Today it is easier than ever to keep an eye on your money, no matter where you are. Using Internet tools can help you more effectively manage your money.

Money management is easier when you take advantage of online tools that let you access a variety of accounts and allow you to execute trades and make financial decisions from just about anywhere in the country. And there are plenty of secure ways to manage your money with the help of Internet money management tools.

Online investment tools

Online investing can be done even while you are on a business trip away from home or office. Thanks to online brokerages (which often offer discounts for online traders), you can monitor your investments accounts and portfolios, place orders and track market performances. These Internet investment tools make it easier for you to manage your investment money online.

Online banking

Online banking can make it easy and convenient to transfer funds, pay bills and reconcile your bank statements. You can be on vacation and still monitor your accounts, checking for inaccuracies and double-checking your account balances. You can even make sure your bills are paid on time by signing up for automatic bill pay through your bank.

Compatibility with personal finance software

Most online Internet money management tools are compatible with personal finance software. The Microsoft money management program and Quicken both offer ways for you to update your account information via the Internet. It is even possible to use personal finance software in tandem with online tools from investment companies and online brokerages.

Not only that, but many PDAs and cell phones are moving toward being compatible with personal finance displays. This means that you can manage your money from almost anywhere — even if you don’t have access to a computer.

Many companies offer matching contributions for your retirement plan. Are you taking full advantage of this opportunity to maximize your retirement account growth?

A matching contribution is one that your company matches and invests in your company retirement account. When managing you money in preparation for retirement, it is a good idea to take full advantage of the matching contribution if your workplace offers the option.

Contributing the full amount allowed

Most companies will not just contribute any amount to your retirement plan. However, most have some sort of provision, such as matching up to three percent of your income. So, if you get paid $2,500 twice a month, and the matching is three percent, the company will match your contribution, up to $75 per paycheck. This means that you should contribute the full $75 (or more) each time you are paid so that you can maximize your free money. Remember, the company’s match does not come out of your paycheck; it is a “bonus” benefit provided by the company. According to the example above, you would have $300 a month placed in your retirement investment plan — $150 from your contribution and $150 from the company.

Automatic paycheck withdrawal

Having your contribution amount automatically deducted from your paycheck is a good idea. That way, you never “see” the money, and so are not tempted to spend it. Sign up for your company’s matching contribution retirement plan as soon as you are eligible so that you won’t “miss” the money when it is gone. Having the money taken out of your paycheck has another benefit if you have a traditional 401(k): it is pre-tax, so you save money each year in income taxes.

A lot of people outspend their income every month. What most people earn from their jobs is simply not enough to meet their needs; hence most people take on a second part-time job or start their own business to supplement their income from their main jobs.

In addition to finding ways to increase one’s earnings, there are several key ways through which you can reduce your expenses; manage your finances better and start saving some money.

1. Pay off or consolidate your credit cards. In order to save some money, it is very important for you to be in control of your credit cards. It is very easy to spend more than we earn because we have credit cards. You pay high interest on your credit cards, so it is important to prioritize clearing your credit card debts. If you can not pay off your credit cards yet, try to consolidate them into one credit card with a lower interest rate and one single payment in a month. By simply paying off your entire credit card bill each month or using a check, cash or debit card for purchases, you can save a lot of money each year in lower credit card interest charges.

2. Set up an automatic bill paying system. Paying your monthly household bills is obligatory, and it is important that you make this is as easy for you as possible. Set up automatic payments of your monthly bills so that you pay on time and minimize charges for late payments, which cost you money. If you can not do automatic payments of your bills through online banking, then put your bills in one place every month, and allocate a day in a month when you can pay off your bills; and it is ideal if this day coincides with your payday. By paying your bills as soon you get paid, you minimize the risk of you overspending the money you will need to pay your bills.

3. Apply for a debit card. Unlike a credit card, a debit card ensures that you spend money that you actually have. Since the money will be coming out of your own check account, you will tend to be more responsible with the purchases you will make with your debit card.

