http://pfzen.com Personal finance made simple Fri, 24 Oct 2008 07:01:39 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en PNC's Virtual Wallet service sounds like a great idea. They've essentially packed up the solution I started using a few years ago into a neat bundle that's all in one account. There are three accounts, spending, reserve and growth. Spending is your checking account where you pay ... http://pfzen.com/2008/pncs-virtual-wallet/ Frank Abagnale, the guy whose life was made into a movie called Catch Me If You Can shares 5 tips to avoid check fraud. He should know, he was one of the most successful check fraudsters of all time. http://pfzen.com/2008/5-tips-to-avoid-check-fraud/ According to the LA Times, Across the country, Americans struggling with rising food and energy costs are more worried about their personal finances than at any time since the early 1990s It's no wonder with the rising cost of fuel and food along with the slump in the housing market that ... http://pfzen.com/2008/americans-money-worries-growing/ The Y generation is broke because many don't understand basic financial principles like budgeting, interest rates and taxes. I was curious how I stacked up, so I took a financial literacy test I found on the Kiplinger forums. I got a 27/30. The average was 21. Take it and see how you ... http://pfzen.com/2008/personal-finance-literacy/ BillShrink provides you with a way to compare cell phone plans, giving you an opportunity to pick the one that fits your needs the best. It's still a beta so it needs some work, but it has potential. http://pfzen.com/2008/lower-your-cell-phone-bill/ J.D. over at Get Rich Slowly found a great resource from the government. It's a list of 66 ways to save money. As he points out in his post, some of them are pretty obvious, but others are quite useful. http://pfzen.com/2008/66-ways-to-save-money/ BankSwitcher aims to make it easier for you to switch banks, for those times you decide to go with the high interest savings accounts. The main concern I have is giving out the login credentials to your bank. Of course, I do this currently with Yodlee but I've made the ... http://pfzen.com/2008/an-easy-way-to-switch-banks/ Do you want to get control of your finances? Do you have good intentions but find yourself sabotaging them with spending? With the this site, I will teach you the basic principles to manage your finances simply so you can focus on the rest of your life. These principles ... http://pfzen.com/2008/welcome-to-personal-finance-zen/