Like everyone else, experts have their favorite tactics for managing your money, whether it’s budgeting, managing credit card rewards, investing, or tracking your spending.
What we love about the members of our CNET Qualified Review Panel is that they know what it’s like to start from scratch to save your first $1,000 or get out of debt. And now they’re turning to the apps they use to organize their money.
The way you manage your money is personal. So, there’s no single option that all experts agree on, and that’s okay. But here are some of their favorites.
There are many money apps that can optimize your budget and apps that offer physically powerful investment tools, but you can’t find either in a single app. Empowerment is the exception.
Empower is a budget planner mentored by Jannese Torres, money coach, founder of the podcast Yo Quiero Dinero, and CNET ERB member. The app allows you to set a line-by-line budget, create savings goals, and open investment accounts. You can customize the categories based on where you spend the most.
Empower has some added benefits, as it adds a retirement planner and an all-in-one dashboard to keep track of all your money goals in one place. Although the app is aimed at investors, you can also link your credits. cards and bank accounts.
It’s also worth noting that account users have commented that some accounts aren’t up to date, so their balances may not be accurate. And some accounts don’t work with the app, such as American Express and Virgin.
Manage your budget and together.
All-in-one control panel for goals.
It offers retirement and planners.
You can link bank, investment, and card accounts.
Minimum account of $100,000 to invest.
AwardWallet is like the one-stop-shop for all your rewards, whether it’s Target Circle or Chase Ultimate Rewards.
If you have multiple credit cards with rewards, this is the app to turn to through Jason Steele, a credit card expert.
It keeps track of your issues for most hotels and airlines, such as JetBlue and Marriott.
Plus, you can manage all of your credit card benefits, rewards, and credits available in one place. This can be convenient when you’re making plans and need to see what you can get to maximize your rewards. When you e-book your Array, all of your itineraries can be stored in the app. AwardWallet also sends reminders when credits and benefits are about to expire.
Even if you don’t have a lot of credit cards, the app can still save all your loyalty cards in one place and you can scan them as a user at checkout. While the app is free, an enhanced edition costs $30 for one. Annual subscription.
Keep track of all your rewards and card miles in one place.
Keep loyalty cards in one position to make the checkout process easier.
Expiration reminders and credits that will soon end.
Not all accounts work with the app.
Accounts are not up to date.
You may have to pay a $30 annual subscription if you have a lot of rewards to keep track of.
Qapital is a savings and investment app option that experts love, especially for managing shared finances.
Alaina Fingal, owner of The Organized Money, uses Qapital Basic because she doesn’t want the investment or debit card that comes with the upgraded tier. She basically uses the app to track her additional savings. “With the fundamental option, I’m still able to automate my savings and load more savings rules,” Fingal said. “It’s the best for my needs. “
She has been the app for over five years and has saved her more than $25,000.
It can also be an ideal option if you need to marry someone to manage your finances in one place. You can keep some personal monetary data if you need to. Qapital allows you to set purposes, make automatic deposits, and allocate your cash for each budget category or a purpose for each deposit. For example, you may decide to put 20% into your emergency fund for each paycheck. You can also make changes if necessary, such as skipping a deposit or making a smaller investment to achieve a safe purpose. Investment features are also available.
And Qapital is insured by the FDIC for up to $250,000. But you may not earn interest, as you would with a high-yield savings account. Transferring cash to your external account regularly takes three days, Fingal added. Therefore, the account may be convenient if you know you need cash on an express date. like Christmas or a birthday, but not in a hurry.
Qapit accounts charge between $3 and $12 for your Premier account and offer a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Two other people can manage a single account to keep their savings together.
Set and track monetary goals.
Automatic deposits available.
Ability to allocate how much cash will go to the target.
The FDIC secured up to $250,000 depending on the account.
30-day money-back guarantee.
External transfers are automatic.
Plans between $3 and $12 consistent with the month.
Student loan expert Mark Kantrowitz and credit card expert Aaron Hurd are enthusiasts of Quicken’s accounting features.
Kantrowitz has been Quicken for nearly 30 years. Use Quicken Classic Business for business transactions and the Quicken Personal account to keep track of your private money flows.
In addition, it’s simple to reconcile online transactions with manually entered transactions, he added. Kantrowitz also uses Quicken to record freelancers’ payments, but he still uses spreadsheets to keep track of assignments before invoicing them.
Hurd agrees: He likes Quicken because it helps him audit transactions, and he can upload and view all of his banking transactions in one place.
This feature can come in handy if you manage credit cards or bank accounts and need to have a complete understanding of your spending. Some other useful features include bill payment reminders and real-time alerts. In addition, you can also keep track of your investment accounts.
Quicken offers three plans, ranging from $3 to $10 per month with a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you’re in a position to manage your business and personal finances, it’s worth checking out. An app and desktop edition is available.
30-day money-back guarantee.
Customized spending plans.
Customizable for your expenses, savings, and income.
Manage public and private finances.
The monthly fee ranges from $3 to $10.
Whether you want to keep track of all your accounts in one position or avoid the uncertainties of saving, the right money app can help you keep track of your money goals and help you with the steps you can take to reach them. It’s not an expert choice, it’s more about finding the most productive way to keep track of your source of income and expenses.
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