Archive for January 2008

Financial Software – Part 1

Welcome to the latest series at www.JoeSangl.com – Financial Software!

One of the keys to maximizing your financial potential is to GET ORGANIZED.  Organization helps in so many ways.  It helps ensure that bills are paid on time, helps you locate a financial record swiftly, and allows you to focus on "doing" instead of "searching".

I am a huge fan of financial software, and in this series I will be reviewing different types of software that is available.

I personally use Microsoft's Money Software.  Microsoft recently changed the name of their Microsoft Money software to Microsoft Money Plus.

I have used Microsoft Money software since 2000.

The top reasons I use this software are:

  • Ease of use  Above everything else, financial software needs to be straight-forward and easy to use.  Microsoft Money is exactly that for me.
  • Multiple Accounts  I can manage multiple bank accounts and investment accounts within the same program
  • Reports It has tons of built-in reports that allow me to see where my money is going!
  • I always know exactly how much money is in all of my accounts!  This alone is worth the entire cost.  I know my balance to the exact penny, and I know if a transaction has cleared the bank or not.
  • When I earn or spend money, I am able to categorize the transaction.  For instance, when I pull out money for my cash envelopes, I am able to split the transaction into multiple categories.  Let's say I pull out $600.  I can split the cash withdrawal into the different categories I will use the money for – $300 for groceries, $100 for clothes, $100 for spending money, and $100 for restaurants.

In the next part of this series, I will share how I use Microsoft Money to better manage my money.

Read recent posts by Joe 

Click HERE to receive each post automatically in your E-MAIL 

Filing Taxes Yourself This Year?

Are you filing your taxes yourself this year?

I have always prepared my own taxes each year.  I have used TurboTax every single year.

This software has been extremely helpful and straightforward to use.

I have considered using TurboTax's competitor, TaxCut (by H&R Block), but I always back out because TurboTax is designed to automatically transfer all of last year's information over to this year's return.

(I wonder if TaxCut can auto transfer a return put together using TurboTax?)

If you have a very simple tax return and plan on using 1040EZ, TurboTax provides their software and one federal tax filing for FREE

Otherwise, there is a cost for the software, but it is reasonably priced for such a good software package.

I've never had a problem with a filing I have made with TurboTax.

I am sure it is the same for TaxCut software, but I have not used the product.

By the way, I usually look at the Staples or Office Depot sales ads this time of year before purchasing my TurboTax software.  Usually, they will have a special – something like "Buy TurboTax and get a $10 gift card" deal.  I like that!  Last year, I ended up buying my software from Best Buy, and it came with a free wireless mouse.  It is a great mouse!  It was backordered and took over two months to get it, but they did ship it to me!

Read recent posts 

Receive posts automatically in your E-MAIL! 

BOOK RELEASE!!!

I am FIRED UP to announce that today, January 20th, my first book, I Was Broke. Now I'm Not., is officially released! 

In this book, I share how my family stopped being broke and won with money.  While telling my family's story, I teach the actual tools that we used and still use to this day!

More than anything else, this is a book of HOPE.  I know that you CAN do this!  I know that you CAN win with money!  I know that you do not have to be a straight-A student to win with money (that's really good news for me!).

You CAN break free of financial bondage and win with money.  This book was written to show you HOW to do so in a PRACTICAL way!

If you are looking for theory or philosophy, this is the wrong book.  If you are looking for immediate help to take your finances to the next level, this is the right book!

You can PURCHASE YOUR COPY HERE!

To all who are on this crusade with me, thank you for being a part of it!  This book is yet another tool we can use to accomplish my life's passion – that is to enable others to accomplish far more than they ever thought possible with their personal finances.  Why is that my life's passion?  Because when people are financially-free, they are freed up to go do EXACTLY what they have been put on this earth to do!!!

Want to read the INTRODUCTION?  You can read it HERE!

That, my friends, is what it is all about.  People doing what they were made to do!

Read recent posts by Joe

Receive each post automatically in your E-MAIL!