4. Have a savings account. Life can be full on unexpected expenditures, and it is important to set aside a certain amount of money every month to meet these ‘emergency expenses’, no matter how small the amount is. In the long term, the money in this account will accumulate; and should an ‘emergency’ expense occur, then you have some money to use, and you will not need to borrow any money or use your credit card. During the months when you can save more money, make an effort to put more money aside in your savings account.

5. Keep track of your monthly expenses and checkbook. Although it is not fun doing this, but if you want to keep control of your finances; then it is very important for you to keep track of your monthly expenses and checkbook. This will help you know the purchases you have done in the month, and how much money you have in your account. Most importantly, this will also help you assess the expenses you have incurred which were really ‘necessary’ and those that were not necessary, and are to be avoided in the future. This process gets easier every month, and your savings skills are also improved as you assess your monthly expenses.

6. Shop around for best deals. If you want to reduce your monthly expenses, it is essential that you shop around for everything. Make an effort to get the best deals for your purchases from your car loan to your mortgage provider. You will be amazed at how many savings you make if you shop around. There is a lot of competition in the market, and all companies are doing all they can to attract customers and increase their sales. By taking advantage of these ‘offers’, you can get some good bargains which can save you some money.

7. Use your bank’s ATMS. Although Automated Teller Machines are very convenient, they can also be costly if you do not use your bank’s ATMs. If you use an ATM that does not belong to your bank, you can get charged a $0.50 or $1.50 fee. Although this is a very small amount, in the long run it adds up; hence you end up having paid a large amount in a year.

8. Learn to live within the limits of your income. Although this is the hardest approach in helping you save some money, it is the most effective one. If you can not afford it, do not buy it. It is important for you to think twice before you buy it with money that you do not really have – like using your credit card. It is very important for you to learn to live within your income.

9. Change your spending habits. There are various expenses which you can cut down in your household, so it is essential for you to constantly identify all the ‘little’ ways through which you can save some money. Few examples of the things you can do is to refinance your mortgage or car loan to a lower interest loan, stop purchasing impulse items, avoiding eating out too often and try to do more activities at home. Once you start practicing these cost-cutting strategies, it will become very easy for you to save money. By simply changing your habits and staying committed to saving money, you can save some several hundred or thousand dollars in a year.

10. Do ‘things’ for yourself. These days, it is very easy to get almost everything done for you. Car washing, gardening or lawn mowing, carpet cleaning and car servicing are some of the various things we can do for ourselves and save some money.

By simply following the main strategies outlined above, you can start cutting your expenses today. Everyday, do something differently and in a way that contributes to you saving more money in the long term. If your needs simply exceed your earnings no-matter how much you try to reduce your expenses, then it is important for you to find ways of supplementing your income, such as starting a home-based business.

Can you tell when your finances aren't working the way they should? I would think so. It often surprises me how many people don't realize they are in financial trouble, when they seem to be showing plenty of the signs.

There are so many people out there complaining about their money situations, yet doing nothing about them. Many of them are waiting for that boat to come in and save them. However, that boat never really comes.

You have to get out there and get your feet wet in order to fix what isn't working.

How do you know you have money problems?

Have you ever said any of the following statements to yourself or others?

• I charged it because we don't have the money right now.
• I'll pay it off later.
• When X happens, we'll start paying off our debt.
• If I juggle a few things, we'll be okay for now.
• If I wait until the last minute to mail the bills, we might not overdraw our checking.
• I don't know how much we owe.
• I don't know how much we have in our checking right now.
• I don't know what the interest rates are on our debt.
• I don't know my net worth.
• You can't turn down a deal like that.
• It's zero percent interest for a year, so it doesn't cost us anything to charge it.

And there are several additional statements that indicate you could be heading for a crash and burn financially.

I realize that everyone says it. But they say it because it is the essense of managing your money and saving for your future -- you have to pay off your debt.

Sit down and write down every debt you owe. Be honest. Include every debt right down to the penny. Write the total amount, monthly payments and interest rate. Try to list these in order from highest interest rate to lowest interest rates.

In order to save yourself the most money in interest charges, you are going to pay off the highest interest rates first. These are usually your credit cards.

