Best Personal financial Management software

With the world in what seems to be a perpetual financial crisis these past few years, it's tough to know where you, as an individual, actually stand with your money, unless you have some help. And I'm not talking about shoeboxes full of receipts. Thankfully, a wealth of financial apps on the market, most of them free, gives you plenty of options for learning how to be more responsible with your personal finances. Whether you're trying to handle your own income and expenses, managing an entire household, or running a small business, there's a program that can help get your finances in order.

Some of the most popular and well-known personal finance apps work on the premise that better money management comes through centralization and visibility. If you can see, at a glance and in one place, where all your accounts and spending habits stand, you'll be better equipped to make better decisions to stay within your budget. Mint.com is a prime example, because, in a sense, it does for your finances what Facebook does for your social life.

A valid concern about using a personal finance app is security. Frankly, most of the name brand apps we recommend are probably as secure as carrying a credit card in your wallet. Typically, personal finance websites and programs use 128-bit bank level, or 256-bit military-level encryption, and are verified by TRUSTe, VeriSign, and MacAfee. Is there a risk? Sure. Should it prevent you from actually using these apps? No. Is it possible that the payoff of getting your head around the realities of how much money you actually have greater than the risk of fraud? Absolutely. Set a strong password, and put your fears aside.

Mobile apps typically let you set an additional PIN on the app itself. You can also remotely deactivate most personal finance account from an online admin portal.

If you've never used an online tax preparation tool before, we have a great recommendation for a service that you'll want to read up on now in advance of your 2012 filing. Here are some of our favorite programs, Web apps, and mobile apps for managing your finances.