Let me start out by saying I'm a big Isla Fisher fan. She's a total babe. That's why I became interested in her new film Confessions Of A Shopaholic. But when I heard the synopsis of the movie, I started to think, "This really couldn't be coming out at a worse time."

Basically, the plot is based on a British book series about a ditzy recent college grad who works for a finance magazine while exorbitantly overspending on unnecessary fashion accessories. She incurs a massive amount of debit, maxes out her credit cards, and 'spends' most of the story trying to hook up with a rich guy who will take care of her mismanaged finances for her. Check out the trailer:

Is this story ringing any bells? Well, to draw a comparison...it was the desire to rack up debt and practice risky finance that got the U.S. economy into this disaster. Many critics even put forth that it was the American consumer's tendency to vastly overspend that was the root of the subprime mortgage crisis. We were buying houses we couldn't afford.

To make matters worse, the main character of the movie is even supposed to be a faux-financial journalist who is clueless about the world around her, while admitting she doesn't know much about personal finance. I'm sure it will all have some sappy positive conclusion wrapped up with a neat little moral lesson, but seriously, why now? Do we really need more people thinking they can charge too much debt and 'everything will be OK in the end'?

With the average debt in the United States rapidly rising, many individuals are looking for a better way to manage their bank accounts, credit cards, savings and investments. While there are lots of software solutions available, cutting edge Web 2.0 technology has given rise to many new money management tools and services that make keeping track of personal finances easy. However, don't let all the jargon make choosing between these tools difficult.

If you have never used a Web 2.0 money management tool or service, don't miss out on all the advantages they offer. Here's a monster list of 18 of the top Web 2.0 finance services currently available. This list covers new sites offering services in a variety of specialized fields ranging from online banking, personal finance, investing, business tools, shared bills and housing prices. Be sure to fully investigate all the features and security details on a site before signing your life away and deciding which one best fits your needs. Or you can just choose the site with the coolest logo, always a fundamentally sound means of selection.

Enjoy, and let us know what you thought of your experiences with these sites.

ONLINE BANKING/PERSONAL FINANCE

1. DimeTracker

DimeTracker is an easy to use tool that is perfect for keeping track of everyday expenses. If you are a person that constantly makes small purchases that land you in hot water when you fail to include in your check book this program is for you. DimeTracker is 100% free to use and has a mobile feature which can be used on the go. Use DimeTracker to keep tabs on spending at fast food restaurants, last minute grocery store visits, and other small expenses.

It's back to school time out there for all you bright-eyed, young business leaders of tomorrow. Ughh, those first few days after Labor day are the college equivalent of those cold winter Monday mornings. It's harsh.

But Bank of America is trying to make things as easy and as lame as possible for your finances this semester. They've got this new site feature with a wacky/hip college guy named Morris teaching us all the valuable lessons of helpful banking services and how we can use them with a Bank of America account.

I've watched a few of the episodes on the site and it seems like Morris is painfully out of touch with legit college problems. The dude is supposed to be an upperclassman but he has a 1950s-era 'State' pennant hanging on what appears to be his dorm room wall? Come on bro, man up and move off-campus to avoid the noise violations and puritanical drinking restrictions.

Also, as AdFreak points out, Morris appears to be stone cold sober in all of his little introductions. Even his 'Spring Break' segment has him drinking a large fruity drink labeled 'Non-Alcoholic'. Get real, Morris.

As for the financial advice - it seems like Bank of America is trying to do too much. Under their 'college tips' advice index the sage wisdom is filed under Financial Advice, Dorm Room, Random, Classes, Food. What, no 'Sex' advice? No cross promotional thing with Trojan? Opportunity lost.

The classes, food, and dorm room stuff is all very typical and obvious. Sounds verbatim like all the paperwork and colorful posters hanging on your RA's door. But let's take a look at the financial tips they offer:

How can you tell if it's time to buy your own place or keep paying the landlord?

There has been a lot of mixed information floating around out there concerning the current housing market. Are prices on their way down? Is this making it a good time to buy, or is now becoming renter's paradise?

Carmen Wong Ulrich, a personal finance blogger for CNBC, has a great little rule you can use to calculate if an area is ripe for the buying.

For example, if you are deciding between renting a 2-bedroom apartment or buying a condo, use the Rule of 15 (not to be confused with the diabetes rule of 15). Now in 4 simple-to-use steps:

1) Find the going rent in the neighborhood or location you’re interested in—which you can track down through sites like Zillow.com and Trulia.com—and calculate how much you’d spend in rent a year. Say, $2,000 a month would mean an annual rent of $24,000.

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Banking these days offers a variety of efficient and convenient luxuries, but there are a few reasons why you should always have some straight cash at your fingertips. Are you one of those people who hops from ATM to ATM looking for cash? Or are you the king of online banking and debit cards? I still think you're awesome . . . but get yourself some bills too, dude.

Take for example the IndyMac crisis all over the news right now. Even if your funds were under the FDIC's insurable limit ($100,000), it could take days before you have access to your account. Imagine being stranded in the middle of a bank run without even a couple of hundred bucks at your ready? You'd resort to turning 'tricks' in the local cemetery just to get your daily beer on.

Granted, this is kind of a strange situation, but it's worth watching to see Dave Ramsey teach the art of dodging the debt collector (1:46 in the video, fullscreen is probably your best bet).

Apparently some dumb 18-year-old college girl signed up for a 'family cell phone plan' with a couple of her dumb friends from school. They used their phones for a few months, racked up a $1,300 bill, and decided not to pay it. The debt collectors are calling and Dad is pissed. Help us Dave Ramsey!