Make a promise that you will not take on any additional debt until you are debt-free. And by then, you won't want to.

That means no more credit card spending. No new car loans. No new signature loans. No new store cards. In fact, the only things in your wallet should be your driver's license, your checkbook or debit card and your insurance cards. No credit cards for any reason. Lock them up where you can't easily access them.

You will need to form a family budget and plan of action as to how you will pay off that debt. I'm not going to say that things are going to get easier soon. But they will get easier.

All it takes is time, commitment and an eye on the future. Sit down and calculate how much in savings you would have if all of your debt payments went to you and not some bank somewhere. That should encourage you to get those debts paid off early and start paying someone more important -- you.

Budgets aren't just something to do every now and then. You should take a budget and make it work for you. Then make sure you use a budget for the rest of your life.

I will be the first to admit that budgets are easy to fall off of. It is so very easy to get things in order and then stop. But soon you will see, as I have, that things go quickly awry when you let that budget gather dust bunnies.

The key is finding new ways to keep budgeting a top priority. I find that habit works for many people. For over two years, I simply made it a habit to review our budget, our bills and our spending twice a week. This was easy as I had several short term goals (paying off that debt) that I looked at often. If you have goals, it is easy to keep looking at how close you are getting to them. Set yourself some short term goals. You might simply want to save up enough to take a trip or buy a new jacket. But let that goal be the drive that keeps you looking at your banking accounts, your debt and your budget.

Everyone should review their checking accounts and budget on a weekly basis. If you are especially tight and use your checking quite often, you might consider doing this every other day. With automated tellers and the internet, this is easily done.

I've found that the cash method is the easist way to keep a budget working. You only use your checking to pay the bills and maybe your gasoline (maybe), but everything else is in cash. You simply give yourself an allowance. This is all the money you have for this pay period.

Somehow, we respect cash a lot more than we do a paper check or little piece of plastic. In my family, we actually started saving up a lot of cash. We find that it isn't easy to overspend when all the money you have to spend is in your wallet.

I may not keep a very detailed budget when it comes to spending beyond our bills and savings, but I have found that the cash method works well for us. We can simply look in our wallets and say, "I don't have enough money for that right now." It's a different way of thinking than when you whip out that little plastic card. I can't tell you how much we spend on junk food from the gas station each week, but I can tell you that we don't overspend our allowance amounts.

This edition of the Motivation & Self Esteem for Success "Achiever's Interview" is with Cheri Merz from Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Cheri runs a very successful Real Estate business offline and has commenced an intriguing online business called "Never Too Late For Success".

Gary Simpson - Hi Cheri, it's wonderful to be able to interview you for the Achievers' Series. I always try to pick interesting people and you certainly fit that category.

Cheri Merz - Thank you Gary. I'm pleased to be here.

Gary Simpson - OK Cheri. The introductions are over (chuckling). Let's get down to business. What is the principal aim of your website and what do you hope to achieve with it?

Cheri Merz - When I started it, I hoped to encourage people my age to keep working toward their goals. Let me explain that. I encourage people not give up because of an artificial assumption that their age makes them less likely to succeed. I also want to promote a few products and services that have helped me to achieve some financial goals of my own.

Gary Simpson - That sounds very worthwhile. Anything else?

Cheri Merz - I'm hoping that a by-product of that will allow me to add a small stream of income to my primary income. The website has evolved into what promises to provide me with a really engaging super-hobby for the rest of my life. And I wouldn’t object to it also allowing me to make some income in retirement, if I ever decide to retire.
Gary Simpson - They are excellent motives Cheri. What do you think is different about your website that makes it special?

Cheri Merz - The most obvious difference, and I say this with pride, is that my site was designed by Linda Caroll. She did a spectacular job of making it reflect my personality. I believe it looks very professional in comparison to most of what I have seen on the web. Apart from that Linda has also made it very easy for me to maintain and build onto it on my own. Additionally, the site was inspired by my grandfather’s life story so, of course, that makes it special to me.

