Click here for help with your budget

Looking for some help getting your budget under control?

Try starting with your computer. There are a number of online applications that can help everyone from people looking to keep track of their home finances to investors who want to monitor their money during tough financial times.

The growing market for personal finance software can make it difficult to figure out what is right for you. Everything from simple tools that help you manage spending to full software packages can be found online, but one place to start with is two companies that have dominated the market for years: Intuit's Quicken and Microsoft's Money.

Both these applications can be purchased directly from the companies' websites. Intuit also offers a free, albeit scaled down, version of Quicken online, while Microsoft offers a 2-month trial version of Money.

Both applications have several editions, so before you buy, be sure you need what is in the package. All versions have home accounting software, bill reminders and multiple tools to help you track how you spend your money.

The enhanced versions of the software allow you to manage your investments and help you balance your portfolio.

While both applications promise to make online banking easier, be aware that not all banks, especially those outside of the US, will work with the software.

Monthly statements

Check to see if your bank allows you to download your account information in Quicken Interchange Format (QIF) or the Open Financial Exchange Format (OFC or QFX). If they do, you will be able to load your monthly account statements directly into the software.

Microsoft and Intuit are not the only companies that offer this type of software, however.

For a review of other software that can be purchased online, TopTenReviews (http://personal-finance-software-review.toptenreviews.com) has a list of, obviously, the Top 10 accounting programs available. It offers side-by-side comparison of the features.

If you do not want to buy software, there are several websites that offer many of the same features for a small monthly subscription.

Websites such as Neobudget.com and Finicity.com allow visitors to use a basic "envelope budgeting" systems.

Not only do these sites help users balance their bank accounts, but there is also a number of tools to help users track spending or learn how to manage their debts. They will also allow you to upload accounting information in QIF or OFC formats.

If you are looking for something a little more comprehensive, Clearcheckbook.com offers features similar to Microsoft and Quicken for free.

For anyone looking for the Web 2.0 experience, Geezeo.com offers a wide variety of home finance applications, including budgeting tools, blogs and even mobile phone tools, in a social networking environment.

The site also allows users to link their web accounts directly to their banks, but visitors must be aware that a number of features may not work for users outside of the US.

A final word is about online security. With the amount of cybercrime out there today, users need to be extremely careful about giving out their account information. Most online sites do not require (or want) you to enter any personal financial information.

If a website does ask for personal details, users should make sure that the site has adequate security. If it does not, or if you are not sure that it does, you should probably not use the site.

The goal of most personal finance sites is to help you manage your budget, not get you deeper in financial trouble.