Minty Fresh

Have you ever wanted to have the ability to consolidate all of your finances into one easy to use tool (ala Microsoft Money), without spending a dime? Well, Mint.com claims to have the answer. They generate revenue through ads and premium services, but the basics are free.

My experience with Mint started off positively. The first part of the setup went smoothly and I began to add account information for my financials. The first account I setup worked just fine. Then, my personal journey through Dante's Inferno began. There are several steps to the login process for my bank. I am grateful for these steps, as they keep me secure. However, some combination of those steps, coupled with the subtle web service interactions between Mint and my bank had gone awry. After a phone call to the bank and an exercise in patience, this was resolved.

Mint has been well received in the technical, financial and news communities and I can see why. My immediate impressions are that it is full featured, pleasing to the eye and seems to perform well. I feel that my visibility inside of my own financial life has gone up. Frankly, I never had much luck with Microsoft Money anyhow. Give Mint.com a try.