What is the best album to use and what is best cataloging software?

I am new to the hobby and I am certain that I only want to collect US 
stamps.  My question is this.  What is the best album to use for
collecting? 
I'd also like to use some sort of cataloging software to keep track of
when 
I bought each stamp and what I paid for it and its current value so what
is 
the best software to use for that?  Thanks in advance for your help.

Mark