Long gone are the days of tracking your expenses in a messy spreadsheet. The increased demand for comprehensive budgeting and spending trackers has encouraged financial management sites to start offering easier solutions.
Instead of entering each thing you purchased manually, these sites link to your accounts and do the math for you. Check these out if you’re ready to get your money in order.
Mint: Mint keeps all your finances in one place. Link your accounts to it, and it displays everything from your balances to your bills. Bill-tracking organizes all your bills to keep track of what you owe monthly and get reminders when it’s time to pay. It is free and easy to use. If you’re worried about security, Mint was created by Intuit, aka the makers of QuickBooks and TurboTax.
Personal Capital: Link all your accounts to keep up with your cash flow. Their dashboard has a budgeting feature, retirement planner, and more. This management site is a bit more in-depth than others as it allows you to track your portfolios so you can compare how they are doing. They also offer access to financial advisors.
Mvelopes: Mvelopes focuses on teaching its users how to budget and comes in several subscription models. The second tier is $9.95 a month and helps you tackle debt, the other main focus of Mvelopes.
YNAB (You Need A Budget): YNAB works similarly to other budgeting apps, intending to prevent you from living check to check. One handy feature includes creating an emergency fund for you from what you haven’t spent in your budget. There’s also educational information and live customer support.
Pocketsmith: They have two paid models but also offer a free version for the casual budgeter. Pocketsmith lets you link your accounts like the other sites, but this one allows you neatly label them so you can keep better track of your spending. Another unique feature is its budgeting calendar that lets you plan target dates for upcoming payments. This is great because it allows you time to spot problems in advance and to plan accordingly.
