This is an absolutely great piece of FREE software that I first became aware of by reading a copy of Forbes magazine. It just boggles my mind that the leverage of the internet can provide such powerful services like this for no charge.

The program was developed by Aaron Patzer and he will track your finances and suggest ways to save money, at no charge to you. And if you’re anything like me, personal bookkeeping and budgeting can easily wind up at the bottom of a never-ending to-do list.

Three out of five Americans have never even tried living on a personal budget that tracks their money. Aaron Patzer, on the other hand, has kept his checkbook fastidiously balanced since age 16.

In 2005, he quit his job and created a Web site called Mint. It offers an online service that sweeps through your bank, brokerage and credit card accounts and updates the data daily.

Mint is a gold mine for those looking to take the tedium out of budgeting. You only need to key in log-ins for financial institutions, and Mint will assemble colorful pie charts so users can see cash balances and debts and easily check to see if they‘re over budget.

Mint e-mails users when bank balances get low, bills are due and suspicious card charges appear.

It also analyzes spending habits and lists financial-service options, but does not link account numbers with your name, nor does it offer any way for potential hackers to transfer funds.

Patzer boasts that Mint‘s recommendations save the average user $1,000 the first year.