Learn about a few great web resources to guide you on your personal budgeting journey. (Part 4 of 4 in our budgeting series).

When it comes to budgeting, falling off the bandwagon is common. Here are some tips for sticking to your budget to ensure this doesn’t happen to you. (Part 3 of 4 in our budgeting series).

Creating your first budget can be a daunting task. Learn how to do it easily by watching the second of our four-part video series on budgeting your money.

Welcome to the first video in a four-part series about budgeting. In this episode, we’ll discuss the four main methods of budgeting to consider when setting up your personal monthly budget.

Trying to figure out if diesel or hybrid cars could actually save you money has been a source of argument for years. We use the VW Jetta TDI (diesel) as an example to see how long it would take you to breakeven on that car and also show you how to calculate a green car’s breakeven point on your own.

(Closed captioning is available on this video)

Starting January 1, 2012, San Francisco will have the highest minimum wage in the nation, increasing to $10.24. It’s all thanks to a 2003 voter approved initiative that ties the city’s minimum wage to the rate of inflation. Although crossing the $10 threshold has been headline grabbing, it’s actually still not enough for some residents of San Francisco to put a roof over their head.

2 Minute Finance runs the numbers and shows you why. You won’t want to miss the eye-popping results.

(Closed captioning is available on this video)

Occupy San Francisco announced they will start a credit union to help keep local money out of the hands of big banks and to promote their community economics initiatives. Watch our 2 minute video to find out more about the new project and their goals.

Transcript:

Occupy protestors have been getting a lot of flack lately for their drawn-out protests and disruptive tactics.
But members of Occupy San Francisco have turned that energy into an interesting new project.

They announced plans to form a new credit union in hopes of keeping money from San Franciscans local. The Peoples Reserve Credit Union hopes to draw money away from big banks in order to fund microenterprise loans and create local jobs.

Brian McKune of Occupy SF says their hope is to ”economically empower workers, the working poor, and low-income families…There is a way to reduce the impact of large banks on the community…keeping the money where it belongs…”

They were also careful to note that the project was created by members of the Occupy SF movement, but is not a part of the movement itself. So far, the organization has found backing from some members of the City’s Board of Supervisors and community organizations.

They have also set some preliminary goals, including:

- Starting with a membership base with 500 members
- Accumulating assets of $7 million dollars and
- Providing 300-500 microenterprise loans within the community

The organization also hopes to open two branches in San Francisco, employing approximately 60 part-time students and members of the homeless community.

Over the past few days, critics have voiced their skepticism online on how Occupy members were capable of starting a financial institution and whether they could be trusted.

In fact, as we covered on 2 Minute Finance in a previous video, a credit union is actually a cooperative of like-minded individuals who all buy into and own a share of the organization.

Just about anyone can start one. They’re regulated by the state or federal government and the carry share, or deposit, insurance.

Our friends over at Bankrate boil down the entire process of setting up one to 10 steps, including organizing the membership and board of directors, meeting regulatory approvals, and finding skilled individuals to run the organization.

It’ll be interesting to see how this progresses and whether they can balance their anti-wall street ideals with successfully running a credit union.

For more information about the Peoples Reserve Credit Union and a link to their website, visit our website at 2 Minute Finance.com. I’m Bobby Lee with 2 Minute Finance, thanks for watching.

Stuck in an auto loan you can’t afford? Do you really want to keep your car but the monthly payments are too high? Refinancing your auto loan may be an option. Check out this 2 minute video to learn all about refinancing your auto loan and some tips you need to know before you do it.

Why should you be afraid of an upside down car loan? It’s actually a fancy way of saying that you’re accruing negative equity in your loan. Watch this two minute video to learn what being “upside down” in your loan means, why it’s bad and how you can avoid it.