New Technologies Keeping You Organized With Your Finances

Finance (Photo credit: Tax Credits)

It is very important to make use of accurate systems in financial management since this is the only way you can achieve financial freedom. A proper system can in its most basic sense, be compared to a car engine; a car may look sleek and have the perfect color, but it cannot take you anywhere if the engine is malfunctioning. Likewise, you may be making millions, but if you do not employ the right system of finance management, what you earn will be just about meaningless --it will not help you get where you want. Keep in mind that when it comes to finances, it can never be too early or too late to get things in good standing. 

Five applications that can help you take effective control of your finance 

Credit Karma 

This is very useful software that helps you gain access to your credit scores and also facilitates credit monitoring. Credit scores essentially represent how well or not you utilize your credit, and a high score always works to your advantage. It's thus important to continuously work toward achieving and maintaining those high numbers and credit karma can help you make your way there. However accessibility of this application is limited to an iPhone. 

Mint.com 

Sometimes you may just need to get a visual representation of how your finances are adding up, and mint.com can help facilitate that. With this application, you can compare your credit card debts with the cash you have in hand, so that you can subsequently determine how to settle the debt. It also helps you see how much you spend based on the budget you have set. 

Expensify 

If you need a reliable way through which to keep all your receipts, this application makes a good alternative. You can use it to get your credit cards and receipts linked so that they are easily reachable from one spot. This will make you stay on top of your expenses so that you make your payments on time. 

Financisto 

Financisto is an android application that enables for a user to control multiple accounts. If you are an international business person, it can be a very helpful application since it enables you to manage numerous currencies. In addition it makes possible for you to move money into different accounts, so that you have the cash exactly where it's needed. You can also create back-up data which you can then save in Google drive or drop box. 

Nickel Tracker 

If you experience difficulty in sticking to the amount you have put down on your monthly or weekly budget, nickel tracker can enable you to take charge of the matter. The application sends you an alert when you are almost reaching your budget limits, and this helps ensure that you do not overspend. 

The availability of advanced technology has contributed to the easy access of such applications; it's certainly a good way to keep track of every coin and doing it the right way can greatly help you take control of your financial life. 

With a good system in place, you can figure out where to direct more of your resources, and also determine what you have achieved so you get to establish the amount of extra effort to put in. The advantage of these applications is that they can be easily accessed no matter your location, and they are also easy to use, as long as you make use of a compatible gadget. The fact that they are free is just a bonus since you do not have to worry about incurring extra running costs. Technology is undoubtedly one really efficient process in the management of finance. 

Author Bio 

Joshua Turner is a writer who creates informative articles in relation to business. In this article, he describes a few organizational technologies for finances and aims to encourage further study with a UAB online bachelors in MIS.

Being Able To Rent An Apartment In Spite Of Bad Credit – How It’s Done

Landlord? (Photo credit: the justified sinner)

You may know for a fact that renting with bad credit is a tough call. Landlords may not be willing to accept a prospective tenant who has bad credit because it shows that the tenant has had a history of not paying bills. This is only one of the ways how bad credit affects renting. 

However, you may still be able to rent a home, even with bad credit, your prospective landlord may accept you. 

Here are other tips on how to rent with bad credit: 

1. Talk with your landlord personally and show your credit report. Point out to him the entries where you are repaying your old debts. This will show him that you are earnestly working on neutralizing your debts, and will show him that you will be able to pay him when the rent comes due. 

2. If you have utility bills or rent that are past due, pay them off and have your former landlord sign a certificate that states that you've repaid these bills. Through this, you will be able to demonstrate that you are willing and able to pay the bills. 

3. Show your landlord proof of having a job. If you have a company ID, a payslip or a certificate of employment of sorts, you may show these as proof that you have a job and can pay the bills. 

4. Pay a larger security deposit. In order to help your landlord understand that you are serious about being able to pay your rent, paying a bigger security deposit may help communicate that. Not only that, your landlord will have something to use if you are late in some of your payments. 

5. Work on an auto-debit arrangement. If your landlord can accept a bank transfer or a credit card payment, you can devise a system wherein your rent would be automatically paid to your landlord's bank account at a certain date. You may also want to consider using checks and putting that on an automatic transfer system as well.

 
6. Ask someone to co-sign the lease contract with you. It may be a risk on your friend's part, but this will, at least, assure your landlord that someone else will be able to foot the bill if it comes down to that. 

7. Be willing to accept higher rental rates. Because you have bad credit, your landlord may try to capitalize on that and charge you more for bad credit renting. Grin and bear this tiny inconvenience, since you need a roof over your head. 

Bad credit really poisons a person's life. More than being unable to rent a home in a smooth transaction, bad credit may also keep you from being accepted for a job, or even a promotion. This is why you need to think long-term. 

How to change your financial circumstances for the long haul: 

1. Repay your debts. There's no other way to do it: you really have to repay your debts.

2. Sit with a financial advisor and consult him on how to manage your finances better. Try working with the financial counselors from Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace program.

3. Get a secured card and rebuild your credit. You can rebuild your credit thanks to the use of a secured card. A secured card is backed by actual money, but successfully paid transactions will still appear on your credit report. These successfully paid items will boost your credit score positively, and may bring you back from bad credit to good credit. 

There are simply so many benefits to bringing your credit back from its "bad" state and back into a "good credit standing." These tips will help you regain good credit, beyond teaching you how to rent with bad credit. Even if you will be able to get away with renting with bad credit, you will still need to have good credit for greater things, in the long run: when you apply for a car loan, when you apply for a home mortgage loan, all of these things require you to be in good credit standing. 

So look beyond needing to secure bad credit renting. Look beyond the concern of how bad credit affects renting. Instead, think about all the benefits that good credit can afford you and be inspired to recover your good credit standing. 

Amy Johnson is an active blogger who is fond of sharing interesting finance related articles to encourage people to manage and protect their finances. She also covers topics on credit monitoring & credit protection that can help people manage and improve their finances.