Welcome to our week-long series on How to Earn Extra Income from a Side Hustle. In this fourth of five articles, we look at 50 resources every freelancer can use.

Knowing where to find the right tools to help you get the job done is an important part of the Side Hustle process. The web is a big place and as a result it can be difficult to find exactly what you are looking for. To point you in the right direction we have created a list of 50 Freelance Resources for you to reference.

We would love to keep adding to this list so please share any great resources you have discovered for yourself.

Communication Resources

Communication is a big part in any business. The following Communication Resources include tools for Contact Management, Meetings, and Newsletters.

Go To Meetings
GoToMeetings allows you to do a variety of work related business right over the net. It’s great for communicating with a small group and even sharing documents or ideas. You can sign up for the 30 day trial for no charge to see if it’s a keeper.

Skype
Skype is one of the better known tools to host your business meetings. You can also keep in touch with friends and family with Skype. It’s a great way to keep in contact and best of all there is a free version! You can upgrade and pay a fee if you need more options.

Highrise
Highrise is an online program that help you keep track of your conversations, leads, emails, etc. It’s a way to keep you organized at work so you don’t forget to make a phone call or follow up with a client. You can try it out for 30 days at no charge.

Techinline Remote Desktop
Techline Remote Desktop gives businesses an instant and secure connection between remote PCs over the web. With this remote desktop support system, it doesn’t matter if you are across the country or the glove this system is browser-based and will help you get the job done.

aWeber
aWeber is email marketing software that helps small businesses, websites and blogs automate email follow up and email newsletter delivery. It offers tools such as professional email signup forms & autoresponder services that make it easy for you to build your email list and stay in touch with prospects.

BigContacts
Big Contacts is another communication management system with an easy to use interface that helps you stay organized with your contacts, tasks, and files all in one place. You can try the 15 day trial for free and download the app.

Campaign Monitor
CampaignMonitor is an email marketing software for designers and their clients. You can send custom email campaigns, track the results and manage your subscribers. You can sign up for free with the trial offer and decide if you like the service before you pay.

Financial Resources

The Financial Resources include tools for Accounting, Invoicing, and Payments.

FreeAgent
FreeAgent is an online accounting software application that is ideal for freelanceers, contractors, and small business owners. With this program you can invoice your clients and track your expenses, and determine what you owe for taxes.

Outright
Outright is designed for small business owners who need a system that can record income and expenses automatically. You can categorizes transactions and prepare your estimated and end of year taxes. I use Outright and absolutely love it.

LessAccounting
LessAccounting makes your bookkeeping simple. With this program you can send invoices and proposals, track expenses, automatically import bank transactions. This makes accounting stress free and takes the guess work out of it.

Freshbooks
Freshbooks is an online invoicing program that will help you track your time, organize your expenses and invoice your clients. This is another resource I use and it saves me a ton of time and makes tracking invoices and payments a snap.

The Invoice Machine
The Invoice Machine lets you invoice your clients for a variety of things like hours, projects, and products. It offers a nice clean interface with easy to use drop down menus. Invoices can be created as a PDF or they can be emailed directly.

Blinksale
The Blinksale gives you the ability to send elegant looking invoices to anyone. It’s $15 a month and for that price you will get unlimited use. There is a 15 day free trial you can sign up for to determine if it’s worth the monthly charge.

PayPal
PayPal is the popular choice for taking payments. This allows you to accept credit card payments or payments from PayPal accounts which includes e-Cheques. PayPal is safe and has gained much popularity for it’s ease of use. You can also send money using PayPal.

DPD – Digital Product Delivery
DPD accepts payments and automatically delivers download products across multiple sites. Sell scripts, programs, graphics, ebooks, and more. DPD provides secure download links to prevent product theft while automating your download sales.

Payneer
Payneer is a payment system that can be used to pay people all over the world. The payment is made directly onto a MasterCard debit card. This card can then be used anywhere that MasterCard is accepted, which is just about everywhere.

Mint
Mint.com is the best way to manage your personal finance because it’s free. It’s easy to use and you can set up all types of accounts. Your information is automatically imported into Mint.com. With the app you can access you accounts in one place from your smartphone.

Xero
Xero is an online accounting system ideal for small businesses. You can access all your important financial figures such as bank transactions, invoices, GST. This can all be done right from your smartphone which means you always have access.

Web Design & Blogging Resources

The Web Design and Blogging Resources include tools for Blogging, Domain Names, Web Design and Web Development.

WordPress
WordPress is web software that allows you to create a website or blog. This one makes the list because it is free. There are thousands of plugins and themes available to help you create the site of your dreams. WordPress is user friendly and there are tons of helpful information online.

Woo Themes
Woo Themes is a WordPress theme that offers a variety of layouts you can use with your existing WordPress site. It comes with themes come with quite a bit of customizable options which will have your site looking fantastic.

Hosting Sesame
Hosting Sesame offers affordable web hosting plans that include domains, hosting, email accounts, tools, etc. Their plans include 24/7 customer service technical supports which will help you get all your questions answered.

