How to Create a Budget with MoneyLine Personal Finance Software

How to Create a Budget with MoneyLine Personal Finance Software

Learning how to create and manage a budget is an important step to becoming more responsible with your money and achieving financial freedom. In order to save money, you have to understand where the money you earn is going. With MoneyLine Personal Finance Software, you can quickly learn how to make a customized budget that you can stick to.

Download MoneyLine to get started: https://www.nchsoftware.com/personalfinance

Download MoneyLine for Windows

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Create a Budget and Generate a Budget Report

How to create a budget

1. Set up a new budget from the budget popup window and name your budget
2. Select accounts to include and deselect accounts to leave out of your budget
3. Plan your income by entering in the income amounts next to their source
4. Create categories for your sources of income
5. Plan your expenses by typing the amounts next to their source
6. Run a budget report and save, print, send, & share

Download MoneyLine for Windows

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Do the Splits and See Where Your Money is Going

Managing your personal finances is much easier when you know exactly where your money is coming from and where it's going. MoneyLine Personal Finance Software helps you track your cash flow quickly and easily.

One of the easiest ways to see what's happening with your money is to use the split transaction feature in MoneyLine. For example, let's say you go to a store like Target or Walmart to buy groceries. Along with your groceries, you stop off in the automotive section to pick up a couple of quarts of oil, then stop by the clothing section to pick up a few pairs of socks, and finally drop by the toy aisle to buy a birthday gift for a young relative.

Once you're home and have put away the groceries and the other items you bought, enter the purchase in MoneyLine. You can either record the total amount of the transaction and stop there, or take a few extra seconds and split the transaction into different categories. After entering the total amount spent at the store, break down exactly how much money you spent on food and allocate that to the Groceries category. Record the amount spent for the motor oil to Auto, put the socks under Clothing, and finally the toy can go under Gifts.

You can even add subcategories to track things in still finer detail. For example, if you have two cars, you could make a subcategory for each vehicle underneath Auto expenses.

Over time, as you continue to categorize and split transactions you will have a better picture of exactly where you are spending your money. This helps when you are trying to create or stick to a budget—another feature of MoneyLine. You may find areas where you can cut back, or maybe you will find a few extra dollars that you can use for vacation and entertainment expenses—that's when keeping track of your money becomes fun.

Keeping track of your personal finances can be a chore, but with MoneyLine Personal Finance Software you'll find that it's actually a lot quicker than you may have feared.

Digitize Video from VHS to AVI, DVD or MPG

Recently we talked about the birthday of audio cassette tapes, and how some of you might have an old collection you might want to consider digitizing. Well, the same can be done with video cassettes too. If you want to digitize old VHS tapes Golden Videos VHS to DVD Converter is here to help with the digital video transformation.

In addition to Golden Videos, you will need a video capture device to connect your VCR to your PC, with your VCR connected and Golden Videos installed the hard part is done. Golden Videos will guide you step by step through converting VHS tapes. The only other things you need are a little patience while the video is being processed and about 80GB of disc space for each 2hr movie you are converting.

The ambitious can go a step further to enhance the newly digitized video files by taking them to other video programs. With either the easy VideoPad video editor or PhotoStage slideshow creator you can easily edit movies and combine video with other media to make video montages of life's golden memories and significant events, saving them into fun and shareable videos for this digital age.

Is It Checkbook or Chequebook?

"The United States and Great Britain are two countries
separated by a common language."

— Attributed to George Bernard Shaw
although there's some debate about that too

One of our customers in the United Kingdom recently pointed out that our use of the word "checkbook" in our MoneyLine personal finance software was incorrect and that it should be "chequebook" instead.

Here in the US the British spelling with a "q" "u" and an extra "e" looks pretty strange. But, then, I guess to folks in Great Britain the "c" and "k" in our version looks equally strange.

To top it off, our CEO is from Australia, and many of our software developers are based there too. So we have the conflicting Australian English to deal with as well. It can all get pretty confusing. Sometimes we need a translator just so we can all speak the same language. And we all speak English!

We Americans tend to think our version is the "correct" one, but what do you think? Do we have it right when we say "checkbook" in MoneyLine? Do you use "checkbook" or "chequebook?"

