Looking for a good (does it still exist?) certificate of deposit rates? I believe I have found the best place to do some rate shopping! Going through the website, I was able to find very interesting economic information along with the best CD rates in several States (they service 20 States including California, Texas, Florida and New York).

What is Select CD Rates?

Select CD Rates is more than a simple CD rate shopping site. This is the shopping place for money market funds and bank savings accounts as well! There is a very easy layout to surf and it assists you in finding the best CD rate in your State.  Along with those resources, they enable you to search CD rates offered by major banks such as JP Morgan and Bank of America.

What makes you want to visit this site?

If you have a few dollars to put in a safe place, you probably want the best rate possible. Select CD rates is a great place to start, why go anywhere else. You will find out about the best CD rate in Texas with a few clicks. You can also look at money market funds (which are liquid and easy to withdraw from) or a bank savings account for your emergency funds. Since this money may be sitting there for a while, you are better off finding  a decent rate with availability to access the cash at any time.

Are the resources really helpful?

The most interesting point of this site is that the CD RATES INFORMATION IS FREE! Therefore, you don’t have to register, give up your email address or pay to get the information. In the comfort of your home, you are able to find what you need.

There is also an FAQ section and the Glossary where much personal finance information can be found. Sometimes, financial terms can be hard to understand so it was a great idea to provide definitions for most of them. In the FAQ, you will also be able to find out applicable penalties on withdrawing money from your CD before maturity dates or what is a Certificate of Deposit Ladder (definitely the best investment strategy if you are looking for 100% secured investments).

Finally, they even offer a tips section (still free) where you can get a few tricks on how to manage your liquidity and bank account. You will find updated and relevant information throughout the site.

Can improvements be done?

I was pretty surprised to find all the information I was looking for while surfing from one page to another and I would say that there is not much improvement required. The site is filled with relevant and easy to find information about all kinds of secured investments.

I recommend Select CD rates if you are looking for the best CD rates in the state without having to leave home

Disclaimer: This was an honest but paid review. We did it because we think it is a great financial resource on the Web and our opinion has not been biased. We are now offering to review your website for a highly competitive price. If you would like Gather Little By Little to review your website, please feel free to contact us at glblguy (at) gatherlittlebylittle (dot) com or visit our advertising section.

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I used to have a full leather bag for my laptop but I didn’t really like it for 2 reasons.

#1 It was too big. This was really convenient when I was going to school but now I am drained by its weight and am constantly bumping into stuff while walking.

#2 It clearly showed that I have a laptop. When you work in a big city, you don’t necessarily want everyone to know that you are carrying a laptop with you.

So after 10 years (yes, the leather bag was also starting to fall apart), I had decided to go for a different type of bag for my laptop: a messenger bag. I really like the concept as it is much lighter and it is not as obvious that you have a laptop.

I really wanted to get something less square than the classic Targus laptop bag you see everywhere. I was looking for something light, useful but also original (near fashionable ).

This is why I entered the phrase “cool laptop messenger bag” and after a few clicks on different websites I ended-up on Ebags.com. I really like their site, it was easy to find what I was looking for.

I particularly enjoyed the “you may also like” section on the right side and bottom of every page. This is pretty similar to the Amazon buying experience. As a result, I was able to find what I was looking for: a practical and original laptop bag. On top of that, they offer Free Shipping On Orders Over $75 at eBags.com

There are a few pictures, with color changing options, along with comments and ratings for all bags. This also helped to influence my purchase. Since the purpose for the bag was to carry my laptop everywhere, all the time, I needed a bag tough enough to follow me throughout the day. Since I was opting for a messenger bag, I was a bit concerned about its durability.

Ebags customer service was efficient too

I was ordering my laptop bag while watching TV (big mistake!) and talking with my wife at the same time. Since I was just “a click away” from ordering my messenger bag, I didn’t think it would require much attention… stupid me!

Once I checked out, I must have accidentally clicked on “go back to the homepage” button without noticing.  When I turned my head back to the screen, the messenger bag had disappeared and I was back on the homepage.

I waited a few minutes to see if I would receive my order confirmation by email… Nothing. Since I usually get an email right away, after 5 minutes I went back to the site and ordered a new bag (I just couldn’t wait to get rid of my old and scrappy laptop bag!). I shut my computer down after my purchase and went back to my TV show.

Before going to sleep, I checked my email one last time and… I noticed I had ordered 2 bags. I immediately contacted Ebags customer service via email.

