The Minterview Personal Finance Interview with Kira Botkin of PennyFoolish Read the Article Open Share Drawer Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) Written by Mint Published Apr 19, 2007 2 min read Advertising Disclosure The views expressed on this blog are those of the bloggers, and not necessarily those of Intuit. Third-party blogger may have received compensation for their time and services. Click here to read full disclosure on third-party bloggers. This blog does not provide legal, financial, accounting or tax advice. The content on this blog is "as is" and carries no warranties. Intuit does not warrant or guarantee the accuracy, reliability, and completeness of the content on this blog. After 20 days, comments are closed on posts. Intuit may, but has no obligation to, monitor comments. Comments that include profanity or abusive language will not be posted. Click here to read full Terms of Service. Name: Kira Botkin Age: 23 1/3 Networth Range: Just above $0 Profession: Clinical research Websites: Penny Foolish, CashDuck.com Current Financial Strategy: Save like a banshee and figure out what to do with the money later. Best Financial Tip: Use separate bank accounts for bills and spending, so that you won’t have close calls (or bounces). Worst Financial Move Ever: Spending more than I made in college, mostly on restaurant food and entertainment, despite making actually very good money, I racked up a credit card bill that I am still paying off. Financially, I need help with: With my small business, I am going to be paying a lot of taxes, so I need to find ways to reduce my tax liability, and one way I want to try and do that is to use retirement savings to reduce my income. What personal finance tools do you currently use to track and manage your money? NetWorthIQ. I like to see how everything stacks up. What are the problems in your personal finance tools? I would like to be able to track my individual accounts over time instead of having them lumped together. How would your ideal personal finance tool work? It would analyze trends in my saving patterns and suggest things that I could do. For instance, I didn’t know about the SEP-IRA for months after I started my business… it could suggest it to someone who is entering side income. What more do you want to know about your personal finances? I want to try to get more mileage out of my money.. for instance not just saving it but getting a tax break, or finding ways to spend less on items I have to buy anyway. How much do you think you currently spend on eating out? Waaay too much. That is definitely my weak point. I usually pay for my boyfriend and occasionally friends, and we spend $300-600 a month on eating out. Since I separate money out for bills and saving before I spend anything though I feel OK about spending that which I have set aside for frivolous spending. How often do you want to know about your personal finances? I don’t think about it a lot sometimes. I’d prefer to just have information available so I can check in on it when I feel the need. What is in my wallet? Kira’s wallet (and purse) and their numberous contents can be found at her blog, Penny Foolish! Previous Post Personal Finance Interview with Michael of It’s Your Money Next Post Personal Finance Interview with Mike of CleverDude.com Written by Mint Mint is passionate about helping you to achieve financial goals through education and with powerful tools, personalized insights, and much more. More from Mint Browse Related Articles Mint App News Intuit Credit Karma welcomes all Minters! Retirement 101 5 Things the SECURE 2.0 Act changes about retirement Home Buying 101 What Are Homeowners Association (HOA) Fees and What Do They Cover? Financial Planning What Are Tax Deductions and Credits? 20 Ways To Save on Taxes Financial Planning What Is Income Tax and How Is It Calculated? Investing 101 The 15 Best Investments for 2023 Investing 101 How To Buy Stocks: A Beginner’s Guide Investing 101 What Is Real Estate Wholesaling? Life What Is A Brushing Scam? Financial Planning WTFinance: Annuities vs Life Insurance