Are You A Typing Hero?

We know that leaning to type is important. Touch typing is a skill you'll use throughout your life. And with the need to learn how tow to type at a younger age we are continuing to work on making learning to type more fun. Besides, whoever said practice had to be boring? To make learning to type more fun, we just added a new typing game to KeyBlaze typing tutor—Typing Hero.

In the spirit of Guitar Hero, in Typing Hero, letters come down the screen and the player needs to type those letters as they cross the line. It starts out slow, but as the speed increases it starts to create a typing rhythm in addition to encouraging the use of the correct fingers which are color coded for you at the bottom of the screen.

Give Typing Hero and the other typing games in KeyBlaze typing tutor software a try and see if you don't enjoy improving your typing skills and speed just a little bit more. Then let us know, what’s your best score?

Recording A Video Audition

From becoming a YouTube star to entering contests held by talk shows, to sending in a video audition to become a game show contestant or star of a reality tv show, opportunities to use videos to help you find your fifteen minutes of fame are all around you. But with video recording and editing technology so prevalent, there is also a huge amount of competition. So, it is important to make a lasting impression with what limited time that you have.

To help make sure you shine in your audition roles, here is some advice for creating an audition tape for all of our VideoPad video editor users and friends.

Eliminate Distractions

Many of the tips for entering video contests we mentioned back in May can apply to video entries to other types of competitions as well, but instead of selling a story, you are going to be selling yourself. And instead of editing a script to cut out anything not important to the central story, you will instead need to cut out things that could distract the judges from that star of this short film—you. Most of the advice below is centered on this idea of eliminating distractions, so if you don't take anything else away just remember that you want to keep people's attention on you.

Planning and Preparation

Creating a video of yourself certainly sounds a lot easier, you don't need to craft a storyline, but that doesn't mean you should skip straight to filming. Read over the rules/requirements. What do you need to include? What are they looking for?

While you may not be writing out the story you may still want to write yourself a script or dot points to practice from; like you might use if you were giving a speech. Let's face it, you may not have a big audience while the camera is rolling, but if you do your job well there could still be a large audience who watch your video later on.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Remember practice makes perfect, so practice, practice, practice. While writing out notes when you're getting ready will help you prepare, you don't want to stand in front of the camera reading from a piece of paper. Make sure you know what you want to cover in and out. Don't be afraid to film multiple takes and pay particular attention to filming and editing below to make sure you have a clean video to send in.

Be Yourself

Filming multiple times may also help you get any camera-shy nerves out of your system. You need to know what you want to say which is where the practice will help, but those nerves can sometimes make you stiff. Practice several times with the camera rolling to help you feel natural even with the red light on so that people will still see you and your personality, not just a robot regurgitating a script. It may be easier for some, but you want to come across as genuine.

Location, Location, Location

One thing that can hurt your chances but is easy to control is the setting. With few exceptions, you want to avoid a cluttered backdrop that could distract people away from you. Try recording in front of a plain backdrop like a white wall or a solid-colored door. You can also consider filming at a nice outdoor location, but remember that focus should be largely on you so you want to avoid areas where there will be distracting sounds or commotion like traffic or people walking by. Filming outdoors could also make getting clear audio a bigger challenge depending on your device(s), so be prepared to need to do some audio editing with WavePad in addition to working with VideoPad.

Polish With a Little Video Editing

Editing your video shouldn't be an arduous task. The point of editing is just to polish off what you have already done. Cut out mistakes; make sure you are meeting any time requirements. Maybe add in a photo or two, but don't be tempted to use every effect at your disposal. Any editing you do should be to help you talk about and sell yourself. Keeping it simple is in your best interest.

For some help getting started and learning the simple editing basics, see our post on video editing tips and tricks and the VideoPad video tutorial.

Hopefully, these tips will help you stay focused as you record and edit your video audition tapes. Most importantly have fun and good luck!

Stop Balancing Your Checkbook By Hand

How do you track your spending? Did you learn how to balance a checkbook in school? Do you take the time to go through it by hand each month? Or, maybe the question should be if you balance your checkbook at all?

