Personal Finance: Tools

J-bird's most recent surgery has us thinking about and planning for our future, specifically our financial future. It's scary to think about what could possibly happen, but we need to have a solid financial plan so that we don't have to worry about that part of our lives-- dealing with every day life on top of managing Crohn's Disease is hard enough.

What resources have we used to plan?

LearnVest
I've been working on some LearnVest bootcamps (highly recommend!) at night, and using their info to crunch some numbers and prioritize our goals. I also upgraded my LearnVest account so that we have access to the Ask an Expert feature, where we can email our questions to a Certified Financial Planner. With a special invitation they sent me, we were able to upgrade for less than $30 for the year. I've already emailed one question and  I received a very thoughtful and elaborate response. Very impressed. The courses that they offer are also worth the time and are included in the upgraded account. We've worked through the courses on budgeting and creating a 5 year plan.

YNAB (You Need A Budget)
We need to work on sticking to our budget. We use YNAB, which is the first program we've tried that we have actually consistently used. 

Suze Orman's Money Navigator
I received a code to subscribe to Suze Orman's new Money Navigator newsletter for free for one year. I believe the code NODEBT is circulating now and might still be valid for one year free. We've been pleased with the investment advice and market/economic insights included in the monthly newsletter.

Other Media
We also enjoy listening to Dave Ramsey and Clark Howard on the radio, and I devour personal finance blogs. There are so many free resources available to educate yourself about personal finance. It's in your best interest to take advantage of it all.  

-------------

What tools do you use to manage and improve your financial life? How do you budget? What resources do you use to plan for retirement?