VisualEconomics.com – Making Real Sense Out of Financial Data
VisualEconomics.com – Investments, loans, consumption expenditures and saving are financial terms we hear and read about everyday. But do we really understand what they mean? Excluding the professionals involved in the finance field, most laypersons often find it difficult to truly grasp the meaning behind published financial data, despite the increased accessibility we all have to related reports, numbers and information (thanks to the use of the Internet).
VisualEconomics is here to simplify our understanding of the financial market by offering down-to-earth content and explanations of some of the most complicated economic concepts and implications. Although VisualEconomics includes an abundance of break down information on various financial terms, it is their infographics section that truly makes them shine. Think of it as the cumbersome world of financial concepts, simplified. The infographic “How Much Americans Spend on Shopping” is but one example of the VisualEconomics magic. Enjoy and learn.
CarWoo! – Stress-Free Car Purchase
CarWoo! – Buying a new car seems easy; about every other TV commercial advertises a new car model, and promises easy financing (do you manage to read the fine print in less than 10 seconds?). But if you’ve bought a new or pre-owned car sometime in the last 10 years, you know it’s not that easy, and if you don’t do your homework properly or know how to negotiate, you might pay too much for your car or find yourself overwhelmed with car debt.
CarWoo is here to make the entire process much simpler and easier, by taking the load of price negotiation and dealer deals off of you. This way they allow you to be choosy, and you can be rest assured that you are presented with the absolute best deal options for your desired car. Although the service costs between $19 and $39 (basic and plus CarWoo deals, respectively) for a 2010 Toyota Prius, CarWoo is worth a shot, especially if it’s such a cash saver! Plus, if major publishers such as Wired.com, Forbes and BusinessWeek praised CarWoo, I think you should give it a go the next time you plan on buying a car.
To learn more on how CarWoo works, see the video below. The site is beautifully designed and the interface is easy to work with. Great job CarWoo! For more top notch car related sites and resources visit our Cars Mini Faves page.
56 Sage Street – Learn About Earning and Saving Money, the Fun Way
56 Sage Street – Brought to us by Barclays, this super fun game will teach you how to earn money the right way, avoid scams and fraud, and save up. Play this mission-based game and help your character earn money and rewards within a givin time period. During that time, you will have to work, find a place to stay for the night and eat so you’ll have the strength to work again… The superbly executed game, 56 Sage Street is an innovative way to teach us all on how to live within budget, and how to save up for what’s important.
See if you manage to score all 50 rewards and show your Facebook friends how well you did on the game (sign in with Facebook Connect). And most importantly, enjoy!
Expatistan – Finally, A Living Costs Comparison Tool
Expatistan – Wouldn’t it be great if you were able to compare the living cost of a different city with that of your current location before saying ‘yes’ to that relocation offer? Perhaps you’re just curious to know where’s cheaper to live; London or Sydney? Well, Thanks to Expatistan, now you can. It’s super easy and fast. Simply type in the two city locations (only major cities at this point), and hit Go.
I compared the living costs between Houston, TX and Sydney, Australia. Can you guess where it’s less expensive to live? See the screen shot below for the answer…
CalcMoolator – Finance Math Made Easy
CalcMoolator – Sometimes the most necessary financial calculations we must do to live within our budget and spend wisely are the most incomprehensible. Many of us don’t even know where to begin. For this purpose the Web has many online calculators to offer, but more often than not, it’s difficult to understand the breakdown of their bottom line figure.
Have no fear, CalcMoolator is here. This virtually all-in-one, free financial calculator “makes it simple to calculate your mortgage payment, compare job opportunities, make educated financial decisions like whether to lease vs. buy and ultimately save money.” CalcMoolator truly is refreshing because in addition to providing the dry number calculations, it offers the related explanation of what these numbers mean. This site is highly recommended for complex calculations such as mortgages and refinancing, loans, credit card debt and job salaries, but also for the smaller calculations we need to make such as tips and pet cost. See the second screen shot below for my estimated costs of having a cat as a pet.