The good news is that there is no reason for your checkbook to stay analog in this digital world. You can track your spending and balance your checkbook easily with simple software like MoneyLine Personal Finance Software, which will even download statements directly from your bank. So save yourself the trouble and the time of doing things the old-fashioned way without letting the chore gets left on the side of the road.

Protect Your Kids Online

We are heading into summer—in the northern hemisphere anyway—which means a lot of kids will be spending more time at home during the summer break from school. Unless you are teacher, or a stay at home parent, chance are you don't have the luxury of being at home too, so putting some parental controls in place to block websites or applications you don't want your children to see, may well be in order.

Monitoring children online has been a hot topic for a while now. Parents have cause to be concerned about everything from inappropriate content to predators and cyber-bullying. A program like Verity Parental Control Software can't solve all problems, but by making it easy to block websites based on keywords, or domain, block applications, put time restrictions on computer use, and monitor all activity so the parent can look at statistics and screenshots of what their children are doing on the computer, it makes it much easier to prevent potential problems. You can see for yourself if something isn't right from the web control panel, so you can have peace of mind that your children aren't getting into things that are inappropriate when they are online.

Improvements to Home Security with Software & Technology

Guest post by Sara Stringer

Smartphone software apps are entering almost every industry at an astonishing pace. From finance to the entertainment industry, innovation in home security technology has made way for mobile apps that allow home owners to take control of monitoring while on the go. Software has also made monitoring much more affordable than conventional monitoring systems which likely also require technical knowledge to operate and use.

Authorized dealers of leading security providers such as www.selecthomesecurity.com dealing in ADT and other security companies have adapted to mobile software and their customers can take advantage of real-time monitoring, updates and the ability to arm or disarm the security system remotely.

Here are some benefits of software monitoring applications:

1. Video monitoring

Video monitoring was once considered as an expensive investment, but software like EyeLine home surveillance software has made video monitoring quite easy and accessible from any remote location with an active connection nearby.

Review the recorded video footage at any time. If you want know who left the microwave on or what the pet is getting into while you’re away, you just need to check the video recording. Eyeline can also be configured to allow 24-hour live streaming and to send alerts the moment when someone enters or goes out of the house.

2. Energy savings

Advanced monitoring systems can even link in with your appliances, including your television and air conditioner. For example, you can turn on the television to portray that someone is in the house while you’re away. Or, remotely turn off appliances in case you forgot to turn them off when leaving home for both energy savings and increased security.

3. Wider coverage

Security software has extended the monitoring coverage by leaps and bounds. Conventional systems only enabled users to monitor from a specific range, which was a barrier for those who were traveling but wanted to keep an eye on their home. Mobile home security monitoring is quite flexible in this regard and can be accessed when you are out of the city or state, and receiving alerts in the form of e-mail or SMS can provide further peace of mind no matter where you are.

Despite all the attractions software apps offer for home security, you should also note there are security issues that need to be taken into consideration. Your home would be at risk if you don’t configure passwords on your phone, Wi-Fi and other devices. Even with passwords there are still potential security vulnerabilities.

Your best bet is to keep your phone and mobile devices in your possession at all times. And it isn't recommended to feed your home address, social security number, or other private details into your phone in case it lands in someone else's hands.

Security systems, software and apps can also be used for other functions like parents making use of new technology to make sure their children are getting home after school, or checking in on a house sitter while you are away.

This kind of monitoring software may also be used to monitor investment properties, temporary vacation homes and more. Take your home security efforts to the next level as this industry continues to grow and discover itself.

Free Mac Personal Finance Software

Our newest program, MoneyLine Personal Finance Software, is available for Mac OS X. We sometimes wait before releasing a Macintosh version of a program, but we have seen and heard the outcry of Mac users who are frustrated with the lack of updates and support of Quicken for Mac. So we are stepping in to provide MoneyLine as the personal finance software alternative for Mac users, to fill that hole in personal accounting software choices for Mac users.

From downloading transactions directly from your bank and digitally balancing your checkbook to categorizing purchase transactions to see where your money is going and stay in control of your personal finances. We hope you agree MoneyLine Personal Finance Software is an easy, consolidated way to organize and track your spending. But, do let us know anything we can do to make it an even better solution for Mac money management.