ProBlogger
ProBlogger is a great website that provides tons of information on everything you need to know about blogging. This site is a great resource for every level, for the experienced Bloggers, and for those that are not so experienced.

Expression Engine
ExpressionEngine is known for being a flexible, feature-rich content management system that enables users to easily manage their website. It’s designed for individuals, organizations, and companies around the world who need a management system.

Text Pattern
TextPattern is another free content management system that focuses on content. Textpattern is all about flexibility and it offers a variety of plugins so the user can create a unique site and customize the functionality of it to make it their own.

Go Daddy
Go Daddy is the most popular domain and web hosing site out there. They are known for their low prices and high quality. They even have their own app so you can check to see if a domain is available no matter where you are.

Network Solutions
Network Solutions offers just about everything under the sun including, Web hosting, Web design, ecommerce, Web site promotion to name a few. This site has been around for a while and helps users get started by providing them an array of tools.

Planet Domain
Planet Domain has the ultimate goal of providing cheap domain names and solid web hosting services. They are known for their high quality products and and competitive pricing so they make our list of domain resources to consider using.

99 Designs
99 Designs is a site for both designers and those needing a design created. Whether it’s logos, web design, business cards, T-shirts, banners, WordPress themes, etc. you can get it done at 99 Designs. It’s basically a contest and you get to choose which design you like before you buy.

Freelance Jobs

The Freelance Job resources include Job Postings and Job Boards.

Elance
Elance is for both those who are searching for freelance contractors and for those professionals who are seeking work online. If you have the skills and talent you can display them at Elance, choose the job you want and get paid.

Freelancer
Freelancer is known as the world’s largest outsource marketplace for small business. People from all over the world use Freelancer to outsource just about anything you can think of. Freelancer covers all types of work and is not limited to any certain category.

Project 4 Hire
Project4Hire is where you can find web designers, graphic designers, programers, coders, and writers to name a few. It’s for both those who are looking for work and for those needing a project completed. This site is very specific to the categories above.

Smashing Jobs
Smashing Jobs is a job board that lists available jobs in the design or programing categories. You can search for full-time or freelance jobs for well-known companies all over the world. This site is specific to only deisgners and programers.

Job Pile
Job Pile brings in jobs listed from various job boards across the entire web and puts them in one place for you to access. This is helpful because you can see what all job boards are listing or you can choose to see certain job boards.

Design Quote
Design Quote is made up of clients and designers. Clients can find someone to complete their project and designers can choose which project suits them the best. This site is specific to designers so if you are a designer this is a good place to find work.

Krop
Krop is another job board and career resource website for creative professionals. Whether you’re looking for job, or your the one searching for the talent, Krop is a place to get connected with the best, well-known companies around.

Project Management Resources

The following Project Management Resources include tools for Organization, Project Management and Time Management.

Remember The Milk
Remember The Milk is an online organizer that helps you keep your personal life separate from your work life. You can stay on task with the to-do list manager, full calendar and even set up task reminders so you don’t forget those important events.

Backpack
Backpack is a web-based organizer for you business. You can keep all your important documents, discussions and schedules in one place. All your information is backed-up daily and you can share any of your information you choose, at any time with your business partners.

Toodledo
Toodledo provides you with an easy to use to-do list you can access online. You can customize all the features and even elect to receive text message reminders for important events. You can track time, and use the iPhone app to get notifications and updates.

Collabtive
Collabtive is a project management systems that can be downloaded and installed on your own webserver. You can add your clients and staff, created projects, list tasks and upload files. It also features a built in instant message system for inner office communication.

GoPlan
GoPlan is another online project management system that is also acts as a communication platform. It’s great for managing projects and it’s a nice communication tool so you can keep everyone in the business up-to-date on what’s going on.

ActiveCollab
ActiveCollab is a project management & collaboration tool that you can set up on your own server or local network. You can work with your own team, clients or contractors. It’s easy to use and allows you to have complete access of your data.

Fanurio
Fanurio is a time tracking software that also features a billing application so you can bill your clients. It receives high marks by freelances for it’s interface and flexibility. It also has the ability to create detailed invoices for billing purposes.

Toggl
Toggl is a time management system that allows you to see where you are spending your time. You can track all your time so you can accurately bill your clients. This system has an iPhone app and an app for Android phones so you can access your information from anywhere.

Paymo Time Tracking & Invoicing
Paymo Time Tracking & Invoicing tracks your time for you so you don’t have to do the math and figure out how much time you have spent on a project. You can enter start and stop times of use the time that is built-in. It’s easy to use and does the work for you.

MakeSomeTime
MakeSomeTime is an easy way to track your time while you are working. It has an easy-to-use interface and can keep time for a variety of different projects. You can also generate reports and invoices to see exactly how much time you are spending on your work.