The next morning (7AM), someone from their customer service department contacted me to tell me that they will “try” to stop my second order but couldn’t guarantee anything. I was a bit frustrated since they had said it could take up to 3 weeks to receive my messenger laptop bag. I replied back explaining the situation and waited. Some 5 hours later (by noon), I received a confirmation from the same guy saying that my duplicate order was cancelled. About 2 weeks later, I received one very cool messenger laptop bag

Final appreciation of my Case Logic Messenger Laptop Bag

As you can see in the pictures, the bag is pretty small and convenient. I really like the look and the size. It’s now easy to walk through the underground city (metro stations) among a ton of people. There is also enough space so I can carry a book or two along with pens, gum (essential, good for the memory you know) and never leave home without them items: iPod and cell phone charger (I always forget to charge them at home ).

It looks pretty tough and so far I don’t foresee any problems with the material. The only think I would add to my laptop bag is a small handle so I can also carry it without having to put the strap on my shoulder.

In the end, I am quite happy about the bag, the customer service, the site overall and also about the price. I was expecting to pay around $100 for a new bag and it cost only $60! 5 stars for the case logic messenger laptop bag!

Disclaimer: this was not a paid review. I wrote it simply because I really liked my shopping experience and especially the bag! So if you are looking for a Briefcases and Laptop Bags go at eBags.com

Author: Mike.

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Each card contains information on a personal finance topic that is both informative and easy to read.  The deck consists of 28 cards that cover 7 different categories:

• Essential Vocabulary
• Personal Planning
• Investing
• Loans
• Retirement Vehicles
• Credit
• Insurance

The cards are durable, waterproof and pocket sized.  The last feature is the most attractive to me, as you can just keep them in your pocket and whenever you have time and read through them.  I’m one who likes to maximize my time and these cards could really provide you with something educational to do while waiting for the bus, sitting in traffic, waiting at the doctors office, etc.  They even come with a ring to hold them together.

Who are they suited for

The cards contain a vast amount of information, but mostly on basic financial topics.  They would be best for someone with little to no financial knowledge and probably not the best choice for someone who reads lots of personal finance blogs or personal finance books.  Personally I think they would make an excellent gift for a high school or college student, especially for the price of only $10.

Would I buy them?

I wouldn’t buy them for myself, but would definitely consider purchasing them for someone else.  I knew all of the information on the cards already and personally don’t like carrying things in my pockets, but I know quit a few people whom I think would really like them.

If you’re interested in purchasing a set, head over to Nuru Planet (not an affiliate link).  They also have decks for other topics including cars, golf, emergency first aid, and nutrition.  I am seriously considering purchasing a deck of the emergency first aid cards to keep in my truck.

Giveaway

If you would like a set, I’m giving away the deck I received.  Entering is easy, just add a comment and tell me why you would like to win them.  Make sure you include a valid email.  I’ll randomly select and announce the winner on February 2nd, so you have until the February 1st at 12:00 noon EST to enter.   Good luck!

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Like most everyone I love finding something I’ve been wanting or needing on sale or at a greatly reduced price.  For this reason I visit Woot.com almost daily.  I seldom buy anything though, as I work hard to avoid impulse buying.  When they have something that’s on my list, I’ll buy in a heart beat.  Woot is great, but they only offer one item per day.  I wanted other options.  I came across Dillyeo.com the other day.  Yes, Dillyeo….as in “What’s the Dillyeo?”

What is Dillyeo?

Dillyeo is very much like Woot.  They state: “Dillyeo is a daily deal website that sells one cool item a day for the lowest price on the net.“  The website is pretty simple and straight to the point.  The daily deal makes up for a majority of the main page and contains a good description of the product.  The best part, no flashing yellow lights and no silly story with the product specs embedded somewhere in the middle.  The site allows customers to make comments on the featured product so you can see others perspectives and thoughts.  They even show comparable prices from other sites under the “What’s the Dillyeo with this?” section.

Rewards for telling your friends

Like Dillyeo and want to tell your friends?  If you do, they’ll reward you with incentives, including dillyeo gift cards, free gas redemption certifications and prizes.  Dillyeo will automatically retrieve your Gmail or Plurke contacts for you.   This isn’t an option I would use personally but some might find it useful.

Daily Raffle

Dillyeo also has a daily raffle where they give away one item of the day to a lucky winner.  All you have to do is provide your email address which they guarantee isn’t used for other purposes.  I signed up, but haven’t won just yet, of course I’m not holding my breath either.

Give it a try and let me know what yo think.  Are you already using it?  Would love to hear your thoughts on it.

