Finance
10 Top Financial Planning Tools and Apps in 2024
Whether you’re trying to build wealth, saving for college or planning for retirement, financial planning tools can help you budget for day-to-day expenses and reach your long-term financial goals.
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These 10 top financial apps and tools can help you save money while planning for your future.
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10 Top Finance Apps at a Glance
App |
Pricing |
Best for |
Pros and Cons |
Acorns |
Bronze $3/month, Silver $6/month, Gold $12/month |
Individual long-term retirement investing |
Pro: Only $5 to begin investing Con: No direct bitcoin investment access |
Buddy |
$9.99/month, $49.99/year |
Sharing budgets across multiple accounts |
Pro: Can customize categories and colors Con: Only available on iOS |
EveryDollar |
Free, $17.99/month or $79.99/year |
Providing structure in giving, saving and spending |
Pro: Can create unlimited budgeting categories Con: Limited features in free version |
Fudget |
Free, $14.99/6 months, $19.99/year |
Providing a simple web-based and mobile budgeting system |
Pro: 7-day free trial with bi-annual and annual plans Con: Only one budget on one device with free version |
Goodbudget |
Free, $80/year |
Those who like the envelope budgeting concept |
Pro: Email support with paid version Con: Only community support with free version |
Honeydue |
Free |
Couples who manage finances together |
Pro: Available on Android and iOS Con: Many customer-reported bugs and issues |
PocketGuard |
Free, $6.25/month or $74.99/year$12.99/month or $155.99/year |
Detail-oriented budgeters |
Pro: Lots of features for the price of paid versions Con: Basically useless unless linked to bank accounts |
Spendee |
Free; $14.99/year; $22.99/year |
Those who want to manage money on the go |
Pro: Connect to more than 2,500 banks worldwide on premium plan Con: Can’t share wallet with others on free plan |
YNAB |
$9.08/month, $109/year or $14.99 monthly plan |
Providing a flexible method for managing money |
Pro: 34-day free trial Con: No free version after trial |
Monarch |
$5.83/month, $69.99/year |
Tech-savvy personal investors |
Pro: No in-app ads or credit card offers Con: Steep learning curve due to many features |
1. Acorns
Banking with Acorns lets you automatically save and invest your money. You’ll have access to some of the highest available APYs — 3% on checking accounts and 5% on emergency fund accounts. Starting with your spare change, you can sign up quickly to pursue your money goals with an Acorn-recommended investment portfolio. The Acorns app has articles and videos for new and experienced investors to learn strategies and build confidence in investing, saving, earning and other financial topics.
2. Buddy
This simple budgeting app, Buddy, lets you track your expenses to prevent overspending. It’s completely customizable, and you can invite others to share your budget and sync their transactions with yours. Another key feature is connecting multiple accounts, including debt, to monitor your net worth. You’ll always know which bills are paid by whom.
Find Out: Average Monthly Expenses by Age: Which Group Is Spending the Most?
3. EveryDollar
Based on the zero-based budgeting concept, EveryDollar helps you plan your giving according to your beliefs, save for emergency expenses and spend money on what you need to be debt free. You can download your budget to a CSV file using the free version. EveryDollar’s financial roadmap feature lets you track your debt payoff progress and see your net worth in real time.
4. Fudget
The Fudget budgeting app is free to download on Windows and Mac desktop platforms and Android and iOS mobile platforms. Each paid subscription includes a seven-day free trial, unlimited budgets and entries, and the ability to share your budget and account with others at no additional charge. Fudget is a simple financial tool that basically works like a calculator without syncing your bank account.
5. Goodbudget
Goodbudget modernized the time-tested envelope budgeting system designed with families in mind to help you track your income and expenses. It’s ideal for couples and families to stay on top of household spending. Financial planning with Goodbudget prevents surprises.
Registering your household for free with Goodbudget gives you 20 envelopes that you can track with one bank account. You also get unlimited debt accounts and debt payoff envelopes, can sync the web app with up to two mobile devices and retain a year’s worth of transaction history.
6. Honeydue
Honeydue may be the answer to harmony in the home regarding couples sharing bills and budgeting. Whether you’re newly married or dating or have been wed for decades, you can track your bank accounts, loans and investments in one place. The app even reminds one or both partners before bills are due.
7. PocketGuard
PocketGuard features include an advanced bill payment tracker in which you can pay your bills on time, manage your subscriptions and prevent late fees by using automatic bill reminders. You can see and organize your bills in one location and track them manually or automatically, even those paid offline.
8. Spendee
You can control your finances with Spendee, including your bank accounts, crypto wallets and e-wallets. Use Spendbee’s smart budgets feature to help you save for future expenses and emergencies. Spendee uses a three-step approach to managing personal finances: Track cash flow by connecting your bank accounts, understand and analyze your spending habits with visuals in the app, and use smart budgets to prevent overspending.
