3 Financial Apps to Help Your Future

When I got my first job, I downloaded so many financial apps. I was trying to find an app that would help me plan for my future and keep me accountable for the money I made. Eventually I found three that worked really well for me. Read on to find out the three apps that helped me plan for my future.

Track Your Money with YNAB

When I got my first “adult” job my brother told me about the magical app YNAB (You Need a Budget). This brilliant app allows you to categorize all of the money you earn and spend. Once I get a paycheck I divide up the money based on the following categories: Immediate Obligations, True Expenses, Quality of Life Goals, and Just for Fun. Within each category I divide up the money for things such as rent, savings, groceries, transportation, etc. What I like most about this app is you can set either a monthly funding goal or a target balance by a certain date. Once you start buying things with your card you can then subtract that cost from each category and stay accountable for what you buy.

Downside: the app does cost $50 a year. You can start a free trial for 34 days to see if you want to commit to paying for the app. I started using the app back in 2017 and I highly recommend it. Click here to check it out on the app store.

Invest with Acorns

Another app I’ve been using since I entered the “adult” world is Acorns. This super easy app takes out $5 of my account every week and invests it into bigger companies. It also rounds up all my purchases and takes that money to invest as well. I occasionally invest $8-10 a week through this app. Since I started the app, I’ve saved just a little over 1,000. Based on your goals, it tells you how much you can make by when you’re a certain age. When I am 64, I’ll have $109,000 saved.

Buy Stock with Robinhood

If you don’t want to invest every week, you can invest a few dollars at once with Robinhood and watch it grow. I found out this app through my boyfriend who sent me a link to get my first stock free. When I downloaded he also received a free stock. The cool thing about this app is that every time you invite a friend you both get a free $5 to invest. You can then either watch that stock grow, invest more, or take out you investment whenever you want. Click here for your first $5.