I‘ve been writing about finance for many years now, having trudged through the many reviews of online software to help consumers budget.   Quicken has always been my software of choice, but I have to say that as of today, I’ll be using HelloWallet for all of my budgeting needs.  This software may be a bit more expensive than others, but the quality and functionality is the best I’ve seen and used.

Oddly enough, I hadn’t heard about HelloWallet until stumbling upon them through word of mouth from a friend just a few days ago. I was expecting to see an undeveloped raw website that still had a lot of work to do.  Hesitant to pay $8.95 a month, I signed up anyway and will show you why I like them so much, and why I think you should scrap Quicken, Mint.com and all of the others (if you can afford to do so).

No Advertisements or Sales Pitches

In life, you get what you pay for. While using Mint.com is the cheapest way to control your budget, it includes a ton of advertisements and up-sells in order to keep the doors open.   The refreshing part of spending money to use HelloWallet is that it is 100% advertisement free.  No banner advertisements around the outside, no pop-up boxes or windows that require you to select “no thanks”.  Every page of the website has a contact box to reach the staff at HelloWallet and nothing else.

Adding Accounts and Transactions

I spent just over an hour and was able to add every financial account I had, minus one.   The only problem I ran into during the upload of new accounts was the addition of my American Express Personal Savings bank account.  When adding, I received the following error message:

It’s nice to know that the problem in adding this account is on their end, and I’ll check back in a few days and provide an update to readers when the problem is resolved.

Should a user of HelloWallet not have accounts listed but want specific transactions added, that can be done fairly easily, too.  Select the “transaction” tab in your header navigation and you should be able to click on a box that says “add transaction.”   Here’s a quick peek at what this looks like:

HelloWallet Budget

After you’ve added accounts and income to your HelloWallet account, the next step is to start mapping out your budget.   There are a variety of account classifications already built into the software, but if you require a few of your own, those can be added, too.

To give you an example of how the budget section of HelloWallet is broken down, take a look at this sample budget summary shown after you select this tab in your navigation header:

The list of debts and credit continues down the page depending on how many accounts and monthly payments you decide to add.  If an expense you’ve added is not in your monthly budget, HelloWallet will ask you if you want to add this to your permanent monthly budget, which is a nice feature.

In addition to the features I’ve mentioned above, HelloWallet does a great job of providing a look into the future as well as keep you abreast of your current goals.

• Plan – This section of the software allows users to look ahead at their future based on current scenarios, debts and earnings.  Because I paid my estimated taxes in January of 2012, I’m told I would spend more than $5 million in expenses before I retire, so I’ll be sure to square that up.
• Goals – Although I haven’t added any yet, this feature is somewhat self explanatory.  Any user can log-in and add goals that HelloWallet will track.  The process to add a goal is a bit lengthy (seven steps), but the more this software can learn about you, the better it will be in helping you achieve your financial goals.
• Trends – I enjoy looking at what I’ve spent month-to-month and this is the section of the site that spells out exactly that.  I can flag any purchase I’ve made and compare my trends vs. my income and/or my budget

HelloWallet Verdict

By now I guess you can tell how much I’ve enjoyed using this software, albeit for a few hours.  The only issue I ran into was adding one of my savings accounts and I immediately filed an email with their support staff, which I hope will be returned promptly.   The look and functionality of HelloWallet is the best I’ve come across and even though the cost is $8.95 a month, it’s something I will continue to use for a long time.  Mint.com, YNAB and Quicken are still a little too clunky for me and from what I’ve experienced so far, HelloWallet offers unparalleled flexibility.

• Visit HelloWallet.com to start managing your budget with ease.

Debt sucks.  There’s just no prettier way to say it and for the past four years, I’ve been dealing with more non-mortgage debt than most Americans will ever see.  You see, after being extremely stupid and attending a private university for five years (to obtain a four year degree no less), I took on the best jobs I could.  Mathematics is a tough field to be employed in and since I have no accounting certifications, it’s even more difficult.  You teach, or you move on.

And so, I’ve been maneuvering more than $200,000 in credit card, student loan and other debt for quite some time.  My self employed business has really come on in the past six months, so making payments and creating a budget that is working has been much easier than it used to be.  Now having money to meet all of my bills, I decided to take on Quicken Deluxe, the famous budgeting software to help me out.  So far … so good.

When starting with Quicken, I can tell you there were growing pains.  As smart of a guy as I think I am, it was difficult for me to initially grasp how to set up and interlock all of my personal accounts.  Setting up accounts are pretty easy but maintaining them can be difficult.  Some of the accounts I have, like Chase for example, offer the ability to update for a $10 monthly fee.  Kind of defeats the purpose of using Quicken if you ask me so instead, I’m forced to perform hard updates which can take some time.  But after spending a few months using the software and learning how to manage by budget quickly, I love this stuff!

One of the primary reasons I started using Quicken Deluxe was to track the progress I’ve made with my debt.  You can see from the screenshot above (sorry for the size) that I now sit on $156K in debt from student loans.  I have 11 different places in which that debt is housed, and some loan providers have multiple loans being paid back (like Sallie Mae and my Government loans).  Just six months ago, this number was north of $200k so I’ve made quite the dent in my debt.  On the surface, it would appear that I simply paid off $45,000 but it’s not that simple.

