Home Equity Loan Lowdown

10 Free Alternatives to Quicken

Sure, Quicken is a great personal financial tool; it comes packed with a whole load of features, and if you’re used to it, you may not want to give it up. Not until the bugs and advertisements get to you; or the newer features become too complicated to use; or the automatic aspects rub you the wrong way; or the cost weighs you down. Well, in that case, if you are on the lookout for an equally good alternative to manage your money, seek no further – your search begins and ends here, at this list of 10 free alternatives to Quicken.

1. Ace Money Lite: Perfect for managing individual or family finances, this freeware allows you to bank online, plan and set up payments, track your investments, and manage your accounts on eBay and other online market places, besides taking care of your normal budget and expense/income tracking needs. 

2. Accounts & Budget Free: If it’s just one account you’re looking to manage, this software should do the trick. It’s available in Italian, French, Danish, Polish, Croatian and Portuguese besides English, and provides you the tools to create a budget, and keep track of expenses and income. You can dabble in several currencies, and also import from and export data to QIF, OFX, OFC and CSV files.

3. Buxfer: This one’s web-based; just sign up to start tracking your transactions and printing out reports. Buxfer allows you to enter expenses from your mobile phone through a text message, a great way when you’re trying to keep an account of joint expenses that have to be split later. Setting up an online account means you are not tied to just one computer when you need to check the state of your finances. 

4. Clear Checkbook: Another free hosted software, Clear Checkbook lets you track your credit card purchases, set categories, spending limits and reminders, view past spending patterns, and print reports. What sets this freeware apart from the others is that you can manage any number of accounts. With the CheckBot feature, you can check your bank balance and arrange payments to or from your account using AIM, ICQ or text messages from mobiles.

5. Gnu Cash: Developed for Linux lovers, this software which runs on GNU/Linux, Solaris and Mac OS X systems, is now available for use on Windows as a self-installing file. Its list of advantages reads long – it’s a double entry accounting system, it lets you import data from both Quicken and Microsoft Money, and export data to many different formats. A cool open source tool, Gnu Cash also lets you monitor your investment portfolio (stocks, bonds and mutual funds).   

6. jGnash Personal Finance: Written in Java, this software can run on any OS that supports Java 1.4.0 or greater Runtime Environment like Linux, Mac OS X or Windows. jGnash is pretty feature-rich for a free application – it supports account and investment tracking, PDF report generation, account reconciliation using the double-entry accounting system, entry in various currencies, online updates of stock prices and currency exchange rates, and secure file encryption. You can also import files from Microsoft Money and Gnu Cash through a customizable UI.

7. Money Manager Ex: A nifty financial planning tool that works across various platforms (Linux or Windows), Money Manager Ex packs in all the features of a regular money management solution besides letting you track depreciation on your fixed assets, forecast your cash flow, set up reminders for regular bill payments, and maintain credit card accounts and investment portfolios. Also allows file imports from Money or Excel (any CSV format).

8. Money Trackin: Set tags for your transactions, print reports and access your account from any computer or mobile phone with this online money management tool.

9. Wesabe: If you’re into the social networking scene, you’ll love Wesabe. It combines the best aspects of online social life and financial planning into one great package that makes managing your money both fun and productive. Set up an account, transfer your transactions either manually or automatically, set tags for each expense or income, and view your spending patterns according to these tags. You can set targets to achieve, and compare notes and share information with others in the community with similar goals. Based on your tags, you can also see where to get the best deals or where you can shop for more and pay less.

10. Yodlee: Set up Yodlee through your bank and watch it manage your finances for you. All your transactions are imported automatically, and you can view your net worth at any given time. The software takes into account all payments due in and out of your account. Set notifiers for events that need your immediate attention, like the payment of bills or when an account is running low on money and you’re about to overdraw. Yodlee also keeps track of the reward points you’ve earned on your credit cards and the number of minutes left on your prepaid mobile phone. The best part of all this – Yodlee has a reputation for offering the highest security for your transactions.

The 10 Most (and 10 Least) Valuable Home Improvements when Preparing to Sell your Home

When you're selling a home, you want it to be attractive to prospective buyers. For many sellers, this means taking on renovations. You want these home improvements to add up to profit when it comes time to sell. Otherwise, you're just throwing money down the drain. Check out these home improvements to learn what helps attract buyers and what's a lost cause.

Helpful

1. Tidy up your kitchen: You probably don't need to renovate your entire kitchen to add value to your home; it’s enough to make strategic improvements. It makes sense to replace fixtures and appliances that are old or broken, but don't spend too much money on items that won't appeal to a broad audience.

2. Beautify your bathroom: If your home has just one bathroom, consider adding a new one when you’re planning to sell. Give your existing bathrooms a new look by replacing faded tiles and rusted faucets. If you cannot afford a complete bathroom makeover, scrub your fixtures and tiles until they shine like new. Be sure to remove personal paraphernalia when showing your bathroom to buyers and agents.