New Free Personal Finance Software

If you have multiple bank accounts and credit cards keeping track of all your spending can be difficult. Your money may be spread out, but that doesn't mean understanding of your personal finances needs to be disjointed.

MoneyLine personal finance software isd a brand new and free way for you to track all your bank accounts and spending in one, centralized location. Now tracking your finances couldn't be easier. With MoneyLine you can download statements and transaction details directly from your bank(s), reconcile accounts—or digitally balance your checkbook, log money transfers, and categorize purchases to help you stay organized and see where your money is going.

You work hard for your money, so make sure you know where that hard earned cash is going. Make managing your spending and balancing your checkbook less of a chore. Give MoneyLine a test drive and be sure let us know what you think and if there is anything else we can do with future releases to make managing your personal finances easier.

Do You Think Employees Working From Home Are Productive?

What do you think about Yahoo's new position on banning working from home?

Yahoo has made headlines all week, and there has been a flurry of articles, responses and reactions to the Marissa Mayer's announcement. As CEO Mayer is implementing a policy that asks all current remote employees to come in the office or quit because of the cultural assumptions that those remote employees get less work done.

Do you agree? Do you think employees aren't as productive if they are working from home?

NCH Software actually makes a software program designed to be a bit of a compromise allowing employers to monitor hours and tasks remotely. FlexiServer employee monitoring and attendance software is meant to help give the employer peace of mind that employees are being productive. And as you can see in the reactions online, there are a lot of remote workers crying out that face-time doesn't equate with productivity.

What are your thoughts? Monitoring software may be one possible compromise, are there any others? or do you agree with Mayer that all employees need to come into the office?

Simple Ways To Protect Your Online Data

Guest post by Rick Delgado

Cybercrime is becoming a more prevalent problem every year in the United States. This is because much of what used to be performed in face-to-face interactions are now done online. For example, you probably did most of your holiday shopping last year while sitting down at your computer. Criminals are well aware of the type of information you are providing websites with and are making greater efforts to access that information.

With so much risk attributed to the internet, it is essential to take necessary precautions. In addition to heavy-duty network security programs, or encrypting data before emailing sensitive information, there are simple steps you can take to make sure criminals can't steal sensitive information. Consider some of the following:

Use Privacy Settings

Social media sites allow you to choose how private you want your profile to be. It is smart to only allow people you know and trust to view your social media sites. Identity thieves will often study someone's Facebook or Twitter account to help them take on your identity

Don't Use Personal Information on Social Media

In addition to making your social media private, don't put potentially sensitive information about yourself on it. Even a birthday can give cyber-criminal clues to a password or verification question on your bank account's website. While it seems harmless, it might be a good idea to leave that information out. Your family and friends should know your birthday anyways.

Use Several Usernames and Passwords

Don't use the same password for your Facebook and bank account. Criminals use algorithms to figure out passwords. If they do happen to figure one out, they still won't be able to access information from all your accounts. Also, change your passwords frequently for an added layer of protection. Don't make your passwords obvious either.

Be Cautious of Foreign Facebook Apps

Apps have the potential to access a lot of personal information. Some of these apps are specifically designed to take your information and sell it to criminals. Be cautious of which apps you buy and what country the app is from. You are likely to be safer with apps made in developed countries like the United States.

Don't Trust Public Computers

Don't use public computers, like those in libraries or internet cafes, for sensitive financial transactions. That information could be stolen through the network. If you do use public computers, make sure to log out when you leave. If you don't, people can trace your history or log into your accounts.

Lock Your Phone

People who use smartphones are more likely to have information stolen. Have a lock or password on your screen. Don't leave passwords up on important websites. You have a lot of important information traveling around with you in your pocket. If your information isn't properly secured and you lose or misplace your phone, you could be in serious trouble.

Close Old Accounts

It is always a good idea to reduce your digital footprint. For example, if you no longer use certain social media sites, delete them. The less information you have about yourself on the internet, the harder it will be for identity thieves to trace you.