The hard work came in negotiating my debt down.  You may not realize it, but you have a lot of power when it comes to paying back the debts you owe.  Here’s a quick list of what I did to reduce my debt load:

1. Re-budget My Life – Now that business is good, I decided to put as much money as I can toward my debt.  This means absolutely no savings.  I understand this is a risky move, but considering my average loan interest rate is 7% and the best I can do with an online savings account is 1%, it’s a no-brainer.
2. Ask For Forgiveness- If you offer to pay more every month, some lenders will forgive any fees you’ve generate on your account over the years.  A few years ago, I was a habitual late payer (or no payer) so I had a few hundred dollars in fees on every loan I had.
3. Double Up – Every extra dollar you put toward the loan today is another dollar plus interest you won’t have to pay in the future.  I’ve decided to double all of my current loan payments in the attempt to pay them off lightning fast.

Watching the progress of my debt dwindle down is great motivation to keep it going and Quicken allows me to watch the numbers drop, as well as set up a full monthly budget and track every single purchase I make.  It may sound counter-productive to spend $40 to manage your debt but 2011 Quicken Deluxe is perfect for anyone needing stability in their financial lives.

Traveling doesn’t have to break the bank. In fact, if done properly and with an open mind and a lot of time energy, you are bound to find some pretty great deals. Flights, hotels, transportation and more can all be wrapped into one and often times, the vacation is cheaper if you book a package deal. Where might you ask can such deals be found? DoughRoller has assembled a bevy of resources to aid you in your travel planning (the below are not in any particular order and the resource that yields you the best deal will vary depending on destination, length of stay and a variety of other factors):

Orbitz – Orbitz offers travelers the ability to book their flight and hotel together to get access to discounted rates. Plus, Orbitz offers promotion codes that provide instant discounts on vacation packages. In addition, vacation packages are customizable; Orbitz lets you mix and match from a huge selection of flights, hotels and rental cars worldwide as well as adding tickets to tours, shows, sporting events and other memorable activities too.

Priceline – Priceline puts the power of pricing back in your hands by allowing you to name your own price for hotels if the offer is accepted and pay no booking fees for flights, cars, or vacation packages. The site also offers reviews by travelers to help you make the best travel decision. You can save up to 50% over other leading online sites.

Trip Advisor – Perhaps the largest online community of travelers, this is is the first (and often, last) stop for vacation planners. Not only can you book flights, hotels, car rentals, and buy tickets for attractions, you also have access to thousands of first hand reviews from real travelers. As everything is real time, Trip Advisor usually has more up to date information than travel books or guides like Frommers or Fodors.

Your Local Travel Agent – In this day of Internet crazed consumers, one should not underestimate the help of a travel agent. Although many have completely migrated away from the services of travel agencies, some travel agents are able to offer great deals on vacation packages as they may receive big discounts from various travel sources. It never hurts to call.

Travelocity – With no booking fees, Travelocity offers travelers a one-stop source for booking vacation packages. The web site boasts, “Save up to $525 on vacations when you book Flight + Hotel vacation packages. Plus, find deals on cheap vacations to top destinations worldwide.” Travelocity often has great deals on cruises, Walt Disney World vacations and more.

Apple Vacations – For over 40 years, Apple Vacations has worked to establish strong relationships with the best hotel and airline companies, resulting in superior service and lower pricing. Apple offers all inclusive vacations include round trip airfare, baggage handling, resort transfers to and from the destination’s airport, services of an Apple Representative in-resort, hotel accommodations, taxes and gratuities. When you purchase an all-inclusive package, all meals, drinks, gratuities, entertainment, and a variety of water sports are included as well. Apple offers vacation packages all over the world.

Sydney, Australia - Courtesy of Flickr.com

Kayak – The only place you need to search for discounted airfare. This web site actually allows you to kill “several birds with one stone” as Kayak searches over 140+ airlines and travel agencies (including Orbitz.com, Travelocity.com, Hotwire.com, and other big airfare search engines) to aggregate the best flight deals, hotel deals and/or vacation packages all in one place.

Last Minute – Last minute airfare, hotel, attractions, and packages in one database. If you are ready to get away fast, this is a great website to utilize. Last Minute saves travelers an average of $240 on vacation packages.

Expedia – Budget vacation packages for family vacations, romantic travel, other cheap vacations and trips. Expect to find great vacation deals with Expedia. Expedia offers travelers the ability to book flights, hotels and rental cars all in one place.

One Travel – Save even more on your next trip by booking one of OneTravel’s cheap vacation packages. Perfect for travelers on a budget, One Travel’s packages include hotel accommodations and round-trip airfare with the option of a car rental. Vacation packages around the world are available. Cheap vacation deals are constantly being updated and book quickly because time is of the essence.

