Budgeting and managing your money can be stressful, especially if you are running a business and not that great with numbers. Watching your cash flow, monitoring the movement of your money, corralling accounts, and keeping a record of everything – all of this can combined can take quite a toll on any small business owners, and that’s precisely where personal finance software and apps come in, helping you ease the burden off your shoulders.
Although you are still advised to find a professional for budgeting and financing, using applications and software to streamline the process further is well worth it. The following are some of the best personal finance software and apps that can be used for personal money management purpose. You can review each and find out the best and easiest app that you would like to use.
Personal Capital tops the list as it is the first web-based, free finance management tool you can use. This is an easy, free-to-use service which syncs all your financial accounts. Not only this, but this amazing finance management tool also provides you a summary of your net worth, spending, as well as your investment portfolio. As an upgrade, you can even get their financial advisory service to improve your financial management. However, that is a paid service.
People who are more interested in keeping track of investment planning should definitely opt for this feature. This is one application that focuses more on the investment part of one’s financial plan. Therefore, you can expect this tool to fulfill most of your requirements, including the allocation of taxes, allocation of assets, and even a retirement plan.
The following are the key features of Personal Capital:
Includes a Retirement Planner: As mentioned above, this application also includes a retirement planner and therefore will be a perfect pick for you if you are targeting that.
Budgeting: One of the main reasons you require a finance management app or software is for effective budgeting. Follow weekly, monthly and yearly income and expense habits using the Cash Flow Analyzer spending tool.
401 (k) Free Analyzer: Another useful and unique feature that will keep you updated about your current retirement plan and its related cost.
Investment Checkup: The application will provide you high-level recommendations as far as your investments and asset allocation is concerned.
Other than these, Personal Capital also features asset allocation targets (to help you create a balance), email notifications, upcoming bills, and an Apple Watch app. This amazing finance management tool can be accessed through both website and mobile application. Certain features may not be available with mobile apps though. In case you are not comfortable with the idea of letting a software manage your finances (including investment options and details), you can find a tax professional for budgeting and financing for a safer experience.
Mint is one service that will help you keep an eye on all your financial services at one location. Improve your budgeting ability with the help of this finance management tool using. The app is absolutely free and easy to use.
Unlike Personal Capital, Mint is more focused on the budgeting side of your finance management. This service does not require any specific software to run and can be accessed through any mobile device or browser.
Mint is one of the most commonly used tools for finance management – thanks to its user base of more than 15 million. The program is simple to use and requires only a few seconds to setup your account. If you are someone who can never get your budgeting right manually, let this tool help you keep a close eye on your spending and investment habit.
Also, you do not have to carry out manual upgrades on this one. In fact, every time you visit the website, you will find your data updated automatically. All your financial information is just a click away, with a super-friendly user interface, navigation and pretty graphs.
Some of the best features of Mint include:
Weekly Summaries: Get an automatic summary of your finances for a week right into your mailbox.
Alerts and Notifications: Mint is very effective when it comes to keeping an eye on your money. You can sign up for alerts and notifications via email as well as through SMS. You can get alerts for:
Bill reminders
Late fees
Over budget on a certain category
Rate changes
Large purchases
Budgeting and Goal Setting: This app is very successful with users who can’t keep a track of where they spend money. Know the categories where you are spending money using the software’s easy-to-understand graphical format.
Mobile Application Support: The app is available for different processors such as Apple’s iPhone, OS X, iPad, and Google Android. These apps can be used for free for financial services.
You can use Mint to get your financial information on the go. However, Mint users do mention about the lack of investing features this tool should have. While you can switch to Personal Capital as your go-to application for finance management, you can work with professional tax preparers or accountants at Richard Rogers as well to get everything in place. After all, it is always better working with real people when it comes to sensitive areas like finance.
Last but not the least, Quicken is another easy to use finance management software that can help you keep up with the movement of your finances. Quicken has been around for the longest time and is one of the most commonly used software by people who find budgeting and financial planning difficult.
The best features of Quicken app include:
Budget Improvement – Quicken has some unique features when it comes to budgeting which makes the overall experience of the user smoother. It does not only display the specific transactions but also store and save receipts for future referencing.
Mobile Sync Improvements – This feature was initially introduced in 2013 and improved in 2014, offering better synchronization services to keep a check on all your financial movements at one place.
Overall Speed – In 2014, the application was improved for overall speed and showed impressive results in performance tests. The application has become much more responsive, and therefore, much more effective in keeping up with the finance management too.
This particular software is recommended by a number of users for being the most comprehensive of all the software apps. In addition to that, the app is also famous for its robust budgeting feature along with strong portfolio management.
Since the app is completely web-based, Intuit has a history of offering poor customer service through Quicken. If customer service is what you are looking for in your finance management app, you can turn to the professionals. At Richard Rogers, you can find a tax preparer and professional accountants who can offer you finance management service on a more personalized, individual level. Connect with us today by clicking the link below and find a tax professional for budgeting and financing now!
