The life of a nurse is busy enough without also having to worry about keeping your finances in order when you’ve got little time to spare each day.
Luckily there are lots of excellent apps out there which make it straightforward to stay on top of all things money-related, so let’s look at the best of the bunch and explain why they’re worth using.
Mint: Comprehensive budget tracking
This is one of the most celebrated and widely recommended budgeting apps on the market and for good reason.
First up, Mint is free to download and use, so as long as you can put up with the in-app ads, it won’t cost you a penny.
Next, there’s the intelligent way that it tracks spending and breaks down your outgoings according to their categories. So if you’re trying to manage your budget while on the move, it will give you a snapshot of where you’re up to in an instant.
Last, there’s the simplicity of the interface, which belies the comprehensive suite of functions that are on offer. Simply put, there’s no better free budgeting app out there than Mint.
SoFi: All-in-one stock trading
More and more people are getting into the stock market at the moment, and the convenience of apps like SoFi, which lets you trade stocks online, is a big reason for this.
The market moves quickly, so you’ll want an app that lets you keep tabs on your portfolio and invest in a diverse array of products, including ETFs and even cryptocurrencies. That’s exactly what SoFi offers, and in addition to assisting with trading from your smartphone, it also makes filing tax returns easier each year when you need to report your gains to the IRS.
The app is award-winningly intuitive, and there are often incentives to encourage new customers to sign up, which will sweeten the deal further. So whatever your investment goals, SoFi is the app to use to reach them.
Venmo: Mobile payments
There are plenty of mobile payment platforms that let you send and receive money swiftly, and Venmo is arguably the top contender out there at the moment.
It functions like a digital wallet, meaning you can harness it for everything from splitting the bill at a restaurant with friends to sending gifts to family members.
Many businesses support Venmo as well, so paying for goods and services when you’re on the go is child’s play. Better yet, if you decide to set up a side hustle to supplement your income, you can use Venmo to accept payments as well.
Credit Karma: Free credit score & reporting
Even if you think you’re pretty good at managing your money, you won’t know where you stand unless you check your credit score regularly.
While some brands charge a fee if you want to access your full credit report, Credit Karma is free of charge.
It not only tells you your score out of 710 points, with weekly updates provided so you can monitor your progress over time but also pinpoints the factors that are influencing your score. That way, you can make changes that will boost your score in the future, and you’ll also know if there’s some issue or error that’s holding you back and needs to be rectified.
You can link bank accounts, track your mortgage, review credit cards, and even get suggestions for offers that will save you money on particular finance products, all within the Credit Karma app, so it really is convenient.
YNAB: Premium budget management
Mint may be free, but there are also premium products out there that target the same market and go above and beyond to justify the monthly fees they charge.
You Need A Budget, or YNAB for short, is one of the most feature-rich platforms out there and has some interesting aims underpinning its design.
For one, it wants to empower users by showing them where their money is going and encouraging them to make changes which will ensure every dollar counts for something.
It boasts that a typical user can expect to slash $6,000 off their spending in the first year of use, which justifies the almost $100 cost of an annual subscription.
Personal Capital: High-end wealth management
If your main issue is that you’ve got quite a bit of cash to put to work, and you don’t know how to go about this, Personal Capital has got you covered.
Wealth management is the name of the game here, and while the fees are fairly steep, the access to finance experts it affords you is perhaps the most saleable aspect of the app.
As you can see, it pays to match the finance apps you use to your needs, so don’t go all-in on installing every recommended app, but only choose the ones that make sense for your circumstances.
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