Gary Simpson - Cheri, I can attest to Linda's skill. She also built my website and everything that you said about what she did for you is true for me too. Cheri, before we move on I'd like to ask you to expand a little on your grandfather. Why is his story so inspiring to you?

Cheri Merz - My grandfather took up two new careers after he officially retired. He also married for the second time at the age of 92. There’s actually quite a bit more - you can find the rest of the story on my True Inspiration page, in the story titled “The Groom Was 92”.

Gary Simpson - Wow, he sounds like he was quite a remarkable guy.

Cheri Merz - He certainly was. I am very proud of him.

Gary Simpson - On a personal note, what do you consider to be your "crowning" achievement to date?

Cheri Merz - Learning to acknowledge and value my gifts.

Gary Simpson - Well that was a very short and swift answer. How long did it take you to achieve that goal?

Cheri Merz - I’m still working on achieving it Gary. However, I believe that I am now reaching it at higher and higher levels. Perhaps I could say that I began to like myself around the age of fifty-five.

Gary Simpson - I can relate to that. Maybe that realization comes to all of us sooner or later depending on the experiences that we have gone through or the personal trials that we have had to endure. Cheri, what is the greatest difficulty you have ever had to overcome along the way?

Cheri Merz - Oh Gary! Anyone who reaches my age and raises four kids has so many difficulties to choose from. I guess the most difficult, after learning to value myself, was something I had to come to terms with before I could move on. I'm talking about reconciling my feelings about my divorce.

Gary Simpson - Cheri, if that's a painful subject...

Cheri Merz - No. I don't mind talking about it. Well, not now anyway - more than 27 years after the event. You see, I was raised to believe that a failed marriage was the ultimate failure. For a long time I felt horrible guilt for taking my boys from their father. It was difficult to reconcile my later happiness with that.

Gary Simpson - I see. Thanks for having the courage to say those things Cheri. Let's move on. What are three personal attributes you possess that help you to win?

Cheri Merz - I’m smart, adaptable and incredibly competitive.

Gary Simpson - Hey Cheri! You didn't mention humble in that lot!

Cheri Merz (laughing) - Well, Gary, you're the one who told me to give myself more credit.

Gary Simpson - Heh - you're right. I was only joking - just having a little dig at the brutal honesty of your self-appraisal. Seriously, I do like people who have the confidence to tell the truth about themselves. Let's move on. Are you a reader and, if so, what books do you read?

Cheri Merz - I’ve read thousands of works of fiction since my grandparents gave me "Little Women" when I was in fourth grade. Up until two years ago, what I read was virtually all fiction - classics, science fiction, fantasy, thrillers, some more modern literary works and even a bit of horror. Then I began to read books particularly about real estate, wealth building and success.

Gary Simpson - Gee, it sounds like we have rather similar tastes in that regard - minus "Little Women," that is. This next question is one of my favorites. Do you have a favorite quote or saying and what is it?

Cheri Merz - I do. It's from Nido Qubein. He said something that perfectly captures the spirit of my website. So, of all the quotes I’ve collected and love, it’s probably my favorite right now. Here it is: "Wherever you are, whatever your circumstances may be, whatever misfortune you may have suffered, the music of your life has not gone. It's inside you – if you listen to it, you can play it."

The world of commerce has become increasingly complex and time-driven. The days when customers were willing - or even able - to wait in lines at the local bank counter to get their work done are almost history now. The Internet revolution has brought with it a number of advances in modern bank procedures, and online banking is one of them.

With online banking, a customer can perform almost every kind of bank transaction and use almost every bank service via the Internet. This means that complex transactions can take place at lightning speed without the customer ever having to leave his or her office or home.

Online banking effectively overcomes a number of physical limitations that were previously part of the banking process. For instance, a customer with online banking privileges can access and otherwise use an account even past normal banking hours. In fact, online banking is an entirely separate part of regular banking services and is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Online banking is a highly personalized service that offers the customer the ultimate in convenience and security. A bank offering this service uses a secure website that is next to impossible to access or misuse without proper authorization. The customer uses a password and various other customized safety parameters to access and use the account.

