Owlhype Financial Wisdom: Resources for Small Business
If you are a business owner, entrepreneur or just concerned about your retirement (and who isn’t these days), there are a number of great FREE (yes, free) resources available that will make running your business and your life a lot easier.
Free Finance and Bookkeeping Resources
Mint.com’s free financial software is “the simplest and most effective way to manage your money,” is used by more than one million people tracking “$50 billion in transactions, $15 billion in assets and has identified more than $100 million in potential savings for its users.” Mint.com has been named the best online personal finance tool by Money Magazine, PC Magazine, and is a PC World’s Editor’s Choice.
Outright.com offers a free bookkeeping software designed for self-employed individuals. Data can be stored securly on Outright’s servers or downloaded to your own computer. There is also an option to allow your accountant online access to view your data.
Social Security and Retirement Resources
The Life Expectancy Calculator at the Living to100 website was created by Dr. Thomas Perls, and “uses the most current and carefully researched medical and scientific data in order to estimate how old you will live to be.”
Use the Social Security Administration’s Benefit Page to estimate how much you will receive during retirement. For a current copy of your statement, use their Statement Page.
All of the information found on Retirement-Income.net “is developed and vetted by seasoned financial advisors and retirement advisors including CPAs, Certified Financial Planner™ practitioners and Certified Retirement Financial Advisors.™”
Insurance Information Resources
The Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education (www.lifehappens.org) is a nonprofit organization “dedicated to helping consumers make smart insurance decisions to safeguard their families’ financial futures,” specifically in the areas of life, disability, long-term care and health insurance.
The Insurance Information Institute (www.iii.org) “is recognized by the media, governments, regulatory organizations, universities and the public as a primary source…concerning insurance.” Annually, the institute works on over 3,700 news stories, 6,000 requests for information and nearly 50,000 questions from consumers. An invaluable resource – be sure to download their free Home Inventory software.