Would you trust your access info to an online financial site?

Why not just get Quicken and load it on a stand alone computer?

I have the same concerns about mint.com, even though I’m on a Mac. I tend to work online banking from the direction of the bank site out, and use Quicken for that reason—the bank’s compatibility with Quicken is something they promote.

Quicken bought Mint. Trust one, trust the other. Mint is quite useful.

Just wondering how people feel about having any (Mint, Thrive, Quicken Online, etc) 3rd party online site having your login & password for your banking and other financial sites?

I don’t think your data is any more or less vulnerable in the cloud than it is on your home computer, assuming you have a “constant on” internet connection.

@pdworkin I’m sorry, I’m not sure what a “constant on” internet connection means. I have a cable modem as opposed to dial-up, but the p.c. is not on most of the time, only when I want/need to go online.
I guess I should feel secure that the 3rd party site would have at least as good a firewall/antivirus/anti spyware software as I have at home, but I just feel uneasy about having my login info stored on another site.

I don’t blame you for feeling uneasy, but statistically speaking you are not in much danger. That being said, if the bad thing happens to you, you are 100% affected, no matter how small the chances were.

Your data on Mint is encrypted, and the key is on your computer at home, so I think even if someone got to the files they would be incomprehensible.

The danger is probably in the strength or weakness of your home system, including the quality of your passwords and the protection you provide them.

@pdworkin, thanks for the heads up. When I first looked at mint.com it was not as secure as it now seems to be; information was shared with third parties.

As far as I know, mint.com uses Yodlee for gathering information from financial institutions. Yodlee is an industry leader in secured financial information, meeting or beating industry-wide and federal standards.

Plus, there are other things to consider: you can’t actually do anything with your money on mint.com. All you can see is how much you’ve got and where you’ve spent it. Plus, no names or account numbers are gathered by mint. They use a well-secured encryption for connecting you to their site. Basically, the information is limited enough that it would hard for someone to do something with it, but it’s extremely unlikely anyone can see it in the first place. If someone does, that means they’ve placed a keylogger on your home computer, which means you need to check your home network security and the locks on your front door.

@pdworkin @drdoombot Thank you for your very helpful & reassuring replies! I think I will look into Mint after all.

hey

it’s only your identity

and credit score

and all your money

at stake

what could go wrong?