Have you noticed that your bank account is draining faster than usual? Hello and welcome to the club. Everyone is trying to figure out how to better manage their money as prices rise on just about everything.
The device you’re holding in your hand is one of the best locations to look for answers. There are numerous budget apps available to help you manage your money better and increase your savings. Here are some of the best.
You Need A Budget – The Best All-Around Budget App
You Need A Budget (YNAB) is based on the fact that you do, in fact, require a budget. But, more crucially, it emphasizes the fact that budgeting necessitates effort.
Every dollar you earn must be assigned a job. You can try living by certain percentage-based standards – such as spending 10% of your salary on gas. However, studies show it’s more effective to be deliberate about how you will spend the money you receive each month.
This app, which costs $11.99 monthly or $84 per year, will require planning. However, it will pay off handsomely later on. According to the company, novice budgeters save $6,000 on average in their first year.
Additionally, you can take advantage of the free 34-day trial to see if it’s the best budget app for you.
Mint – The Best Free Budget App
Mint will appear in the search results if you search for top budget apps. Mint is undoubtedly the most well-known name in the app budgeting game. It has over 700,000 reviews and an almost perfect five-star rating in the App Store.
Mint allows you to monitor your credit score, track expenses and set up reminders to pay bills on time. In addition, it highlights tiny payments that mount up over time. This includes things like increases in monthly subscription rates or unnecessary fees.
When you’re ready to progress beyond basic budgeting, the free tool includes investment features. These help you avoid overpaying fees while growing your money.
PocketGuard – The Best for Keeping Track of Spending
If you’re prone to overspending, try an app that allows you to quickly assess how much cash you have available. This helps you avoid the temptation of putting too much on a credit card. PocketGuard gives a running tally of how much money you have and how long you must make it last.
Additionally, the app’s Insights feature provides a breakdown of where you spend the most money regularly. This provides a simple way to save money. The app can also help you start saving money with its auto-save tool.
Personal Capital – The Best for Accumulating Wealth and Investing
If you’ve already mastered tracking your monthly costs, you’ll need an app to help grow the money you have leftover. Personal Capital has a free version of its software that can help you pave the route to a happy retirement.
Become an investment client and connect with an advisor. There are fees: 0.89 percent on the first $1 million, with a tiered system for bigger funds. However, having someone who can help you understand your risk tolerance is valuable.
The company’s Fee Analyzer tool can help you uncover needlessly high charges on your 401k or other mutual fund investments.
Goodbudget – The Best Budget App for Couples
This app is based on envelope budgeting. This is an old-school method of separating all of your money into multiple envelopes to cover expenses and savings. However, the Goodbudget app comes with a digital twist.
You and your partner may sync your budget across five devices with the Plus edition, which costs $7 per month. The app works by withdrawing money from an “envelope” on your phone each time you spend. Both you and your spouse will be able to see this transaction on the app.
Goodbudget can also serve as a motivator for developing a savings strategy. Having a designated envelope for a down payment or vacation can serve as a reminder of your future goals together.
So You’ve Downloaded One of the Best Budget Apps: Now What?
Regardless of whether you use one of these apps or another, you’ll need to do more than set up notifications. Instead, concentrate on organizing your categories in a way that splits your spending. However, don’t create too many categories to track or you might not have much luck organizing your finances.
In addition, make sure you set aside time to evaluate your purchases. It’s also wise to look at the categories when you first launch the app to understand how spending is tracked. Furthermore, make a weekly appointment with yourself to go over your finances and look for ways to save money.
Image Credit: Andrea Piacquadio; Pexels; Thank you!
