money honey.

maybe it's because tax day was this week...or that april is financial literacy month...or just this state of shock hit single stuck in my head - whatever it is, i've got money on the brain.

as the numbers-oriented one, managing our personal finances has become my practical contribution to the marriage. not that i mind...after all, my father set a great example of a household CFO. but sometimes finances just get jumbled, illusive and let's be honest, annoying. and with all the identity theft risks out there from online shopping, credit card swiping and the like, it can be a little scary as well.

so today i decided to check in on our financial status. first, it was time to pull our credit reports. i try to do this 3x a year - april, august, december - to take full advantage of the free factor. for me i found it to be a good ritual to get into, not only for our financial security but also peace of mind. well this month it was transunion (my least favorite of all the providers). fortunately no major surprises this time...only a few minor errors to fix, as usual with transunion - uggh. i even coughed up the money to see our credit scores. i can't tell you how much it burns me up to have to actually PAY to see something that i'm judged by others on my fiscal worthiness. it doesn't seem right. oh well - i still paid - out of dreaded curiosity.

and since i was firmly in finance mode, i also decided to tackle the balance sheets; y'know, to ask the age old question: just where did our money go?? well this is where i get frustrated - not with the transactions but with my software. as a long-time quicken user, i was quick to buy and setup intuit's mac version when we bought our macbook last year. the problem? it's super buggy - especially on the one key function i rely on weekly...budget reporting. no joke, the program has the budget v. actual formula reversed, so when i spend UNDERbudget, the report marks it in the red and when i go OVERbudget, it's in the black. simple fix, you think? apparently not for quicken.

anyway, today i got fed up. for the past year or so, i've just retrained my thinking when reviewing reports, but it's confusing, it's static and it takes manual effort - in short, not worth it. yeah, it is over.

so when considering my financial management options, i decided to try out the unique online solution - www.mint.com. i have to confess...i'm smitten! not only is it web-based, FREE, and automatic, but you can link in all your accounts to see your full asset/liability ratio, receive email alerts when you go over budget and compare your money spending by category to other americans by state/city. it's definitely innovative, and more importantly, intuitive. and that's a first for this industry.

now, it's probably not for everyone. i know my dad would probably balk at its simplicity as he expertly manages all his investments and accounts, but then again, he's not your average personal finance guru. however for the rest of us, i think it's brilliant.

check it out...and know where all that money really goes.