These apps will help track your personal finance and introduce you to the stock market.
Technology has yielded remarkably beneficial tools in everything from healthcare to the food industry. Finance has also seen beneficial shifts due to technology—more specifically finance apps for your smartphone or tablet. In a fast paced world, it’s vital for people to access their budget, and track payments or investments at the touch of a button. The following are the top options for those interested in the best apps to track and improve your financial health.
Prism
Prism is the one stop shop of finance apps for personal budgeting. By seamlessly syncing their personal bank account(s) and connecting with vendors, the user has a way to keep their payments up to date, monitor their balances, stay within their credit limits, and prevent overdrafting. The user can pay more than 11,000 bills through Prism, which is made possible by the company’s extensive catalog of financial institutions which they support:
- Cable
- Phone
- Insurance
- Utilities
- Credit cards
- Internet
- Loans
The program is not only free and available in app form but has a Windows and Kindle version as well, making it easy to use on almost any device.
Honeydue
Nothing can be more useful when running a household than an app that allows a couple to handle their budget together. What sets Honeydue apart from other financial apps is that it is designed to be collaborative. The company states as much on their website, suggesting that the platform offers a way to get you on the same page as your partner. The app allows two people to add their bank account and decide what information—such as specific transactions—they wish to share. Users can check their balances, add bill reminders—decide who gets said reminders, and see a breakdown of their spending. Through Honeydue, couples can reach financial goals together. So far the free program is only available on Androids and iPhones.
Personal Capital
Personal Capital’s proposition is valuable because it monitors both your personal budget and your investments. One of the company’s top goals is for its users to know their net worth. This is achieved by keeping track of everything from a user’s personal bank accounts—checkings and savings alike—to their mortgage, credit cards, and home equity loans, to their IRA accounts and investments. The company boasts a transparency typically unseen in the world of brokering with their Fee Analyzer, which gives insight into the hidden fees that come with one’s retirement accounts, mutual funds, and investing accounts.
By helping to keep users on track—through tools such as the Investment Checkup feature—Personal Capital helps strengthen a person’s financial portfolio so they can reach their long-term goals of investing successfully. Additionally, through their linked accounts and use of the Personal Capital dashboard, one can better plan for retirement, and prepare for both planned and unplanned events that may skew their financial health. With such in-depth help it is no wonder that over 1.6 million people use Personal Capital—a financial software that is available on any device or desktop.
Expensify
Expensify is specifically designed to seamlessly track spending during business trips. Declaring itself, “a robust, feature-rich solution for employees and admins alike,” Expensify makes expense reports an easily achieved task. The program handles everything a business trip entails in regards to expenses: flexible travel negotiations, corporate cards, real time expense reports, applicant reimbursement, advanced approval hierarchies, advanced tax tracking, PCI-compliant security, and automatic accounting sync. It’s no wonder then that the program reduces expense reporting time by an average of 83 percent.
Through their Smartscan feature, users can scan their receipts and automatically submit them for approval. Many expenses are automatically approved due to the program analyzing your employer’s company policies beforehand. Once approved, employees are reimbursed directly to their bank account the next day. Users can even track their mileage, use the app for real time travel notifications, and set it to offline mode.
Expensify is available on iPhones and Androids, and is free for individuals and ranges in price depending on the size of the company and whether its a non-profit or a fortune 500 company. Companies that already use this service include Snapchat, Lyft, Taco Bell, and Accretive Solutions.
Investopedia Stock Market Simulator
For those looking to invest, or simply practice at it, without the risk there is the Investopedia Stock Market Simulator. While it may be a site based game, it’s one of the top choices among smartphone users. It’s also compatible with all devices. Investopedia offers a test drive of sorts of their program so users can try it before deciding if they wish to purchase. The simulated version of the stock market starts you off with $100,000 in virtual cash so that you may compete with others to see how honed your skills are. The platform offers ample opportunity to compete as there are over 700,000 members across the world.
Most of the stock market games are set in Nasdaq, the New York Stock Exchange, and the American Stock Exchange. The games will even charge broker fees and commissions to help users get the most out of the program. Overall its purpose is clear: prepare anyone interested in investing for the many complications that the stock market world entails.
Stash
Once you’ve honed your stock market skills, the Stash app is the next step. This one is compatible with both Android and iPhones, which is a major plus. Stash allows users to start with as little as a $5 investment in a process that takes about two minutes. The program helps users pick the strategy that best aligns with their interests, goals, and beliefs. One can always learn and improve which is why Stash promises a “learn-as-you-go” experience with articles and tips being periodically updated. Through their Auto-Stash feature, Stash helps users make investing a habit. Additionally, the company offers over 40 exchange-traded fund stocks carefully selected by the team. They even have coaches to help you along the way and ensure that your investment is put to optimal use.