Keep An Eye on Your Accounts

Once criminals access your information they will make purchases with your credit card. Review your finances frequently to make sure there aren't any unaccounted for transactions. If you do notice any, report them immediately to your bank so you don't lose any more money.

You can never be too careful when it comes to protecting yourself and your family from hackers, identity thieves, and other cyber threats. Your virtual security is extremely important and can keep you from becoming a victim of not so virtual crimes.


About the Author: Rick Delgado is a freelance writer who specializes in the latest advancements in technology and gadgets, and is an expert in preventing online fraud.

Software from A to Z

A: Audio Software	B: Business Software	C: Converting Software	D: Dictation Software
E: Easy Software	F: FTP Software	G: Graphics Software	H: Hardware
I: International	J: Jamming Software	K: Keep (Protect & Save)	L: Live Broadcasting
M: Mobile Software	N: New Programs	O: Optimize	P: PDF Software
Q: Quick	R: Recording Software	S: Social Sharing	T: Typing Software
U: Utility Software	V: Video Software	W: Web Access	X: eXpress
Y: YouTube Software	Z: Zip Software

Create Custom Typing Exercises

Who couldn't use a refresher course on touch typing? If you have actually tried some lessons or typing programs recently, you may have found that the standard typing lessons don’t match up with what you want or need to work on. If that's the case, you should try importing your own custom exercises into KeyBlaze typing tutor software to really focus on your weaknesses and hone in on the kind of typing that you do.

Your custom exercise should be saved as a .txt file, so check out Doxillion document converter if you already have documents in another format. When you have your text files ready, go to the Tools tab in KeyBlaze and click the Import icon. Select the type of exercise you want to import, browse to the location, and click Import. The exercise, or speed test, will then be listed in the program ready for you to use.

30 Seconds to Type

As promised, KeyBlaze typing tutor now has a second typing game. In addition to Word Blizzard,which we told you about previously, on the game tab you will now also find 30 Seconds to Type. The name says it all: in this typing game you are racing the clock, typing as many words as you can as they appear on the center of the screen before you run out of time. Type twelve words correctly for a twelve-second bonus, giving you more time to reach a high score and make it to the next level.

So, how fast can you type? Take KeyBlaze typing tutor software out for a test drive, and play not only 30 Seconds to Type, but keep practicing with lessons, exercises and drills to watch your fingers really start to fly.

Having Fun While Learning to Type

One of the pivotal points in my career came when I attended the 2006 Game Developers Conference and happened to attend a presentation given by Ian Bogost. I had long been interested in developing games, but I also struggled with the idea that video games might be harmful to society. Mr. Bogost's ideas pointed me in a different direction though. Games can teach.

I attended the Serious Games Summit in Washington, D.C. the following fall and became enamored with the thought of using game technology to benefit society. Games, as it turns out, are the perfect training and teaching tools. However, games must be fun if they are to teach.

Every element of gameplay in the KeyBlaze typing game, Word Blizzard, is focused on improving an aspect of typing—while you’re having fun. In Word Blizzard, the emphasis was placed on speed, but things like eye tracking and rhythm were also considered. And fun. We chose real-life words because they matter, but we also included obscure words to challenge the mind and improve finger-key recognition. Then we added more fun.

There will be more games coming to KeyBlaze typing tutor in the future, so I hope you give us your feedback on how our games are helping your typing improve.

New Typing Games Coming to KeyBlaze Typing Tutor

Lately there has been a lot of development focused on not only KeyBlaze typing tutor, but specifically on the typing game. There are a lot of great improvements and fixes in the new version. We gave the game a new set of graphics in the motif of a snowy landscape. Along with the new graphics, we have changed the name of the game from Falling Words to Word Blizzard. The game mechanics have also been reworked to make it more fun to play (and coincidentally improve your typing).

Word Blizzard is the first of four typing games that KeyBlaze is going to gain in the next few months. The next game coming to KeyBlaze is going to be a race the clock style called 30 Seconds to Type, to help users develop their speed. Then we will do a game focusing on rhythm and key combinations called Typing Hero. If you like games, keep an eye out for these upcoming additions to KeyBlaze typing tutor software!

