with both online and offline software. However, it's two favorites were online: Quicken and Mint. Now I'm trying to decide which one to try. Maybe I'll try both and report back, but it seems like plenty of people have already done that for me.
So, do any of you have experience with online financial tools? Which ones do you use? Are you concerned about security? Let me know - I'm really curious!
