Money Blog Roundup

Once a week we'll take a look at what other About.com Guides are saying about how to manage finances and plan for the future. This week I found these great tips from other guides:

• What You Need to Know About College Financial Aid
  It's that time of year again. Not just tax time, but also time to apply for college financial aid, fill out FAFSA forms, and comparing financial aid award letters. Financial Planning Guide Deborah Fowles provide a handy list of what you need to apply for financial aid, and a description of commonly awarded grants and loans.
• Pocket Quicken vs SplashMoney
  I love financial software. Programs such as Quicken and Microsoft Money make it easy to download bank statements and keep track of your spending. Even better are programs for handheld PDAs. I often recommend PDAs to my clients, to help keep track of their business expenses and mileage. Financial Software Guide Shelley Elmblad compares Pocket Quicken and SplashMoney, two popular PDA applications for managing your money.
• Calculating Your Net Worth
  Ever wondered how much you are worth, financially? Retirement Planning Guides Jenny and Patrick McKinney offer a step-by-step approach to calculating your net worth, which they defined as "total assets minus total liabilities." They laid out a simple, five-step process for talking stock of your finances.
• Build a Complete Portfolio
  Is your net worth not where you want it to be? Investing Guide Joshua Kennon has tips for building a better investment strategy using a realistic ten-step strategy.
• What to Do in a Bank Robbery
  I sure hope I'm not in a bank when it's being robbed. But just in case, Banking Guide Justin Pritchard provides some handy tips for what to do during and after a bank robbery.