There’s a new TV ad out for Feed the Pig, and I decided to check it out and give you my thoughts. It’s a free website whose stated goal is “to encourage and help Americans aged 25 to 34 to take control of their personal finances.” The website has been built by the American Institute of CPAs and the Advertising Council, and it’s very clearly a legitimate public service campaign.

So far, I like this site, as it seems to be well designed and very targeted to our demographic as twentysomethings. There’s a “What do YOU want to do” page that allows you to choose goals and then click “Make My Plan”. Once you’ve done that, you essentially get a checklist of things you need to do in the short term, things you need to do throughout the year, and  and things to do throughout the rest of your life. This plan includes a number of resources, such as a link to annualcreditreport.com and various other tools within the site, that can help you check off your goals. For example, there is an entire page regarding budgeting, which includes links to how to create a budget. I do wish they’d provided a template because I think they can be useful, but they do hit on some points I’ve made myself- such as recognizing what you want versus what you actually need.

There’s even a feature on the “Your Plan” page that will let you share your plan via facebook, twitter, email, or any number of other social media sites because friends and family help keep you accountable- something anyone who’s ever dieted certainly knows. Overall, I think this site is a good place to start if you want to take control of your finances, though it doesn’t have a login feature and seems to be purely informational as opposed to a truly interactive tool. Give it a spin and let me know what you think!