Anyone concerned about money wishes for two things. First to learn how to budget better and two to save more money. Living in a tech savvy world has its benefits and some of those benefits includes convenient access to budgeting and finance tools via your computer or your cell phone. Never has it been so easy to not only create a budget and stick to it but to save money. The best part is many of these tools are completely free. Thanks to nerdwallet.com article on “Best Budgeting Apps and Personal Finance Tools,” we could see just what the best of the best apps are out there.
Per nerdwallet.com, Mint and Acorns are hands-down the best apps to help you save more and spend less.
Mint by intuit has been the gold standard of budgeting apps for a while and there are a few reasons you can see why. First the app automatically updates and categorizes your transaction. Doing this creating a picture of your spending in real time. Users can also add their own categories, pay bills, and set budgets making this app user friendly and completely customizable.
Acorns unlike Mint is a savings tool rather than a budgeting app. It helps users save more money by automatically harvesting the change each time they swipe a linked card. So, think of it as your change jar that you kept in your room where you would put your loose change after a cash purchase. According the acorns.com the app will take a transaction that adds up to $1.50, Acorns rounds that up to $2 and sends that 50 cents into an investment portfolio. This app is a great way to mindlessly invest, with reasonable fees. If you are under 24 or are a student, then you qualify for free management while other users pay $1 a month on account balances below $5000. For more specific on account pricing visit the Acorns website
If those two don’t cut it for you don’t worry. There are tons of different apps out there that can potentially meet your needs. Some of those apps include You Need a Budget, Mvelopes, Wally, Level Money, BUDGT, GoodBudget, etc.
If you are interested in starting a budget and are serious about saving just know that it is as easy as one, two, three. Gone are the days of spreadsheets and pencil and paper now are the days of do it for you apps. Saving and budgeting has never been easier.