Hotwire – Find cheap vacation packages and deals that meet your budget and travel needs. Book all inclusive and last minute vacation deals at Hotwire.com.

Travel Zoo – Similar to Kayak, Travel Zoo searches for vacation packages from loads of providers including airlines, travel and tour companies all in one place. In addition, sign up to receive the Travel Zoo weekly newsletter which highlights the week’s Top 20 best travel deals from hundreds of companies.

Budget Travel – This web magazine by Frommers is focused on budget travel. Search by destination to see the best travel deals and vacations as selected by the Budget Traveler editors. Writers post stories on destinations, budget itineraries, tips for finding cheap flights or accommodations, and more.  You can even post your own travel journal, photos or videos, and read others’ travel journals.  There’s a paper magazine version that you can subscribe to ($20 for 20 issues), if you prefer to read your cheap vacation news in print.

Minsk, Belarus - Courtesy of Pixdaus.com

Mobissimo – Mobissimo is the ultimate travel search engine with a simple mission: improve the way people seek and discover travel information. The Mobissimo search engine performs real-time queries of multiple websites that travelers traditionally check manually (plus dozens of others that are often overlooked) to get travelers the best deals on flights, hotels and vacation packages.

Trip Mama – Trip Mama is a Travel Comparison Site designed for the informed, knowledgeable and discerning consumer. Trip Mama’s platform provides educated consumers with a wide variety of search options, targeted and filtered content and a stage for voicing opinions on any travel category. This site offers the consumer the ability to compare hundreds of package deals with a click and save up to 65%.

Travel Flea Market –TravelFleaMarket.com has great discount vacation package prices all over the world including the beach, sin-city, a romantic getaway or a last minute vacation. Simply search under the Vacation Packages category or select a sub-category.  The site’s best discounts can be found on the SuperBUYS page. Additionally travelers can sign up for the SuperBUYS newsletter, which consolidates the best discount vacations and all inclusive vacation packages deals weekly or monthly depending on your preference.

Cruise and Vacation Packages – Specializing primarily in low cost cruise vacation packages, this web site assists the traveler in picking out desired cruising locations and cruising environment. The site offers access to vacation packages from the major cruise lines as well as vacation packages domestic and international.

Fun Jet – Fun Jet works with travel agents, airline suppliers, resort suppliers and tour operators to give travelers the best vacation possible. Fun Jet Vacations sells both charter program flights and scheduled commercial flights along with our hotel accommodations and transportation.

GoToday.com – This site offers European Vacation packages to places like London, Paris and Prague.

Buenos Aires, Argentina - Courtesy of Zimbio.com

Smarter Travel – SmarterTravel.com is one of the largest online travel resources for unbiased travel news, deals, and timely expert advice. SmarterTravel.com members are eligible for special discounts on airfares, hotels, car rentals, and more, providing our members with tremendous savings.

Disney World Vacation Packages – The ultimate Disney World vacation package is a click away. This site is full of endless options in terms of which parks to visit, what entertainment to see, hotels, restaurants, theme park tickets, etc.

GORP – This site specializes in outdoor travel guides and adventure travel information and gives travelers the resources needed to book outdoor/adventure trips including skiing, hiking, climbing, snorkeling, and horseback riding. Travelers can input destination information and the type of activity they are seeking and Gorp will produce a variety of suggested destinations that match the search criteria, as well as tour operators in the area that can help make the trip exciting. In addition, GORP provides great information on National Parks.

Sandals – Sandals offers all inclusive vacations at one of many Sandals resorts. Resorts are located throughout the Caribbean and include accommodation, air fare, food and alcohol for the duration of your stay.

Trip.com – Free travel search site designed to help travelers like you find the cheapest flights, cheapest hotels, cheapest car rentals, and cheapest vacation packages across all of your favorite travel websites with one easy click.

Las Vegas Direct – Las Vegas Direct provides people with low pricing on hotels and airfare as well as a website that provides all the information one needs to book a trip to Las Vegas, Reno, Tahoe, Atlantic City and other top casino resort destinations.

Many readers are familiar with the plethora of personal finance tracking sites available these days. Now there is a newcomer to that arena: DoughHound.com. The site launched earlier this year, and was created by married couple Daniel and Jillian Tobias, a spin-off of their personal project to save enough money for a trip around the world.

The primary difference between DoughHound.com and other sites, such as Mint.com, is that DoughHound is made with the privacy concerned in mind. Dough Hound does not require users to offer up their private, personal account information. This feature comes with pros and cons. For those skittish about sharing their information, it provides a great amount of peace of mind. On the other hand, DoughHound does not automatically track and categorize expenses. Users have to manually enter their expenses and tag them in one or more categories. This presents the user with a much heavier time burden: minutes spend recording expenses can add up. However, it also avoids errors that sometimes occur when sites automatically sort expenses into categories.

DoughHound allows users to take a direct control approach to their finances. Members can set up budgets to keep track of category spending over time, and use their data to create custom charts and views. Users can see how on track they are with their goals each time they log on.