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I don’t believe they take long showers intentionally.  After some talks with them, they don’t really realize how long they’re in there, especially in the morning when they are half asleep.  I decided I needed some type of timer or solution to help remind them when a reasonable amount of time was up.  So off to Google I went.

The Shower Manager

I started searching for a solution and after a few minutes came across The Shower Manager.  The Shower Manager is an automatic shower timer that limits shower times automatically.  After a configurable amount of time, The Shower Manager cuts the water flow to just above a trickle.  In the picture to the right, The Shower Manager is the round white device just above the shower head.  It looks just like a water filter.

Shower times are configurable to 3 settings: 5, 8, and 11 minutes.  Prior to the configured shower time arriving, The Shower Manager begins beeping providing a warning that the shower time is almost up.  One minute following the beep, the water flow is constricted to just enough to rinse if needed, but significantly enough to fully remind the bather the shower is over.

Installing The Shower Manager

Installation is incredibly simple and took me all of 5 minutes (2 minutes of that was finding my pliers).  The Shower Manager installs onto your shower’s water supply where the shower head is normally installed.  You then screw the shower head onto The Shower Manager.

The instructions were clear, easy to follow and simple.  They are literally printed on a single side of a normal size sheet of paper.  Very well done.

Configuring The Shower Manager

This was the coolest part of the whole device.  To set the time internal for your showers, The Shower Manager comes with a special magnetic key.  When the key is placed in exactly the right position on the device the Shower Manager beeps.  1 Beep = 5 minutes, 2 Beeps = 8 minutes, and 3 Beeps = 11 minutes.

The makers of The Shower Manager recommend starting at 11 minutes first then moving to 8 followed by 5 to allow an adjustment period.  I set mine to 8 minutes initially.

Overall thoughts

I am very happy with the device so far.  The best part is the loud “Uhhhgggg” I hear from my 13 year old when The Shower Manager starts beeping.  Of course he doesn’t like it much, but it brings a smile to my face every single time.  I plan to keep tabs on my water bill over the next month or two and let you know exactly how much money it saves me.

At $114.99, the price is a little up there, but I can honestly see it saving far more money in water savings alone over the long haul.   The Shower Manager is a well designed and built device and given that the price tag isn’t unreasonable.

If you’re looking for a way to cut back on your kids shower time or just make your family more eco-friendly by taking shorter showers, I highly recommend The Shower Manager. The Shower Manager was also featured on HGTV and you can watch the video here.

This article is part of an ongoing series called Money Saving Monday.  Each Monday, I share tips and techniques you can use to start saving money.

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SmartyPig is a recently launched website that lets individuals or families set specific savings goals and make specific contributions to those goals on an automated and recurring basis. With SmartyPig, savings accounts are goal oriented and not just a place where money is stashed. SmartyPig partnered with Westbank to set-up high interest (4.30% at the time of this review) savings accounts to save for these goals.

SmartyPig is all about saving for goals such as vacations, books, a new lawn mower, etc. SmartyPig allows and encourages family and friends to chip in and help you out by contributing to your goals through the the site. Savings goals can be made private or public when the y are initially created.

The easiest way for family and friends to help you save is by purchasing a SmartyPig Gift Card, referred to as the “Gift of Savings“. Gift cards can be given immediately via email or can be sent out via regular mail. They even provide a bulk purchase option for companies wanting to give the cards out as rewards or bonuses.

Sign-up/Registration

Sign-up and registration was easy and very secure. The process involves completing 10 steps which take you through accepting the SmartyPig Terms of Service, entering personal and security information, email verification, and verifying information pulled using a soft pull from your credit report.

Speaking of the credit report pull, if you have credit watch enabled or have been a victim of identify theft in the past, you may have problems with this feature. Contact SmartyPig support and they will assist you with resolving the issue.

Fees

If you took time to read through the terms of service (you did right?), you’ll note that if you are a member of SmartyPig there are for the most part no fees associated with making contributions to others savings goals. This was a recent change and prior to it the fees were a major concern amoungst the many bloggers that reviewed the product.

The recent free change dropped contribution fees for SmartyPig customers as long as they use an existing funding source (i.e. the checking or savings account you set-up after registration). The fee to purchase a gift card or make a contribution using a credit card is a flat 2.9% percent. So, obviously being a member is the best way to go, and honestly enhances the overall social aspect of SmartyPig.