The Importance of Parental Control Software

The Internet has become an invaluable asset to us in the last decade. It has expanded our world and allowed us to access information to an extent we never imagined. Schools use the Internet and computers for many aspects of our children’s education, from research to learning games. However, all of this technology presents some common safety issues that parents constantly have to confront as well. Some of the most frequent parental fears are:

• Children coming into contact with dangerous people. Chat rooms, social media, and instant messaging are all ways that children interact with others. Unfortunately online predators lurk in these areas as well.
  
• Web pages with inappropriate content. These can be pornography sites, gambling sites, pages that are violent or promote drugs & alcohol, or include tactics for cheating.
  
• Online shopping. Kids might not always realize that it is not okay to use our credit cards to purchase products. Blocking some of these sites can help contain the problem of those unexpected charges on you monthly bill.
  
• Exposure to Cyber-bullying. Chat rooms and social networks can allow your children to talk to their friends, but even classmates can have very harmful things to say. Cyber-bullying has become a dangerous and all too common activity.
  

There are times that we as parents cannot constantly monitor whether or not our children are on the Internet for longer than they should be. If kids are old enough to stay home alone while we finish our workday, it is hard to say whether they really did only spend 30 minutes on the computer, or if they actually spent 2 hours playing or on Facebook instead of working on that English essay.

Verity child monitoring software helps parents take control of these problems. After a quick setup, Verity will begin monitoring whatever you want it to. You can block certain websites by using the domain name or keywords, preventing pages from being opened. This way kids can still do school research without going anywhere they shouldn’t. You can also set up time limits on certain programs or on the computer itself so you know your child is not spending too much time online. You can save screenshots of what your child was doing and looking at to review later, as well as viewing usage and activity reports that show how long your child is on a certain website or using specific programs. You can even have alerts sent to your email so you can check on your child from your smart phone.

Protecting our children in today’s high tech environment can be a daunting task. As fast as technology is moving and progressing, it can be nearly impossible. But with the right tools like good parental control software it becomes much more manageable. As parents, anything we can utilize to keep our kids safe and happy is worth checking out.

Video Surveillance at Home

We all know that there are some obvious benefits to using video surveillance within your home. It allows you to watch for intruders when you are away, you can monitor when your children arrive home from school, or keep an eye on the new nanny, but the list doesn't end there. Here are some additional reasons to use Eyeline Video Surveillance Software that you might not have thought of.

Daytime Pet Monitor

Have you ever had a time that you've gotten home and wondered how in the world your dog could have managed to get something off of your counter? I have. I have very small dogs, yet if I was in a hurry in the morning and happened to leave the bagels on the counter somehow they would manage to pull them off and devour them while I was gone. With EyeLine, I can go back and see. Apparently Jack Russel Terriers can jump surprisingly high when they have a mind to.

With EyeLine it easy to find out just which pup is deciding to destroy the remote, whether they are relaxing on the furniture they shouldn't be on, and see what other trouble they might be getting into while you are away.

Is Your Pet Expecting?

This may seem a bit strange to the non-animal owner, but it can be very important to know exactly when your dog, cat, or horse go into labor. Horse breeders set up constant surveillance when waiting for their mothers to deliver, as complications can result in devastating results. A friend of mine is a dog breeder and it is important for her to have the ability to check in on her mothers on a regular basis. With Eyeline she can log in and check on her pets with the web access feature from her office.

New Baby Monitor

For those of you with children, video surveillance is quickly becoming the popular way to check on your new baby. You can check on your sleeping child without running the risk of waking them up. Simply fire up your computer.

Outdoor Surveillance

Obviously there are times that it is nice to know whether or not someone is outside your home. However I have some friends that have a different concern - wildlife. They need to know whether or not they have a large predator around their house as they recently purchased a puppy. While they would like to let the puppy into the dog run during the day they live where mountain lions may be a problem. They use Eyeline to make sure they do not have a visitor that may not be safe while they are away.

Video surveillance is a valuable asset, regardless of whether you use it at home or in a business setting. Now it is easy and affordable to use too, giving you the ability to use it for security or simple monitoring.