• Tools are available online to help you prepare a better financial future.money image by Horticulture from Fotolia.com
  
  A struggling economy can lead many individuals to re-examine their financial situation. In doing so, many seek money management tools to determine where their money is going every month. The right tool can balance a budget with very little work, as transactions are downloaded straight from financial institutions and categorized. The ease of use allows users to spend more time enjoying life than counting pennies.
  
  

Quicken

• Quicken was designed as a one-stop budgeting and money management tool that individuals can use to stop living paycheck to paycheck and begin saving for the future. Customers purchase the Quicken software either online or at most retail locations where electronics are sold. After installation, users have full access to their financial accounts in one place. The software is available for both Mac and PC users.
  
  Users may set up budgets per category such as home costs, car payments, insurance and groceries. Transactions are then downloaded from financial institutions and categorized so users can see exactly how much money remains for the month. In addition, Quicken also offers bill-paying services.
  
  

Mint.

• Individuals looking for the features of Quicken minus the cost may consider the free online program Mint. It works by linking all of user's bank accounts in one location and setting up budgets for each category. Transactions are then downloaded on a daily basis into the Mint account and categorized based on the type of spending. Notifications are sent to the user via email if a category exceeds the allowed monthly amount. Mint also provides users with the option to compare offers for credit cards and bank accounts to see whether they could save money by switching. In addition, Mint is available as a mobile application for iPhone users, allowing individuals to maintain their budgets no matter where they are.
  
  

Money Strands

• Previously known as Expensr, Money Strands is an online budgeting tool that pulls together data from credit cards, loan accounts, and checking and savings accounts to link all of a user's financial information in one easy-to-use place. Spending is broken up by category, and users can see the percentage of their income that is going to specific spending habits such as mortgage payments and gas to determine whether funds need to be allocated elsewhere. In addition, Money Strands offers a debt management program to help users determine the best methods of paying off debt in a short time with the best savings. Users of all smart phones can access their accounts from anywhere they have a cell phone signal, and they can update their information at any time. As of 2010, Money Strands is free to use.