Creating a Savings Account

Once you’re registered and logged in, creating a SmartyPig savings account is the next step in the process. Doing so requires the account be linked to an outside funding source such as a checking or savings account. You’ll need to have the bank’s contact number, your transit/routing number, and account number. Each SmartyPig savings account is linked to a funding source. As part of the process, you’ll provide the withdrawal date for the automatic savings deposit. SmartyPig will withdrawl an amount specified in your savings goal each month and deposit it in your SmartyPig account.

Creating a Savings Goal

The next step involves creating a savings goal. SmartyPig prompts you for the name of your goal, a category and then requests an amount for your initial deposit. The initial deposit must be at least $25.00 and is independent of your monthly automatic savings deposit.

You then specify the date by which you would like to reach your savings goal and press the Calculate Contribution button. SmartyPig will display the required monthly contribution in order to meet your goal. SmartyPig also factors in interest based on the current rate when making the calculation (currently 4.30% APR). You then select your funding source (you can have multiples) and press Create a Savings Goal.

Your goal is then shown on your main profile page with a pink piggy showing your % of progress.

SmartyPig Gift Cards

Anyone can purchase a SmaryPig gift card. Gift cards are available in amounts of $25, $50, $100, and $500 denominations. Remember though, unless you are a SmartyPig member, there is a 2.9% fee when purchasing a gift card. If you are a member and you’re using an existing funding source, there is no fee.

Gift cards can be used to help existing members meet their savings goals, and to “Give the gift of savings” to new users can create SmartyPig accounts. SmartyPig gift cards can only be used to start or fund a SmartyPig savings goal. Gift card values cannot be redeemed for cash until the savings goal has been met or closed.

One really nice feature is the ability to send gift cards electronically through email instead of through normal postal mail.

Redeeming a Gift Card

The folks at SmartyPig were kind enough to provide me with a $50 dollar gift card so I could try out the whole process. Redeeming the gift card was easy, and involved entering the gift card number on the back of the card, selecting the account to find, entering a PIN number also on the back of the card and specifying the savings goal the card value should be applied to. The value was immediately credit to my account and savings goal.

Watch your SmartyPig savings grow

At this point, your SmartyPig account will just grow based on the monthly deposit amount you specified. As indicated above, each month based on the date you specified, your SmartyPig account will receive a transfer from the specified funding source, along with an interest payment.

In addition to using gift cards to add additional funds to your account, you can also transfer over snowflakes to further accelerate your savings and to help you reach your goal even quicker.

Redeeming your savings

Once your goal is reached (or you decide to stop the goal), you can cash out your funds using one of the following options:

• Debit Card
• Merchant Gift Card
• Check

The SmartyPig debit card places your savings amount on a fully functional MasterCard debit card where you can use the savings via the debit or make a cash withdrawal of the savings amount.

You can also purchase a merchant gift card from retail partners SmartyPig has teamed up with in the form of a gift card. The benefit of the gift card is that the retailers will chip in an extra amount as a reward. Retailers consist of Amazon.com, Babies-R-Us, Best Buy, Circuit City, and Home Depot just to name a few. You can view the whole list over on the SmartyPig retailers page.

Receiving a paper check is the final option and in my opinion the lease favorable as there is a pretty steep fee. The better option would be to redeem your savings for a SmartyPig debit card, and use it to just withdrawal the cash.

For my evaluation, I didn’t complete my SmartyPig goal, but chose to stop it and redeem the balance in the form of an Amazon gift card (which I’ll give away next month) so I could fully evaluate the product end to end.

The Giveaway!

In addition to giving me a $50.00 SmartyPig gift card to try out their service, SmartyPig also gave me a $50.00 SmartyPig gift card to giveaway to my readers. Entering the contest is easy. If you are a current Gather Little by Little subscriber, at the bottom of my feed you’ll find the “secret phrase”. All you have to do is contact me and tell me the “secret phrase” and you’re entered. If you aren’t currently a subscriber, than just subscribe via RSS or email and grab the “secret phrase“.

I’ll randomly pick a winner 2 weeks from today (Monday, 4/13) and contact you so I can send you your SmartyPig $50.00 gift of savings! Unsure of what to do or have questions? No problem, just contact me.

Overall Impressions

I think SmartyPig is a great idea that is really going to take off. They offer a great website, a unique goal oriented approach to savings, and a higher than normal interest rate. Not to mention my experience with Jon Gaskell, one of the co-founders was just plain great. Jon was very responsive and always available to answer my questions and help me out. I think it says a great deal about a company when you have someone at the top of the house providing he level of support he has.

