The person who declares they need no assistance whatsoever when it comes to managing money is most definitely the first person who would stand to benefit the most from such help. Even if you stick to prepaid debit cards and coupon cut like crazy, you'll never know whether or not you could improve your personal finances without checking it out. While paid financial advice and accounting is expensive, online tools and resources are almost invariably free. Specifically, free calculators that you can find on the World Wide Web are especially useful when it comes to managing money better, considering their accessibility and reliability.
Here are a few to help get you started:
Tax Withholding: While fat refunds in April are great, there's no guarantee you're going to get everything back if you rakishly withheld more than you needed to all year around. To reduce the amount of money you send Uncle Sam that gets lost in the system, use the IRS withholding calculator.
Credit Card Repayment: It's hardly in your long-term best interest to be paying massive amounts of credit card interest through low-to-minimum monthly payments. Use the Federal Reserve's credit card repayment calculator to find out how much you need to be paying every month to pay as little interest as possible.
Fuel Economy Finder: Before buying your next vehicle, or any vehicle you ever purchase in the future, use the Department of Energy's Fuel Economy Finder to find the most fuel-efficient and therefore cost-effective automobile in your price range. With gas prices going nowhere but up, this is a critical step toward living a more economical lifestyle.
Retirement Planner: What may seem like a reasonable amount of money being squirreled away for retirement every month may wind up being a paltry retirement plan if you didn't take the time to browse all your options. Use the Bloomberg Retirement Calculator to accurately project how much you're going to need to save relative to specific plans.
Home Energy Saver: Built for the Department of Energy, the Home Energy Saver is one of the most widely used online services provided by the federal government. Utilizing the data you enter regarding your energy usage habits at home as well as the cost of energy in your region and any and all steps you're taking to lead a more energy-efficient life, this handy calculator will recommend ways for you to further reduce energy waste in your home.
You may think you're doing everything you can to be smart with your money, but don't be so certain until you run your numbers through online calculators. These objective, autonomous, and above all free tools are certain to show you ways you could be doing more to save and handle your personal finances more responsibly.
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