Three Ways The Internet Can Help You Secure Your FinancesFrom school research to booking vacations, when you go online, you can find a solution for them all. With the current economic climate, one particular use for the internet is growing fast: securing finances.
Here are three ways how the internet can help you secure your finances.
Making A Budget
If this sounds like a no-brainer to you, think again. Making a budget can be a very complicated task and most people don't realize that there are many money drains that they have to plug without the help of experts.
Three of the most popular “online budget helpers” are Mint.com, Geezeo.com and Wesabe.com. These three companies can help you make a comprehensive budget to follow every month. They can track your spending for you and alert you when your balance is running low or you are nearing your credit limit. They can even tell you where most of your spending goes to. Even better is that they offer their services free.
Fraud Detection
Fraudulent transactions are one of the worst things that can happen to you. Unfortunately, fraud is very common and, if you are not careful, you could very well be the next victim. While being vigilant is always a plus in avoiding fraud, you can greatly increase your chances by checking out some important details about the deal you are interested in online.
In the internet, you can checkout Adviserinfo.sec.gov to see a listing of licenses, registrations and exams that a broker has accomplished to check for their legitimacy. The website is run by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
You can also visit Finra.org. They offer many services such as checking a broker's professional background and other information. They also have a “Scam Meter” tool which asks you several questions and rates your answers to see if the deal you are interested in is a scam or not.
Credit Alerts
With the economy the way it is and the ongoing credit crunch, keeping track of your credit score is very important. If you have been thinking that your fall back financial plan is to get a loan in case you run into an emergency, you better make sure that your credit score is doing well.
Your credit score determines how easily you can take out a loan. The lower the score, the lower your chances of securing a loan. To keep track of your credit score, you can try CreditKarma.com
CreditKarma.com offers a free service which helps you keep track of your score and offers suggestions on how you can improve it. It can even show you demographics data so that you can see how well you are doing compared to other people.