Curious about SmartyPig? I’d encourage you to try it out. Want to read more? Here are some links to other bloggers talking about SmartyPig:

• SmartyPig Teaches Your Children About Savings For Financial Goals at Moolanomy
• $50 SmartyPig Gift Card Giveaway at My Dollar Plan
• Giveaway: $100 Gift Card for SmartyPig , a Unique Savings Account at Consumerism Commentary
• SmartyPig $50 giveaway at ChristianPF
• SmartyPig: A Simpler Way to Save Or A Fee Trap? at Free Money Finance
• SmartyPig is One Smart (Social) Savings Plan at Mashable
• Creating a Savings Goal With SmartyPig at We’re in Debt

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For the past 3-months or so I’ve been searching for the right software to use to manage our budget. I’ve looked at many different options and even tried using them with little success. As a result, I’ve struggled with maintaining our budget as well. I don’t need a budget, I need budget software! I’ve been using my own clunky spreadsheet. It works, but was tedious. I didn’t like the fact that it wasn’t easy to report on my various budget categories nor was I able to import bank transaction data easily.

I had read on some other blogs about You Need a Budget (YNAB) and decided I would like to try it out. I contacted Jesse Mecham, the owner and founder of YNAB for an evaluation copy to both check out it for myself and to write up a review on. Jesse quickly responded back and hooked me up with an evaluation copy of YNAB Pro.

You Need a Budget (YNAB)

YNAB started out as a custom spreadsheet used by Jesse and his wife Julie for tracking and managing their expenses. They lived on a budget, lived on less than they earned and used the spreadsheet as a tool to manage their money and anticipate upcoming financial needs. They began to share their personal process with their friends and they all said they needed a budget too. The problem was the spreadsheet was very specific to Jesse and Julie’s needs. Seeing an opportunity, Jesse began to research available budget software. He found all where very static. His process wasn’t static, but a “living budget.” Jesse quickly realized his system was unique. He then developed the first spreadsheet version of YNAB that anyone could use.

YNAB Pro came later and improved on an already great product. YNAB Pro isn’t a spreadsheet, but a full custom desktop software product like other software products such as Quicken, MS Money, MS Office, etc.

This review only addresses YNAB Pro. I didn’t want another spreadsheet, so I didn’t look at the regular version of YNAB.

The 4 Rules

Before I jump into the details of the software, we need to discuss the 4 rules. Both versions of the YNAB are based on 4 Rules:

• Rule #1 – Stop living paycheck to paycheck
• Rule #2 – Give every dollar a job
• Rule #3 – Prepare for Rain
• Rule #4 – Roll with the punches

I won’t go into the details on the rules, but you can read about them in detail over at the You Need a Budget website. I do want to discuss Rule #1 though. Rule #1 basically tells you to live on last month’s income. In order to do this, the rule recommends you have 1 month of income in savings. This is a point I really struggled with and still haven’t fully made a decision on yet. I think this is a great practice, if you aren’t in debt. If you’re in debt though (like me), I am an advocate of Dave Ramsey’s $1000.00 baby emergency fund.

You can still use YNAB Pro without having the 1 month savings, but it makes it a bit awkward as income for the month has to be tracked differently. It certainly isn’t a big deal, but something you should be aware of.

Rules 2-4 are all very straight forward. Rule #2 places every incoming dollar to an expense category. This is commonly referred to as a zero based budget. Rule #3 helps you plan ahead for known upcoming expenses. YNAB actually helps you do this. Rule #4 helps you deal with overspending (which does happen).

Installation

YNAB Pro was very easy to install. The installation process uses a standard windows installation wizard and with just a few clicks the software installs itself and ads a link to your start menu and optionally your desktop and quick launch bar. It literally took me less than a minute to install the software. This is just one example of the overall simplicity of this software.

Using YNAB Pro

Clicking on the desktop icon launches the software and displays a very crisp and professional looking banner window which is displayed until the software fully loads, which unfortunately takes a long time. I am used to software loading rather quickly. YNAB Pro literally takes about 15 seconds to load. The only other software package I use that takes this long to load is Photoshop CS3 which is far more complex. The banner window does indicate which modules are being loaded and provides you with visible feedback that things are loading up like they should be, but I just can’t understand why such a relatively simple program takes so long to load.

Once loaded, you are presented with the welcome wizard:

The welcome wizard allows you to start a new budget, import a budget from the basic version of YNAB, and to open an existing budget. I chose to start a new budget, and was presented with the register page:

The software is divided into 4 primary sections which you can see and select in the lower left: Register, Budget, Scheduler, and Reports.