You may be thinking that DoughHound doesn’t sound like anything you can’t accomplish with a home spreadsheet program, and for the most part you’re right. But the major advantage of DoughHound over those kinds of programs is that you need not be bothered setting up complicated formulas. You can just focus on what you’re spending, what you’re spending it on, and whether or not it’s in line with your goals.

For those interested in trying DoughHound, the good news is that it’s free. The site charges nothing for use, keeps your data private, and links to no outside accounts.  It will accept advertisers, but has no intention to ever charge for its service. You can delete your data at any time. You can have one account per email address. The site also comes with a tutorial to use to get started.

For anyone interested in tracking other numbers, you can do that too. As Dough Hound boasts on their FAQ, you can use their tool to track calories, finances for a special project. You can also enable Dough Hound to accept direct emails of data, making it easy to add new spending information to your account at any time.

Regardless of whether or not you’re sold on DoughHound, or any other personal finance-tracking site, it’s important to take an occasional look at the total picture of your finances. It’s good to sit down and take a look at your goals, your spending, and how they align. Are you fully funding your retirement accounts? Saving enough for your child’s education? The next vacation? The time off to write your novel? What about your next car? Are their any parts of the budget you could trim down? It’s best to ask yourself these questions frequently. That way, you always know your spending is aimed square at your goals.

“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.”–Charles W. Eliot.

As the holiday buying season gets underway, I thought I’d share those personal finance and investing books that have been my best “friends,” “counselors,” and “teachers.” If followed, these books have the power to change your financial life and the financial life of somebody you know.

For the young or new investor, I cannot recommend a better book. The Bogleheads’ Guide to Investing explains in an easy to understand way investing, mutual funds, bond funds, asset allocation, taxes and more. I bought this book for my sister earlier this year. With no investing experience, she said the book was very easy to read. She’s also now regularly investing in her 401(k)! If you or somebody you know is at all intimidated about investing, this book is a must read.

If you or somebody you know are raising children, this book is a must. I struggle to find the best approach to teaching my children about money. Do you pay an allowance, or not? Do you tie allowance to chores? How do you teach your children to be responsible with money? Raising Money Smart Kids (Kiplinger’s Personal Finance) answers these and other questions. The book is easy to read and provides a lot of great ideas. With two teenagers, I can’t stress the importance of teaching children at a young age the right attitudes about money, and this book can help.

Whether you’re just starting you out or are dissatisfied with your career, What Color Is Your Parachute? (2011) can help you determine what line of work you’d most enjoy. What Color Is Your Parachute Workbook: How to Create a Picture of Your Ideal Job or Next Career is a companion workbook that is worth considering, too. Both books can also help you if you’ve lost a job or our thinking of a career change.

For the not so new investor, The Intelligent Asset Allocator is a great book to learn some of the more advanced concepts of asset allocation. If you’ve read this book, two good alternatives are The Four Pillars of Investing and All About Asset Allocation. So once you’ve read The Bogleheads’ Guide to Investing and are looking for more advanced materials, these books are the best of the best.

Your Money or Your Life does a great job of describing how our lives and money should interact. This book will definitely give you a new perspective on money and work. A note of caution, however. The book includes chapters on inflation and investing that are truly misguided. But the rest of the book is worth reading, particularly if you or somebody you know struggle to control your spending.

This book can be a real paradigm shift if you envision most millionaires as driving expensive cars and living in mansions. The Millionaire Next Door describes how most self-made millionaires actually live. I’ll give you a hint–they live modestly. I do think some of the millionaires described in this book go to an extreme that most of us would find unacceptable. But there are some important lessons to be learned here that can help us achieve financial independence.

Written by Kimberly Palmer of U.S. News & World Report fame, Generation Earn is a recently published book that is ideal for young adults. I’m working on a full review of the book know, but one great aspect of this book include real life examples of how young adults have managed their financial lives. It’s helpful to hear about the mistakes and successes that others have experienced. The book also takes some controversial approaches to certain aspects of money, particularly debt. Rather than just falling in line with traditional finance books, Generation Earn takes a fresh approach to money issues that have plagued people for generations.

If you have read other great personal finance or investing books, please share them in the comments below.

Trying to create a resume from scratch can be a real chore, particularly if you’ve just been laid off. We’ve written in the past about free resume templates that can help you develop a professional looking resume. Microsoft has updated its site that provides literally hundreds of free resume samples and templates. And the site has some really useful features that are worth checking out if you’re looking to update your resume.

Resume Samples by Experience Level and Industry

Perhaps the best feature is that Microsoft sorts the resume templates and cover letters by experience level and industry. It offers resume and cover letter samples in the following categories (with number of available templates in parenthesis):

• Basic Resumes (85)
• Entry-Level & College Students (85)
• Experienced Professional Resumes (100)
• Job Specific (76)
• Situation-Specific Resumes (e.g., career move)(15)

There are many sub-categories, and the resume template collection can be searched. Users can rate each template on a 5-star scale, so you immediately see user feedback on every resume.

