RonBoyd
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
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Mint.com Alternatives
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FIREmenow
Full time employment: Posting here.
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One of my complaints with all of these (I haven't looked at this new crop) is that they show you budget problems kind of after-the-fact. AFTER you've gone over your budget amount, the category will turn red or whatever. In my mind - that's too late.
I use the "envelope" mentality ever since my mother showed me her dresser drawer of REAL envelopes that she used on a daily basis - stuffed with real money. I use 'virtual' envelopes now using my checking balance and categories, but as my mother did, I don't spend unless there is cash there - now. If there's nothing in the envelope, I can't buy it. Its just the way I operate.
I can't see where these apps can set up their categories that way. they all seem to use the "too late" methods. I have been "hacking" Quicken and YNAB for years to do this by dispersing income to various categories with the budgeted amounts, but it is not intuitive relative to their user interface.
Am I just missing something stupid? Or is there a different app that operates in this mode?
I use the "envelope" mentality ever since my mother showed me her dresser drawer of REAL envelopes that she used on a daily basis - stuffed with real money. I use 'virtual' envelopes now using my checking balance and categories, but as my mother did, I don't spend unless there is cash there - now. If there's nothing in the envelope, I can't buy it. Its just the way I operate.
I can't see where these apps can set up their categories that way. they all seem to use the "too late" methods. I have been "hacking" Quicken and YNAB for years to do this by dispersing income to various categories with the budgeted amounts, but it is not intuitive relative to their user interface.
Am I just missing something stupid? Or is there a different app that operates in this mode?
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RonBoyd
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Is there an App that can read minds... cancel orders that were placed for an item in an imaginary envelope; or Stop Payment on a check written for such an item?
Great idea! I want one.
FIREmenow
Full time employment: Posting here.
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If there is not cash in a category, no order will be placed, no check will be written. I don't understand your comment.
mpeirce
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
I don't use Mint.com for budgeting, but rather for tracking. It's great for looking back and seeing what happened - even many years ago since we've been using it for a long time.
My only concern about mint has been security and as far as I know, there hasn't been any security breaches.
So if it ain't broke, I don't feel the need for a replacement.
My only concern about mint has been security and as far as I know, there hasn't been any security breaches.
So if it ain't broke, I don't feel the need for a replacement.
exnavynuke
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
These apps are for monitoring your spending, not controlling it. That's something the person has to do on their own. I'm not aware of any budgeting app that sends you an email if you get within X% of your budgeted amount for category Y for the month though.
I started with Mint many years ago but not 100% sure why I changed. I think Mint was good for budgeting but not investment tracking.
Then I moved to Yodlee. Some of the ER people use the Yodlee program on Fidelity and perhaps other sites. It was great for expenses and good for investments. But, about 6 months ago, Yodlee would not update and it became unpredictable in terms of various user features. It was frustrating to use. So ...
A few months ago, I move to Personal Capital, while keeping my Yodlee active. Right now, I am very happy with PC. The expense tracking is fine and the investment tracking is the best I have used. From time to time, you get a notice to speak with an adviser but beyond the pop-up screen, I have not been approached. As I write this, I would recommend PC if you are looking for an 'aggregator'.
Then I moved to Yodlee. Some of the ER people use the Yodlee program on Fidelity and perhaps other sites. It was great for expenses and good for investments. But, about 6 months ago, Yodlee would not update and it became unpredictable in terms of various user features. It was frustrating to use. So ...
A few months ago, I move to Personal Capital, while keeping my Yodlee active. Right now, I am very happy with PC. The expense tracking is fine and the investment tracking is the best I have used. From time to time, you get a notice to speak with an adviser but beyond the pop-up screen, I have not been approached. As I write this, I would recommend PC if you are looking for an 'aggregator'.
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