Even money writers have to work to make sure their own finances stay on track.
To get there, I visit a few websites almost every day, or several times a day, to help me on my path to financial independence.
Here's a look at my favorites, by category:
Investing and Retirement Savings
Morningstar. If you want a trusted resource to research your investments, head to Morningstar.com. The site offers a tremendous database of information about mutual funds, stocks and other investments. You can delve into your mutual funds with the site's Instant X-Ray tool, which will show you exactly what your funds are investing in, and if your portfolio suffers from too much "overlap" because several funds own the same investments. The Portfolio Evaluator tool helps you manage your asset allocation by tracking the investments you own.
FPANET. This is the Financial Planning Association's website and the first place you should visit if you're looking for a financial advisor in your area. In addition to planner search tools, you can find smart and timely articles about financial planning in uncertain economic times.
Consumer Issues
ConsumerReports and Consumerist. Consumer Reports has been around since 1936, and it remains my top source for independent product ratings. Its parent company recently bought another of my favorite sites, Consumerist.com, which, bathed in snark, "highlights the persistent, shameless gaffes of modern consumerism -- and the latest scams, rip-offs, hot deals and freebies." The site's editors encourage readers to post their own experiences and to comment on others. It's one of my favorite online communities.
Lifehacker. This fun site is a fave of techies, but it also has helpful stuff for those of us who are less technologically advanced. The Lifehacker motto: "Tips and downloads for getting things done." If you visit, check out the Latte Factor Calculator, which is a great reminder about how little costs add up.
CouponMom. Everyone is looking for ways to save money in this economy, and Coupon Mom Stephanie Nelson is a pro. Her site offers handy coupons, plus smart spending and saving strategies. (Read my previous column about Nelson and ways to save with coupons.)
Borrowing and Credit
BankRate. This is the premier site to look up any type of interest rate. You also can review and compare rates for mortgages, credit cards, car loans and other loans, plus compare rates being paid on bank accounts, Certificates of Deposit and other products. BankRate also does an annual roundups on bank fees, credit card fees and more.
AnnualCreditReport. You're entitled to a free credit report once a year from each of the three major credit bureaus. This site is where you get 'em.
College Savings
FinAid. This site is my favorite resource for information on college financial aid issues, and it also offers lots of detail about loans, scholarships and other kinds of aid.
SavingForCollege. If you're saving for a college education, you can't miss SavingForCollege.com, the ultimate resource for 529 Plan information.
FastWeb. This free site lists more than 1.5 million scholarships. If you have a college-bound child in your family, sign up.
Insurance
LifeHappens. The Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education (LIFE) is a nonprofit that offers educational information about life, disability, long-term care and health insurance. Online, consumers are inundated with websites that portray themselves as objective, informative resources, but so many are created by insurance companies who want you to become a client. LIFE is one place you can go, knowing there are no ulterior motives. (Full disclosure: I occasionally write educational brochures for LIFE.)
Insurance Information Institute. This is a reliable source of insurance information, including auto, homeowners and other insurances. The site isn't trying to sell you anything. The site offers consumers a good education about insurance issues.
Calculators
DinkyTown. If it's financial calculators you want, DinkyTown should be your destination. The site offers nothing but calculators -- the good ones. You can run retirement projections, analyze mortgages and other kinds of loans, create a debt payback schedule, and the list goes on. The site was created by a company that sells the calculators to other websites, but web surfers are able to try the calculators for free.
Taxes
IRS.gov. No one wants to visit the Internal Revenue Service, but this handy site lets you download all of your tax forms. It's also a good place to go to verify tax rules. Also, most of the time, the site is written in plain English instead of tax man jargon.
Read more: 10 Cool Sites for Frugalistas
What money sites have you discovered? Share them in the comments section below.
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