How to Act Carefree with the Right Personal Finance Apps
Contributor

As much as I like to think my life goes on without a financial care in the world, it’s always in the back of my mind. I have always envied people who can live in the moment, but I’m a planner what can I say. I’m still waiting for the day when this pays off. I probably have a good 50 years, but I’m hoping it will be worth it. Nonetheless, I still want to live my life and feel like finances are a thing of the past.

With that said I have a confession: I live by personal finance apps. Truth be told I was never much of an app person, but I find that they are extremely helpful when it comes to my bank account. I want to know how much money I have, where it is, and when it changes at a moment’s notice, so a personal finance app is perfect for me. With that said, I think it is safe to say I have tried a good variety of these little finance apps (have to do something when writer’s block hits).

Top 3 Personal Finance Apps According to a Finance Worrier

After a few different tries, I have found that four money management apps really got it right. The great thing about all of the different apps is just that—they are all different and they all serve slightly different purposes. Below are these three apps and some of the benefits I found with each:

  1. Mint – If this isn’t my favorite app, it’s a close second. This app is used to manage cash flow and budget (something great for shoppers like me). It can even show you your information graphically, which makes this an especially good app (as opposed to a service you would use on your computer). If you’re on the go, you can evaluate your finances at just the touch of a button.
  2. PayPal –This app lets me send and receive payments by simply creating an invoice. All I have to do is go into the app, click “create an invoice,” fill in the email address of the person who will be paying me, fill in the name of the project and the pay, and hit “submit.” However, the app is probably better used to check and see if someone paid you for an invoice you sent, or to see if the money you transferred from PayPal to your account was completed. This won’t work for all of your personal finances, but it’s great for a freelance writer or someone who works remotely.
  3. Expenditure – This app works well because it has such a simple layout. It allows you to set up categories and then create a budget for each category, and you have the ability to write a note if necessary. I also used this app when I went to Italy this summer because it has a currency converter (in the end this probably led me to spend more money, but at least I knew how much I was spending).

 

All of these applications work with an IPhone, but just about any smartphone can download the apps or something extremely similar. You can purchase these apps through iTunes, so they are no more than 2 or 3 dollars. After using these apps for quite some time, I started to realize that managing my personal finances was actually easier once I purchased the apps. I didn’t have to be near a computer, and I could get the information I wanted when I wanted it. Although I might not be as carefree as some people when it comes to my finances, I can at least fake it when I have an app letting me know exactly what I can spend. Someday when I’m 60 and retired I think it will pay off!

Photo Credit: hagi1971.blogspot.com, iMore.com

Amanda DiSilvestro is a writer on topics ranging from social media to 401k limits. She writes for an online resource that gives advice on topics including credit card processing to small businesses and entrepreneurs for the leading business directory, Business.com.

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