Ok, so I've been hearing about the website Mint.com for months now. It's a free website that magazines and colleagues just rave about. It's a free (yep, you read that correctly) free online financial management software program that FLIPPIN' ROCKS MY WORLD.
Since one aspect of my Entreprenyear journey is to not only enhance my business, but also to improve balance and bliss, I'm sure it's sort of implied that finances will factor in here on a number of levels. I'm charting a pretty challenging course to make sure that financial issues are addressed thoughtfully and systematically.
Systematically...there's the word. This year I'm looking for the best of the best systems to make reaching my goals easier, changing my habits (and my life) more efficient, and maintaining momentum a given. There's only so much time and willpower to be devoted to all of our priorities in life, so I'm looking for every solution I can find to put "on autopilot" the things that don't require my focused attention and creative input so I can turn my attention toward what I do best and enjoy most.
Enter Mint.com, my first autopilot experiment. From my first tour of the site I find it really easy to navigate, super intuitive to use, and WAYYYYYYYYYY more comprehensive than I imagined it would be. It stores all of your different bank account and credit card information (super securely, I might add), and allows you to automatically update ALL of your account balances and transactions IN THE CLICK OF A BUTTON! (Insert dramatic music and hand flourish here). You can easily create and track budgets, investments, real-estate, financial goals...you name it. And here's the cool part...it will email you when bank balances are low and will send you summaries of how you're spending your money. In fact, it will also help you find ways to SAVE money, too. And, there are mobile apps available for Droid and IPhone. I sort of feel like it does pretty much everything other than printing new cash for you. But who knows what the future holds?
I've just started using it, so I'll admit this might be my honeymoon stage. But who doesn't love a rip-roarin' good time on their honeymoon, with all of the fun and excitement it provides? And, I'm thinking that a truly memorable honeymoon could set the stage for some good stuff in the future, right? I'll keep you posted on how it's working for me and the benefits that I (sincerely hope!) will be forthcoming. More soon...
