Websites to help you plan your financial future

  • By Reid Kanaley The Philadelphia Inquirer
  • Friday, January 27, 2012 5:51pm
  • Business

Planning your life, or even a weekend getaway, can be daunting. But without a road map of some kind, it’s hard to get there from here. That’s why financial planning is important. Here are sites to help on the journey.

•Could you save $5 a week? Sometimes, starting out small is the surest path to success. The financial planning area on About.com suggests modest steps that will redirect your spending and move you toward the most basic concept in financial planning: budgeting. After learning to budget, you can step up to organizing your finances, then work on improving your credit score and setting other goals; financialplan.about.com.

You can learn a lot about financial planning by scanning financial-planning.com, a site for professional planners who advise clients on how to save and what to do with their money. There are wide-ranging alerts on investment ideas, and even insights into the world of professional advice-givers, who must now be attuned to the art of getting and keeping customers by the savvy use of social media; www.financial-planning.com.

Do you need to hire a financial planner? The Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards thinks so, of course. If you do, the board’s website explains what the process should look like when you are dealing with a professional, including your rights as a client. And even if you don’t, reviewing it explains processes that may help you formulate your own plan; is.gd/uQo7tW.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Business

Vincent Nattress, the owner of Orchard Kitchen, at his adjacent farm on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026 in Langley, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Island County chef takes a break from the kitchen to write

Chef Vincent Nattress has closed Orchard Kitchen while he works on two books.

A chocochurro ice cream taco offered as a part of the taco omakase chef tasting at Bar Dojo on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Bar Dojo helped build the Edmonds restaurant scene

It first opened in late 2012 when the restaurant scene in Edmonds was underdeveloped.

Whiskey Prime Steakhouse’s 18-ounce Chairman steak with garlic confit, 12-year aged balsamic vinegar and bourbon-soaked oak at the Angel of the Winds Casino Resort on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026 in Arlington, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
This casino offers an off-the-menu, dry-aged delicacy

Whiskey Prime, the steakhouse inside Angel of the Winds Casino Resort in Arlington, can’t keep up with customer demand for its special steaks.

The Boeing Aerospace Adventure flight simulators at the Boeing Future of Flight on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Boeing expands hours for Future of Flight and factory tour

Aerospace giant hopes to draw more tourists with move from five to seven days a week.

Kentucky Fried Chicken along Broadway on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Few vacant retail spaces in Snohomish County

A lack of new construction and limited supply are cited as key reasons.

Cashless Amazon Go convenience store closes on Sunday in Mill Creek

The Mill Creek location is one of 16 to be shut down by Amazon.

The Naval Station Everett Base on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Rebooted committee will advocate for Naval Station Everett

The committee comes after the cancellation of Navy frigates that were to be based in Everett.

Snohomish County unemployment reaches 5.1%

It’s the highest level in more than three years.

Tommy’s Express Car Wash owners Clayton Wall, left, and Phuong Truong, right, outside of their car wash on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Clayton Wall brings a Tommy’s Express Car Wash to Everett

The Everett location is the first in Washington state for the Michigan-based car wash franchise.

A view of the Orchard Kitchen and farm. (Photo courtesy of Orchard Kitchen)
Island County chef takes a break from the kitchen to write

Chef Vincent Nattress has closed Orchard Kitchen while he works on two books.

The livery on a Boeing plane. (Christopher Pike / Bloomberg)
Boeing begins hiring for new 737 variant production line at Everett factory

The 737 MAX 10 still needs to be certificated by the FAA.

Mike Fong
Mike Fong will lead efforts to attract new jobs to Everett

He worked in a similar role for Snohomish County since Jan. 2025 and was director of the state Department of Commerce before that.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.