Finding the Jobs

Getting a handle on this year’s financial goals may seem impossible, but these three “web calculators” offered by Real Simple magazine (January 2009 issue) can do the trick:

To get rid of credit-card debt:

Try: Cardtrack.com

The  website can help you figure out how long it will take to get rid of the credit card balance.  Here’s how it works:

Click onto “Calculator and Tools.”  Then enter the amount you owe, the interest rate and how much you’ll pay each month.

To pay down  your mortgage:

Try Bankrate.com; Money.cnn.com/tools

At Bankrate, the mortgage-payment calculator tabulates your monthly payments and the date you’ll be debt-free.

The site also enables you to figure out how much you’ll save if by making extra payments.

To save for a child’s college education:

Try Savingforcollege.com; Meritaid.coom

At Savingforcollege.com, if you enter the child’s age, it’ll tell you the average total of educating your offspring, along with advice on how to pay for it.

Meritaid.com provides parents of high school students access to information about the 11 billion dollars available in merit scholarships from more than 1800 colleges across the country.

How helpful do you find these websites?  Have you found other websites that work better?  Let us know at Money Matters and More, by emailing us at moneymattersandmore@yahoo.com or better yet, please leave a comment in the box below.

Have a great weekend!

Thanks.

Heather Taylor