"); savehalf = dollarnum(parseFloat(form.savings.value) / 2); newWin.document.write("

With monthly savings of $" + form.savings.value + ", you should consider becoming an investor.

"); newWin.document.write("It\'s wise to put some of your savings into a savings account, so that you\'ll have quick access to your money in the case of an emergency."); newWin.document.write(" But you may want to consider investing some of your savings each month into a CD or a mutual fund. Many mutual funds allow you to invest as little as $50 a month."); newWin.document.write("

Here\'s a little demonstration that shows you why it\'s a good idea to sock away a little money every month. Dick Sabot, our chairman, calls this \"The Powerful Logic of Saving While Young.\""); newWin.document.write(" And while that phrase is kinda a mouthful, it\'s a neat phenomenon. Give it a shot."); newWin.document.write("

"); newWin.document.write("

"); } // --> This here is an experimental version of Tripod's financial planner, written in JavaScript. Because the planner is written in JavaScript, it will be unusable by anyone using a browser older than 2.0b3. This version of the planner does not include a cgi-backend that we'll be using the future to save financial data from session to session. C'est la vie.


Income

How many times a month do you get paid?
What's the amount of your paycheck? $
Any other sources of income? Rent out any property? A second job? Prostitution? A few casual muggings? Please use the fields on the left to name these other sources of income, and the right fields to enter the amount they bring in each month.
$
$
Okay, here's your monthly income.
If there's nothing in this field, click on the "compute" button.		 $

Expenses

Rent and Utilities
What's your monthly rent or mortgage? $
How much does the electric company hit you up for? $
What's your average monthly phone bill? $
Okay, how 'bout the monthly cable bill? $
Finally, what are you paying a month for Internet connectivity? $
Food
How much do you spend each week on groceries? $
How much do you spend each week eating out? $
Debt
Most people owe some money - college loan payments, car payments, paying off credit card debt. Use the fields on the left to list who you owe money to, and the fields on the right to list the monthly payments.
$
$
$
Transportation
If you own a car, answer the next three questions.
How much does your insurance cost each year? $
What does it cost to fill up your car? $
How many times a week do you have to fill up your car?  
This one may not apply if you just answered the last
three questions - then again, it might.
How much do you spend each week on the subway, bus or other mass transportation? $
Pocket Money
How much money do you spend each day, on average, on little things like cups of coffee, newspapers, candy bars, a couple beers after work? $
Luxuries
Here's the fun part - list those things that you know you spend money on each month. For instance, I know I blow at least $70 on CDs every month. For you, it might be clothes, concert tickets or gifts to charity. Figure out how much you spend a month, name it in the left column and put the number to the right.
$
$
$
$
The Bad News
If there are no values in these fields, press the "compute" button and let your browser get busy.
Monthly rent and utilities $
Monthly food costs $
Debt payments $
Transportation costs $
Pocket money and luxuries $
The whole shebang $

Savings

So here's the story - if you make more than you spend, you've got savings. If you spend more than you make, you're in trouble. Press the button below to compile the whole form and see how you're doing.
Money you're able to save each month $