Chapter 9. Finance

The previous chapters have described various ways to spend money online, whether on Wonder Woman Pez dispensers from eBay or last-minute weekend trips to Charleston. This chapter's different: It tells you how to manage, save, and make money online through online banking, stock trading, and money-management sites.

Tales of hackers, scams, and identity theft may make you nervous about trusting an electronic link to your literal life's savings, but banks and financial companies have been working hard to have the best Internet security out there. Nowadays, most guarantee that your account will remain secure.

With such security measures in place, you can pay bills online, spruce up your financial portfolio, file your taxes, and much more, all from the comfort of your own computer. You can even trade stocks or apply for a mortgage wearing your bunny slipperssomething you can't do in real life without people whispering behind your back.