Whether you’re struggling to stick to a budget or trying to figure out the complex world of investing, tools can help you. Technology has finally reached the point where it can make these difficult tasks way easier. Using one or more of the top personal finance apps you’ll read about below can help you. I’ve organized them according to the financial tasks they can help you achieve. So decide what your top priority is and then look for the app that’s right for you!
Budgeting
Writing out a budget is something we have probably all done at one time or another. But it’s kind of impossible to actually stick to it unless you are crazy disciplined. With these top personal finance apps, you can make your budget and actually track it right from your phone. So you really have no excuse for breaking it!
- Mint: this app lets you manually set your own budget with different spending categories. Then, it links to your accounts to actually track your spending on its own. When you are edging to close to your limit in a spending category, it warns you.
- Dollarbird: This app will map your money onto a calendar so you can see how your financial situation will look on any given day of the month. This really helps you to think in a more future oriented way. Is that impulse purchase in your hand really worth leaving you broke by next Friday?
- Penny: this is part budget tracker and part financial coach. The app sends you fun texts to let you know how you’re doing and what you should be on the lookout for. If a bill is due soon or if your spending starts to near your limit, you’ll get a text. It links to your account as well so you don’t have to manually input purchases.
If you want something that helps make budgeting a little more fun and rewarding, try a gamification program that turns your budget into a game!
Saving
Saving money is one of those things we all know we need to be doing. But it requires a lot of discipline to actually do it. Using one of these top personal finance apps, it gets a little easier and you can find the motivation to actually enjoy saving your money!
- Digit. This app has already been around for a while and it succeeds because it automates savings. Each day, it automatically withdraws money from your checking and puts it into savings. It uses an algorithm to calculate how much you can spare. So if you’re earnings are high, it will take out a few dollars. If you’re broke, it’s just a few cents. Either way, your savings grows little by little. You can also send commands via text to make larger deposits into your savings.
- Qapital. There are a lot of options for savings here. For one, you can set it to round up your purchases to the nearest dollar and put the extra change into a savings account. You can also schedule automatic savings deposits that are triggered by certain activities (like receiving a paycheck or shopping at a certain store). This can be used as a habit changing feature. For example, setting the app to automatically put $30 in savings anytime you spend more than a certain amount at a restaurant. This will help you learn to stop overspending on eating out.
- Unsplurge. Here you can set savings goal and track your progress as you can with the two above. There’s no automated savings features. But it can send you reminders and tips. And you have access to a community of users so you can see other goals and talk about strategy.
You can find plenty more apps like these so if none of those 3 stuck out to you, don’t worry. There’s still hope! The budgeting apps you read about above also double as savings tools since they help you take charge of your spending. With budgeting, you will actually have the cash to put aside into spending.
Investing
Some of the most impressive top personal finance apps are the ones that are designed to invest for you. Investing used to be something that only people with enough money to spare could do. And more than that, it was for people who could afford the risk of losing that money. But with these apps, investing is easy and doesn’t require huge starting costs.
- Acorns. This is a microinvesting app that will automatically round up each purchase to the nearest dollar and invest the difference. So if you buy lunch for $15.35, the app rounds it up to a $16 charge to your debit card. The extra 65 cents gets put into your investment portfolio.
- SigFig. This app allows you to view and manage your portfolio right from your phone. It also helps you develop your strategy. When you sign up, you answer a questionnaire and then get a personalized investment plan. You can then tweak that to your own needs or keep it as is. Then, put your money in and watch it grow. For the first $10,000 the management and advice are free!
- Stash: with this app, you have a lot of options and features. You can do microinvesting like you do with Acorns. But you can also buy whole shares. And the app also has a lot of educational features that will help you actually learn more and become a smarter investor.
There are fewer investing apps available compared to the other categories. But if you are looking into investing, you should get apps that provide up to date financial news and stock information. Being informed is one of the most important parts of being a smart investor!
Final Word on the Top Personal Finance Apps of 2017
Whatever your financial goals are, using tools like these can help you achieve them. With the top personal finance apps of 2017, staying on top of your finances is easier than ever. These apps will help you stay motivated, track your progress, and, in some cases, make sure that you are actually working toward your goals consistently. So set your goals and start taking your first steps toward achieving them today!
