Way back in 1995, I remember when I helped a young pest control business get their first computer. We set up their books with a new software from Quicken. Over the years, Quicken has been the only real money management software for personal of business use.

Since then there has been several of money management programs to come on the market and many of them leave. Then in 2005, Aaron Patzer said there could be something better. So in 2008 Mint.com came out of beta.

A few weeks ago, a friend and I were talking. Then out of the blue he blurred out like someone who was about to be tortured. “I am afraid that I am going to have to file for bankruptcy.”

I could see the pain in his eyes. He was the type of person who did not have a lot of money. He paid his bills. He took pride in providing for his family. The mere idea of bankruptcy was the worst possible thing that could happen. He believed that if he could not provide for his family he was the scum of the earth.

How much does a lawyer cost? Well that all depends what you need a lawyer to do for you.

According to Lawyers.com the national average is $284 per hour. Then depending on they type of lawyer you need and the area of the United States, that $284 per hour can quickly turn into over $1,000 per hour.

Note, I said per hour. Court appearances, filing fee, and research can put a person in the poor house before going to court. That does not say you are going to win your case.

Considering the world we live, where there are single parents or both parents are working, it is imperative that there is some kind of day care the the children. Some families use retired grandparents to help the greater good of the family. Others families are not so fortunate, it is a constant struggle until the child is old enough to take care of themselves for one or two hours after school.

Depending on the daycare this could be $100 to $400 maybe even more per week. Then there is the problem of getting the little ones back and forth to school.

Have you considered the YMCA? Yes, the YMCA is a lot more than yes an athletic club. The YMCA has evolved to a community resource center for people of all ages.

This past week, I came across an article from Nielsen Wire about the relationship of health and financial responsibility. The day before that, I got to sit in on a lecture by Dr. Stephen R. Covey. The underline theme of both messages was personal financial/health before professional financial health.

It got me thinking that attitudes carry over to all parts of our life. How we manage our personal, and home finances will tell how we manage our business finances. This will be reflected in our physical appearance.

Yes, you are going to find the occasional person walking around in old torn clothing, with a million dollars in the bank, but those people are the exceptions to the rule. Most of the people I come across can be read by their overall health and dress.

Two weeks ago we looked at choosing a small bank that would be a good fit for you and your money. Last week we looked at all the advantages of banking with a credit union. This week we are going to look at how to move our money, to a smaller more customer friendly bank.

Moving from a big bank to a little bank, if done wrong, can cost you hundreds of dollars, and lower credit score. If done right, the move will be relatively painless along with not have you paying any late or overdraft fees.

The best way to move from a big bank to a little bank is in stages. I have broke it down into 5 stages. That you will sure that the transition will be smooth and painless as possible.

A few days ago, I was talking to a small group about some articles, that I am doing on how people are ditching large banks in exchange for smaller local banks. One of them spoke up and proceeded to tell up about all the advantages of a credit unions. After listening to what she said, I wanted to find out how valid were her points about credit unions.

The result of my research lead me to find 7 overwhelming reasons to put my money in a credit union as opposed to a bank. Those 7 reasons are what I have listed below.

Lower Fee – Since credit unions are member owned any profit gets distributed to the members in the form of dividends. This results in lower fee for overdrafts combared to non-credit union.

There has been a lot of discussion about moving from large banks like Bank of America and Chase to smaller local banks and local credit unions. This has been the result of general frustration that a lot of people have had with their big banks. Now that frustration has reached the point of taking action.

In my travels, I see smaller local banks and credit unions courting the average depositor. They want people like you and me to move our money to their smaller bank, where we will be treated with more respect.

Once again, how much is enough? How much square footage does a person REALLY need?  How many rooms in a house are full of “stuff?”

It is a universal principle that if you are a good steward to what you have you will gain more. Those who are bad stewards will lose what they have. You see these people who never seem to have anything nice. They don’t take care of what they have, or they are replace what was stolen from them.

I hang my head low in shame over the amount of stuff I have had stolen or lost over the years. I must admit it was through carelessness on my part. I either did not lock locks or I left valuables in open tempting people to come by and steal from me.