The possibility of making online payments for various kinds of bills like utilities has also made online banking one of the most progressive developments of the 20th century. In addition, an Internet user with online banking options can also take advantage of online shopping, which makes it possible to order a number of goods and services from the home or office and pay for them by means of a credit card without so much as lifting a telephone receiver.

There is nothing more satisfying than ordering a personal, customized check. The satisfaction multiplies when you know that you have obtained an extremely good deal. Personal checks are often far more economical, especially when ordered online.

Banks obtain their checks from national printers, so they cost more. When you order online, you are ordering directly from the manufacturer, therefore saving money.

Many companies can produce specially designed checks at a lower cost than the plain ones because they supply the checks directly to you and there is no middleman involved. Checks from the bank are costlier because the prices they charge are designed to make a profit for the bank and the printer they order from. So the prices are marked up twice over.

The most important strategy to obtain inexpensive personal checks is to watch for special offers, like buying a box of 150 single checks for $9.95 or $10.95 and getting a second box for just 95¢. The greater the number of checks you order, the greater the discount available. So, if you get 250 checks with 50 free for $37.99, by ordering 2,000 checks from the same company at one time, you will get 500 free checks for $139.99, bringing the price from 12¢ per check to 6¢ per check. This kind of offer will often come with the option of having your own custom logo printed on the check for free, as compared to the regular printing charge of $24.99. Most companies print and ship orders within three to five business days. At an extra minimal cost, same day processing and shipping is also available.

So if you are considering ordering personal checks, be sure to check out all discounts available online to ensure you are getting value for your money.

Throughout your working life as an employee, or for that matter, as an employer, you are required to pay social security which is deducted from your pay check. Depending on how long you are in employment, (you could retire early or be forced into retirement through ill health) will determine what you are entitled to receive in your retirement. The varying forms of benefit are social security benefits, disability benefits, military benefits and private funded benefits. The payments that you made whilst working away to secure your future were collected and lovingly cared for by the government. Now if all goes to plan and with the wind in the right direction! then theoretically this money has been invested and multiplied and should be re-paid to you in your later years. The question remains; is there, or will there be anything in the pot at the day of reckoning?

As of this writing over 96% of the population in America are payees into the social security system. The system has, up until now, a pretty good record of looking after it's own and one or two others along the way. The sum that you receive in retirement is calculated from the amount, or for how long you paid in to the system, in a nutshell, the longer you were a member of the social security system, the more you got back.

On the subject of early retirement through disability, there's no reason why you shouldn't receive full disability benefits throughout your retirement, provided that your case is genuine and that you have been certified as unable to carry on working as a result of your disability. Naturally this must be certified by a medical doctor in one of the social security accredited hospitals.

Military veterans and their dependants are automatically part of the health care system provided specially for their needs by the government. Any member of the armed forces requiring information about social security benefits should get in contact with their local government agency.

A personal loan center is a one-stop solution to all financial needs in UK. These loan centers established over a couple of years provide online assistance to borrowers in raising funds or loans to realize their personal needs.

Such loan centers are proficient in handling personal loans to cater to personal needs such as purchase of a car, revamping an old home, ferrying to a dream destination, fund education abroad or just consolidate earlier debts.

Benefits of seeking out a Personal Loan Centre:

-The loan centre shops around for best personal loans on behalf of the borrower

-Arranges loans with major banks and financial companies

-Assistance out of sound financial experience

-Some also have an insurance cover (helps to cover the loan payment during sickness or unemployment)

-No brokerage charges incurred

Such personal loan center makes the whole process of applying and finding the most competitive rate and the right loan simpler. The borrower, no more drains out his time and energy hunting out for a right personal loan. These centers help them seek out for a personal loan by scouring through the competitive loan market.

Online loan calculators provided by such loan centers are quite handy in making loan rate comparision in UK without running from one uk lender to another such competitor. Just a click on the mouse can make the whole process of online loan comparision hassle-free.

All these services are provided with at most care and confidentiality. Any financial information furnished by the borrower will be secure in the hands of a professional personal loan center. Thus ensuring quality, cost-effective and friendly service online.