3. Perk up the paint: One surefire way to make your home look brand new is to give it a fresh coat of paint on the inside and outside. Wash the grime off before you start on the paint work and keep your choice of colors neutral so that most people will be attracted to them.
 
4. Work on your windows: Replacing your windows, whether vinyl or wood, will add more appeal to your home when you’re planning to sell it.

5. Step up the curb appeal: Potential buyers are more attracted to your house if the exterior is neat and uncluttered. Clean up your lawn, trim your shrubs, rake dead leaves away, and re-seal your driveway.

6. Add air conditioning: Most buyers take it for granted that all homes come with central air conditioning systems. Installing one makes perfect sense when you wish to raise your home’s value. If your present system is outdated, consider upgrading it; your prospective buyers will appreciate the savings on energy bills.

7. Sort out those spaces: Many homes look smaller than they are because of clutter and unnecessary furniture. When you're selling, you want your home to look as large as possible. Make it appear bigger by removing excess furniture and knick-knacks. If your rooms are too small, consider taking down a wall to make a larger space. Make sure that the wall you tear down is not a supporting structure. If your home does not have a garage, see if you can convert a part of your garden or lawn into one without incurring too much expense.

8. Build into your basement: If you have empty, open areas like a basement, attic or loft, clear out the rubbish you store in there and consider turning them into utility rooms. If your home does not have enough bedrooms, create one, or better still, leave the space clean and freshly painted so that the new owners can turn it into their own personal space.

9. Put on a patio: Add a patio or deck to the space outside your home. Any place you can relax outdoors certainly adds more appeal and value to your home.

10. Stretch those stories: If your home is too small, but you still want to expand, try going up. Consult architects to find out if adding a floor will work out for you.

Hurtful

1. Removing relics: Don't get rid of things just because they're old. Many buyers appreciate original home fixtures like fireplaces and antique bathtubs. Retain the charm of the house by keeping these relics around.

2. A face-lift for your floor: Floor replacement is not always the most sensible of ideas. Often, buyers have their own plans for flooring, so they may want to change the new hardwood you've just invested so much money on. As an alternative, you can offer a flooring allowance that will enable buyers to do what they please.

3. Building more fireplaces: Just because a fireplace looks good in one room doesn't mean you need to add one to every other room. Most buyers are not looking for a fireplace in every room, and will not be willing to pay more just because they exist.

4. A swimming pool: While pools are useful when you throw a party or need to relax, they are high maintenance and do not add value when you’re looking to sell your home, especially if you live in a neighborhood where no one else has a pool.

5. Banking on a bar: Home bars are a personal preference that not all potential buyers will appreciate. It’s a bad idea to spend money on installing a bar just to make your place more lounge-worthy.

6. A Jacuzzi: Jacuzzis and hot tubs are not for everyone. You may see that fancy built-in MP3 player, radio or aromatherapy fixture as a valuable improvement, but most others would be reluctant to pay more for such trivialities.

7. Taking on technology: Before you splurge on the latest in elevators, home theater systems and stereo systems than echo all through the house, stop and work out the costs involved. Most technology is soon outdated, and you don’t want to be left holding the bill for something that the next owners do not appreciate.

8. Forget the fancy fittings: If you want to sell fast and at a good price, don't bother with personalized fixtures. Fitting your home with fancy aquariums or customized rooms and cages for pets is not the way to raise your home’s value.

9. Replacing the roof: Roofing is expensive and not a large focus for home buyers. Unless your roof is in need of repair, replacing it will not bring in any extra money when you sell your house.

10. Go easy on your garden: All you need to do to your garden is keep it neat and well-maintained. Forget the decorative fountains, elaborate sculptures and ornamental birdhouses and let the greenery speak for itself.

10 of the Coolest Secret Passages in People’s Homes

--By Sushma Pradhan

Why or what is the purpose behind a secret? Secret could be anything, be it a way to a dream or surprise or a dungeon dark and deep. Nevertheless, secrets always create inquisitiveness. And inquisitiveness gives way to brainstorming. That’s why I believe we have so many wonderful discoveries today. However, I do not want to deviate from what I want to focus. Secrets.

Have you ever thought of secret passages in your home? Don’t you think the idea is cool, well yes it does seem to, but these secret passages are not always cool, behind them may be story of agony or a saga of horror.
But beyond doubt, these secret passages in one’s home has been a fantasy ever since the birth of humankind. How would the fiction world survive without secret passages? Could castles be ever complete without a secret passage? Let us look into some of the secret passages in the homes that have made that age so famous.

A secret passage mostly signifies a concealed route to travel sneakily. These passages are somewhere where no one can detect the entry. The doors are camouflaged so that they appear as a part of the structure such as bookshelf, fireplace, etc. At times, these entrances are ornately designed functioning with a hidden mechanism.