Post Your Resume Online

You can also post your resume online. Microsoft has partnered with monster.com, an online employment site. If you are new to monster.com, you can get started by clicking here.

Resume Building Tips and Articles

Microsoft also offers several articles on how to build an effective resume and general job hunting tip. Here are some of the articles that caught my eye:

• Five Resume Tips for College Students
• Keyword Challenge Find the Right Ones for Your Resume
• Sample Cover Letter for an IT Professional

All in all, Microsoft offers a great resource if you are in the market for a job or just want to update your resume. If you use the service and find a resume template you really like, please leave a comment below to let us know.

And if you’re fortunate enough not to be hunting for a job, check out this great personal finance articles and carnivals from the last week:

Personal Finance Articles

• Readers Share Favorite Cash Back Programs (@My Dollar Plan)
• Current Coupon Codes and Money Savings Offers (@Cash Money Life)
• 15 Low Cost Ways to Beat Stress (@Wise Bread)
• Percentages are the Way You Think (@Bad Money Advice)
• How to Budget for Medical Expenses (@The Wallet – WSJ)
• Obama’s 2009 Robin Hood Health Care Reform Plan – What’s in it for You and How Much Will it Cost Tax Payers (@Saving to Invest)
• Dave Ramsey And The Power of Behavioral Finance (@Moolanomy)

Finance & Investing Carnivals

• Carnival of Personal Finance #214: United States Presidents Edition (@Poorer Than You)
• Carnival Of Money Stories #11 – Money Quotes Edition (@Bible Money Matters)
• Carnival of Personal Finance: New Zealand Edition! (@Man vs. Debt)
• Carnival of Pecuniary Delights: Sweet 16 Edition (@Wise Bread)
• Carnival of Twenty Something Finances for July 13, 2009 (@Money Under 30)

Did you ever wonder if you were getting the best price for something you buy online? There are a number of tools that will help answer that question, and even watch the Internet for a better deal. Price Protectr is one of those tools, and it’s really easy to use.

Once you find what you want to buy on the Internet, cut and paste the url of product information page (the page where you can add the product to your shopping card) into Price Protectr, and it will monitor the Internet for a better deal. Give Price Protectr your email, and it will send you a note when it finds the product at a better price. It can also track the price on items you’ve already bought, and if the price goes down, you may be able to get some money back if the store you bought from has a 30-day price guarantee. Here’s a screen shot of the entry form:

And to make using this tool really easy, Price Protectr offers a Firefox toolbar that enables you to ‘cut and paste’ the product url into Price protectr with the click of a button. And here’s a short video showing how to use Price Protectr:

Now to take your mind off shopping, here are some great personal finance articles and carnivals from the past week:

Personal Finance Articles

• OK, I’m Frugal – Now What? (@Domestic Cents)
• 10 Tips From Tim Ferriss, Guy Kawazaki and Keith Ferazzi on Lifeline Relationships and Mentoring (@Money Energy)
• 4 Quick Money “Fixes” That Will Put You In The Poor House – Amateur Asset Allocator (@Amateur Asset Allocator)
• Quicken offers deal for jilted Microsoft Money users: Consumer Reports Money & Shopping Blog (@Consumer Reports)
• Credit Cards That Don’t Require Swiping (@Alpha Consumer)
• An Investor’s Manifesto: 20 Guiding Principles for Investment Success (@Get Rich Slowly)
• Finding an Investment Property with InvestorLoft and PropScout (@My Money Blog)
• 107 Things That Make Good Financial Cents (@Good Financial Cents)
• Commodities – How Natural Resources Affect a Country’s Economics (@Mint)
• On Money and Psychology (@Bad Money Advice)

Personal Finance Carnivals

• Carnival of Debt Reduction – Learn Some Investing Basics (@ABCs of Investing)
• Carnival of Money Stories: Father’s Day Edition (@Not The Jet Set)
• Carnival of everything about personal finance – 1st Edition (@nil2million)
Festival of Frugality #182 – Revenge of the Fallen Edition (@Stupid Cents)
• Working at Home Blog Carnival-143rd Edition (@Working at Home on the Internet)
• Carnival of Pecuniary Delights No. 12: Catch a Wave Edition (@Pecuniarities)
• LivingAlmostLarge » 209th Carnival of Personal Finance (@Living Almost Large)
• Money Hacks Carnival #69 – The Dollar Bill Edition (@Own the Dollar)
• Carnival of Family Life — The Cathy Thorne Cartoon Edition (@The Expanding Life)
• Carnival Of Twenty Something Finances: Numbers Edition (@How I Save Money)
• Festival of Stocks #145 (@Fat Pitch Financials)

Wouldn’t it be great if one site allowed us to search across thousands of company websites and employment directories for job openings? Imagine just plugging in the job title you’re looking for and location, and having the site return a long list of job opportunities. Well that is exactly what Indeed.com claims to do. The interesting thing about Indeed is that it looks and feels like Google, including the results page.

