Personal Finance Apps

If getting a better handle on your finances is on your resolution list this year, here are some of the top personal finance apps from 50plus.com.

Your bank’s app
is a good place to start. Use it to check balances, make transfers, pay bills, keep track of your investments, or find the nearest branch or bank machine. Some of the other top-rated free  apps include Mint.com and Easy Envelope Budget Aid which lets you create a system using up to 20 virtual envelopes for regular and irregular expenses.

The ability to sync your account with your smart phone, tablet and computer has another bonus: you can go online to disable the app on your devices if you lose them.

If you’re willing to spend a bit, you can get the wildly popular You Need a Budget ($4.99 on iTunes and Android) It lets you check your budget and enter transactions on the go, and will automatically sync to your desktop when there’s an internet connection available.

Receipts ($1.99, iTunes)
makes it easy to manage all those receipts. Using the camera in your device, the app lets you take a picture of the receipt or bill and enter relevant details on the spot. If you don’t have an Apple product, there are similar apps jfor other devices like Smart Receipts Pro ($1.98, Android).

Before you download…
make sure the app meets your needs. Read the user reviews, consider the screen shots and see if there are any demos or tutorials online. Many apps have “free” and “pro” or “deluxe” editions. The upgraded versions often have additional features you may or may not find useful, but they’re also free from ads.