The castles in the medieval ages had secret passages for the inhabitant to escape during a siege. The traditional Arabic houses have secret runaway passages with the concealed doors. These doors are called the “Bab Al Sirr”. Let us travel from down the ancient time through to the present age to few of the secret passages:

1. Egyptian Pyramids (1000 AD):  The Egyptian pyramids has lots of secret passages, which are more commonly called the booby traps. These booby traps are more like an anti-personal weapon to severely harm or kill encroachers. As the name suggests this trap is to ensnare the enemy soldiers and the main purpose behind such booby traps is to ensure the safety of the burial chamber and prevent grave robbers.  There are statues that hold the mechanism to the door opening and leading to the secret chamber.

2. The Passetto (1277):  The Passetto or Passetto di Borgo is a covert operational passage that interlinks  Vatican City and Castle of Sant’ Angelo. It is 800 meter long corridor. The Passetto looks like a wall from outside but it has tunnel inside, which over the time has served as a runaway route to the Popes during emergency. When Charles VIII invaded the Vatican in 1494, Pope Alexander VI crossed himself to safety similarly, Pope Clement fled to safety in the year 1527 during the Sack of Rome.

3. Speakeasies (1920-1930): During the age of US Prohibition, Speakeasies were very common illegal bars. A legitimate business front formed the mode of concealing these infamous bars. One such infamous speakeasies happened to be housed in the Bell Jewelry Store in Decatur, Illinois. Apart from speakeasies the store had a gambling parlor and brothel too.
The customers to the speakeasies or the other illegal corner accessed the place via the stairway that was in the street and entered a shop of the sporting goods. This shop acted like a veil to the dark world behind. The customers walked across the rows of shelves crowded with dusty sports merchandise to a secret panel. This secret panel was in the wall that slid open to bare the entrance of the brothel and speakeasies.

4. Secret passages for smuggling (2000-2002):  Stanislas Gosse used the secret passages to steal more than one thousand books from the library of Mont Sainte-Odile’s monastery. Stanislas Gosse found an old map that showed the secret entrance to the library. The route was a difficult one, it involved climbing the exterior walls, a series of steep stairs and then the secret chamber. The opening to the secret chamber was a special mechanism that was hidden behind one of the five cupboards in the room.
The authorities of the library got suspicious when there was a large disappearance of precious books in a short span of time. It was the closed circuit television that ultimately solved the problem and helped nab Stanislas Gosse.

5.  Tunnel for smuggling: Between US and Mexico there ran a 720 meter long tunnel mostly used for illegal purpose. This tunnel was discovered on January 25 2006. This tunnel not only served as transportation of huge quantities of marijuana but also was used for illegal immigration.

6. Panic Rooms: These rooms are also called the ‘safe rooms’. There are only handful contractors who specialize in constructing hidden doors in the UK and US. These secure rooms are camouflaged for security of the residents mostly for the top executives and celebrities, when there is an invasion or break-in.  These fortified secret rooms are well equipped for action during emergency and the inhabitants can call for help using cellular phones and land-line phones, stay within till the help reaches or normalcy retains.

7. Fictional uses: The secret passages have always formed the plot element for many fictional stories. Bookshelves and special mechanism wonderfully disguised behind common looking object of an ordinary home, form the opening device to these secret passages.
Two such examples of fictional passages are the 'Mysterious Chamber' in the story of Mark Twain.  A young lover cannot fathom how he gets entrapped in the secret passages for years, underneath the castle.
The superhero Batman resides in a bat-cave that is made up of series of subterranean caves that was hidden beneath Wayne Manor, his residence.

8. Secret passages in detective stories: If you know Faulkner’s Folly,  you will also know of the ‘impossible crime’. Mostly a murder takes place is a upper class house and the murderers’ use the secret passageway and hidden doors to reach the victim.  Another character that uses secret passages is the Phantom in ‘The Phantom of the Opera House’. Phantom has his den beneath the opera house. James Bond, the famous character of Ian Flemming, too had hidden lairs and passages.

9. Secret Passages in hotels:  The Fairmont San Francisco that costs 10,000 dollars per night for a entire floor, is a penthouse. It has a two storey circular library, a Tiffany skylight, a 24- hours room service, tiled billiards room and four fireplaces.  In case, the resident wants to receive the guest discreetly one can push the bookcases and find the way through the suite secret passageway.

10. Secret passages in games:  How can one ever think of fun and excitement without secret trap doors and passages in the videogames. In the world of video games dungeon and traps are all around the castles and buildings.  The game Cluedo has two secret passages that the players can access to defend and make a move.
For example, computer and video games have many hidden areas that serve as an important part of the game. These secret passages mostly serve as a bonus or a reward to the player who discovers it.