Indeed.com saves your most recent searches, and the results can be sorted by salary, company, job title, location and so on. You can also get email updates based on searches you’ve performed. For example, Indeed.com can notify you when a programming job that meets certain requirements becomes available in your area. So if you or someone you know is looking for a job, Indeed.com looks to be a great employment resource.

Here’s a short video showing how to search for jobs on Indeed.com:

Picking mutual funds to entrust your hard earned cash can often feel like a crap shoot. The experts tell us not to look at past results, but let’s be honest, it’s the first thing most of us look at. And if past results are not an indicator of future performance, why are past results plastered all over mutual fund marketing materials? But in Vanguard’s most recent newsletter sent out to investors, Burton Malkiel describes what he calls the “50-50″ rule to selecting mutual funds.

Burton Malkiel is a Princeton University economist and author of the best-selling book, A Random Walk Down Wall Street.

Whether you are looking to invest in a new fund or evaluate the funds you already own, the 50-50 rule can help you pick long term winners. The 50-50 Rule has just two components, a fund’s expense ratio and its turnover ratio.

Invest in Mutual Funds with an Expense Ratio Under 0.50%

The expense ratio is how much a mutual fund charges investors to manage the fund. An expense ratio of 1%, for example, will cost you 1% each year of the amount you have invested in the fund. An investment of $10,000 will cost $100 for a fund that has a 1% expense ratio. That might not seem like a lot, but at $100,000 invested, the cost goes to $1,000 per year, and at $500,000 the cost goes up to $5,000. Many retirement funds rise to seven figures (hopefully) as you near retirement, so the expense ratio becomes even more important.

Malkiel believes that most investors should stick with funds that charge less than 0.50%. According to his research, funds with expense ratios under 0.5% generally perform better than their higher cost competitors. He does note that with some funds, like those investing in emerging markets or other highly specialized assets, a higher expense ratio may be acceptable. But on the whole, he recommends keeping the costs below 0.50%.

As it turns out, this is the same rule I’ve followed for years. While some of my funds charge more than 0.50%, my goals is to pay less than 0.50% on a weighted average for all of my mutual fund investments. Currently, my weigted average cost is 0.47%.

If you’d like to check the weighted average cost of your mutual funds, Morningstar’s Portfolio Manager is just the tool you need (and it’s free). Check out this article on how to use Morningstar’s Portfolio Manager for all the details.

Invest in Mutual Funds with a Turnover Ratio Under 50%

The second part of the 50-50 rule is really important, but one that many people overlook. A mutual fund’s turnover ratio is the portion of its portfolio that it will trade in a given year. For example, a turnover ratio of 100% means that the fund trades the equivalent of 100% of its portfolio every 12 months. A 100% turnover ratio would not mean that the fund bought or sold every security it owns. Rather, a $100 million fund with a 100% turnover ratio means that it buys and sells securities valued at $100 million each year. And that means that a fund can have a turnover ratio of more than 100%.

There are several factors that contribute to a fund’s turnover ratio. First, a fund’s management may buy and sell large blocks of securities as part of their investment strategy. Second, if outflows of a fund greatly exceed inflows, a fund may have to sell securities to pay investors as they exit the fund. A fund may also trade securities for tax purposes, matching losses with gains to help minimize the tax hit to its investors.

Malkiel recommends that investors stick with funds with a turnover ratio of 50% or less. The reason he gives is that it costs mutual funds a lot of money to buy and sell securities. And these costs are NOT included in the expense ratio. The reason is that a fund does not know what the cost of trading will be for a given year until the year is over. But the higher the turnover ratio, the higher the costs. Consistent with seeking funds with low expense ratios, funds with low turnover ratios will further keep costs down.

Mutual fund companies must disclose the cost of trading in a document called the Statement of Additional Information. Check out this article on the costs of mutual funds, which includes information on the Statement of Additional Information.

A high turnover ratio can also mean other potential problems with a fund. If your investment is in a taxable account, for example, a high turnover ratio my mean you pay more capital gains tax each year. That’s not always the case, as some fund managers can sell stocks at a loss to offset any gains they have accumulated. But a high turnover ratio is at least cause for concern and further investigation.

My Portfolio

Morningstar’s Portfolio Manager makes it a snap to see the expense ratio, turnover ratio, and just about every other imaginable data point for your mutual funds. Using Malkiel’s 50-50 rule, I checked out my portfolio to see how my funds stacked up. Here is a snapshot:

You can see that the weighted average expense ratio is 0.47%. The turnover ratio, however, is a tad over 50%. This is due entirely to the PIMCO bond fund, and is to be expected for a short to intermediate term bond fund. Apart from this fund, the turnover ratio is well below 50%.

So whether you are looking to invest in a new fund or evaluate the mutual funds you already own, you can use the 50-50 Rule to see how the funds measure up.

For more tips on getting the most out of Morningstar, check out the Morningstar User’s Guide.