We’re at the end of January and many New Year’s Resolutions are likely to be in full swing by now, many of which will be focused on getting our personal finances back into shape.
Whether it’s budgeting, saving or simply managing any debts you owe, if you’re still struggling to kick start organising your personal finances, there are plenty of tools available to help you on your way.
Of the many, many personal finance apps available on both Android and iOS, app building tool, Yappi, has whittled them down to their top five favourites.
- Mint
This is known to be a particular favourite amongst many users of personal finance apps. Mint helps you manage your money, by showing you what you owe and when you need to pay it by. It even has settings that you can personalise, so that the app will give you a nudge to remind you when to make certain payments and to who.
Other nifty additions that make Mint a favourite personal finance app, is its ability to compare your spending between months and between years, too. You can also download the desktop software for more detailed information and analysis on the progression of your personal finances.
- Wally
Second on the list comes Wally, which is extra special as a free app, as it comes without any pesky adverts! Similarly to Mint, you can easily track your personal finances with Wally, whether it’s managing your payments or keeping an eye on your savings goals.
A unique feature that Wally users get is the ability to tag locations, or even add pictures to each time you log a spend. Although it might initially sound like a useless feature, users are often surprised by how tagging locations or adding pictures makes them consider their spending. It could be that they find they are spending too much money on nights out, or too much money at the supermarket; either way, tagging and adding photos adds that additional food for thought when it comes to managing personal finance.
- Debt Manager
The majority of people have their debts, whether it’s student loans or a mortgage, credit card owings or even from borrowing money from a friend or relative. Whatever the reason for your debts, it’s important to keep on top of them to avoid a backlog of missed payments and additional interest costs.
By downloading the app, Debt Manager, users are able to effectively organise their debts and the total amount of money they owe. The app helps users to create a repayment plan as well as displaying the progress of debt repayments. As a user, you’re given advice on how to pay off your debts quicker, to keep you motivated on your journey towards financial freedom.
- Qapital
If you’re planning on making a big difference to your savings this year, Qapital could help you with that. Each day, the app encourages you to save through little reminders or tips on what you could do to save more, quicker.
Qapital is perfect for those who want to save, but find that other things often become a priority. You’ll have no trouble saving thanks to the reminders and advice that Qapital provides.
- Goodbudget
Remember when budgeting or savings for various different things were separated into envelopes with labels on? This old fashioned method became quickly outdated, especially with the threat of losing an envelope and plenty of valuable money.
Not to worry though, as some apps have recreated this method of handling finances, for those who used to love the idea of separating money in little paper envelopes. Goodbudget is an app that offers this nifty method, but in a digital form on your smartphone, rather than physical.
Keep an eye on the progress on each of your savings categories with Goodbudget. You can also share the information with other users on other smartphones, such as a friend you’re saving up to go on holiday with, or even a partner you’re planning to buy a house with.
