- KNOW

KNOW: Where is all my money going

If you are like most people and stuck in the paycheck to paycheck cycle, it can be exhausting. The first step to end this is to know where you are spending all your money. Organizing your finances can be a daunting task, especially if you have multiple banks, credit cards, and investment accounts. However, one of my favorite personal financial tools is personalcapital.com or mint.com. They are both excellent tools to help you gather all your information in one place.

Personal Capital is better if you have investments, and it can help you analyze your portfolio for hidden fees that kill the returns of most investors. They also have a full line up of budgeting and investing tools.

Mint is better if you want a more straightforward interface and do not have a lot of investments. It shines since it integrates paying bills, monitoring your credit score, and more.

Both only take a few minutes to set up and can help you understand your financial picture. I do not want to waste your time with a long post, so take action and set up an account at one of the sites and start linking all of your accounts today. It is fast and easy and should take you less than 5 minutes to get started.

Next up is creating a budget!