The Register

The register is exactly like your checkbook register and is where you will record all of your expenses. The register is divided up by the various accounts you have. The different account registers can be accessed by clicking on the account tabs at the top. New accounts can be added by clicking on the large plus sign next to the account tabs.

Adding entries to the register is simple, you just click where it says “Click here to add a new transaction.” You can specify the date, the category for the expense, the payee, and then indicate if they entry is an inflow or outflow. Inflows are income, outflows are expenses. When specifying a category, you can select an existing category, add a new category, or split an expense across multiple categories. The ability to split categories is a must for me, as we often shop at Wal-mart and purchase items at the same time that cross over multiple categories. You can’t delete categories from this screen. You use the budget section to manage your categories, including deleting them.

One of the things missing that I’d like to see is the ability to download transactions seamlessly from you bank of choice. YNAB Pro does allow you to import transactions from your financial institution which is wonderful, but it’s a cumbersome process. You must open up a browser, navigate to your bank’s site, login, find your account, download the transactions, then return back to YNAB Pro and import them. Importing is done by selecting the Import Transactions option located on the File menu. The importing feature works very well, I just would like to see it more integrated like Quicken.

The Budget

The budget section is where you will go to both enter your budget and view how you’re doing. One of the really nice features of YNAB Pro is the ability to group categories. For example, I have multiple types of savings and being able to have sub-categories under the Savings category is really nice.

The budget screen looks as follows (without any data entered):

The screen is very intuitive and displays the Budgeted, spent, and remaining balance for each category and sub-category. Budgeting is done monthly and multiple months are displayed giving you the ability to see your budget history.

The Scheduler

The scheduler allows you to enter recurring transactions so that you don’t have to enter them. This is easy to do and is useful for fixed amount items such as your cable bill, utility bills, etc. You basically just click on the grid and specify the category for the expense, the payee, the frequency, and the amount of the inflow or outflow. The frequency is a drop down selection that offers many different options from daily to every other year. A memo field is also provided.

Reports

One of the nicest features provided by YNAB Pro is it’s reporting capabilities. Reports are provided in a graphical format and to be honest are really nice looking. Here is a sample of the “spending by category” pie chart:

Reports are available for categories, time frame, and for current category balances. The later will be the primary report I’ll be using for our our weekly budget meetings.

Miscellaneous Features

A few other miscellaneous feature worth mentioning include automatic backups, print capability with print preview features, a 48 page set-up guide in PDF format that takes you through not only using the software, but through the YNAB budgeting process.

If your wondering whether or not to spend the $39.95 for YNAB, Jesse provides a 60 day money back guarantee. From the website: “You have absolutely no risk when purchasing this product. If you give the program an honest effort and aren’t happy with it, you are entitled to a full refund..”

Freebies!

When you purchase YNAB Pro you also get a few really cool freebies:

• Debt Snowball Worksheet – A really well done spreadsheet for managing and tracking your debt snowball.
• Tax Forecaster - Estimates your taxes, including capital gains.
• Retirement Planner - Allows you to do what-if scenarios for investing.
• Mortgage Analyzer – Will help you become completely debt free by showing different options for paying off your mortgage.
• Car Maintenance Schedule – This was my favorite. A very thorough spreadsheet for tracking all of the maintenance on your vehicles.
• YNAB Way – A 45 page eBook that walks you through the YNAB methodology and is full of information on the Whys and Hows of YNAB (an $11.95 value)

In Summary

Overall, YNAB Pro is an excellent piece of software. The best thing about it is that it’s simple to use and just plain old gets the job done. I’ve been searching for the right solution for me for sometime now, and while YNAB Pro isn’t exactly what I wanted, it is the closest of all the products I looked at.

Pros:

• Simple to install and use
• Excellent and thorough documentation
• Not only a software package, but a proven methodology as well
• Backed by a 60-day guarantee and Jesse’s excellent customer service

Cons:

• No automated integration with banks for downloading transactions
• Slow startup
• Budget is done monthly rather than bi-weekly which would work better for me
• Price – $39.95 is a bit steep for the feature set this application provides. This is offset some by the freebies that are included and by the fact that you’re purchasing more than just software, but a proven process as well.

I purchased YNAB Pro over the weekend, and I’ll be posting updates as I continue to use and become more familiar with it. I’ll also try to capture any tips or tricks I learn along with writing about my experience with the forums and customer service.

What are your thoughts? Are you using YNAB? If so, what version? Has it worked well for you? Any concerns? Add a comment!

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