9. YNAB
YNAB uses four rules to manage personal finances: Assign every dollar a job, plan and account for irregular expenses, be flexible and regroup when life happens and stay ahead of the game by using last month’s money to pay for this month’s expenses. YNAB takes the stress out of managing money.
10. Monarch
Monarch lets you manage and track your finances in one app, including investment transactions. Collaborating with your financial advisor or another family member is easy and at no additional cost. You can access Monarch on the web, Android and iOS devices. Monarch uses AI technology to create transaction rules, categorize expenses and predictably organize your payments.
More From GOBankingRates
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 10 Top Financial Planning Tools and Apps in 2024
Finance
Protect your future finances as layoffs spike nationwide
CHICAGO (WLS) — Job losses in the U.S. spiked in August to a five-month high of jut over 75,000 cuts a month, according to a new report from Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
And as employers sweat the budget crunch, financial experts at the website “MarketWatch” have tips in case you are ever laid-off.
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First, make sure to connect with your Human Resource manager to get a clear understanding of severance pay details.
Reconfigure your budget and trim unnecessary items.
You should also line up healthcare coverage through COBRA and utilize your HSA for medical expenses and for unemployment benefits.
Update your resume. And if you can, expand your skills through training or new certifications.
It’s also a good idea to prepare for the unexpected by setting up a high-yield savings account or any other cash savings account, in case of emergencies.
Here’s a link to the study for more information.
Copyright © 2024 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.
Finance
Alderney employment figures: Numbers working in finance drop
The number of people working in finance and insurance in Alderney fell last year compared to the year before, according to new figures from the island’s government.
The States of Alderney said 15 fewer people worked in the sector in March 2023 compared to 2022, taking the total down to 81 people – a drop of more than 15%.
But the overall number of people in work in the island has stayed roughly the same, it said in its annual employment bulletin.
The States said there were four more people in work or self-employed in March 2023 compared to the previous year – a rise of just 0.5%.
It said 81% of the 898 people on the island who had jobs worked for an employer and 19% were self employed.
Health and social work saw the biggest rise, with 16 more people working in the sector year-on-year (96 in total).
The number of people working in public administration also rose by 13 people to 183, making it the largest employment sector on the island at 20% of all roles.
The latest census information had the island’s population at 2,167 in March 2023.
Finance
Second Byju's auditor exits in a year as financial turmoil deepens | TechCrunch
BDO, the auditor for Indian edtech startup Byju’s, has resigned with immediate effect, marking the second auditor departure for the embattled startup in about a year and further intensifying concerns about its financial health and governance.
In a scathing resignation letter, BDO subsidiary MSKA highlighted multiple issues with Byju’s, including significant delays in financial reporting, inadequate management support, and concerns over the company’s ability to recover substantial dues from a Dubai-based entity.
The auditor’s exit comes as Byju’s, once India’s most valuable startup with a $22 billion valuation, grapples with a series of crises, including a recent Supreme Court decision to resume insolvency proceedings against the startup.
Deloitte, Byju’s previous auditor, and the startup’s key board members resigned last year, citing governance issues at the firm.
MSKA, appointed in August 2023 for a five-year term, said in its resignation letter: “There has been inadequate support from the management of the Company in providing us the books of account, information and explanations sought by us and sufficient appropriate audit evidence to enable us to complete the audit for the Financial Year 2022-23.”
In a statement, a Byju’s spokesperson said BDO’s requests to the firm required “crossing ethical and legal boundaries.”
“The real reason for BDO’s resignation is BYJU’S firm refusal to backdate its reports, while BDO went to the extent of recommending a firm that could facilitate such an illegal activity. Multiple call recordings exist, where BDO representatives explicitly suggest backdating these documents, which BYJU’S refused to do. BYJU’S strongly believes that this is the main reason for their resignation,” Byju’s spokesperson added.
MSKA disclosed that it has filed Form ADT 4, suggesting potential fraud or illegal activities within the company.
The resignation letter also highlighted concerns about various ongoing litigation against Byju’s and its board, including initiation of liquidation proceedings by lenders, and allegations of oppression and mismanagement by minority shareholders.
MSKA noted instances where Byju’s failed to share critical information, such as notices for EGM and insolvency proceedings, with the auditing team.
The auditor’s departure adds to the mounting challenges facing Byju’s, which has seen its valuation plummet amid missed financial deadlines, revenue shortfalls, and conflicts with investors. Top backers, including Prosus and Peak XV, have previously alleged governance issues and sought legal action to remove founder Byju Raveendran.
The edtech firm’s troubles have escalated in recent months, with the Indian Supreme Court recently putting on hold a tribunal ruling that had halted insolvency proceedings against the company. U.S. creditors are seeking to recover $1 billion from Byju’s, adding to the pressure on the once-celebrated startup.
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