Personal Capital connects to the institution and downloads the most recent transactions-usually 90 days’ worth, but it downloaded 520 days in one case. Select one and enter your credentials for the financial institution, along with any required security information. A drop-down list contains matching banks and brokerages. You can either choose one or key in another's name in the Search field. Several popular financial institutions are listed in the window that opens. Next you add financial accounts by clicking the plus sign in the upper left corner. First, however, you create an account and answer a few questions about yourself to get started. It doesn’t take long to receive Personal Capital's feedback about your financial situation. We also never share sensitive financial information, such as account numbers, detailed account balances or transaction history, with our marketing partners." The legal disclosure provides details about what information it collects from site visitors, users, and other types of customers in tables that make the information reasonably clear. Like many free personal finance services, Personal Capital has its own business of sharing information about you with its "marketing partners," but in the company's legal disclosure (Opens in a new window) it says, "We do not sell or allow your information to be used for any purpose other than to market our own products and services. Personal Capital helps you see how what you do today affects your ability to retire when you want. It has some transaction management and cryptocurrency-tracking features too. The service offers numerous views of your holdings, gives sound personalized advice, and makes retirement estimations. It has some personal finance features, but it mainly focuses on investments and retirement planning. The majority of personal finance apps we test focus on core personal finance issues-like spending, saving, and budgeting-with a few investment-tracking tools thrown in.
#CNET PERSONAL FINANCE SOFTWARE HOW TO#
#CNET PERSONAL FINANCE SOFTWARE PC#