The Four Best Budgeting Apps of 2018

August 1, 2018

If I told you ten years ago that yesterday I was able to order my lunch, ride a scooter, refill a prescription, and schedule an oil change - ALL from my phone - would you believe me?

More and more people are joining the technology bandwagon, using apps for just about every day-to-day task you can think of. The power of financial health and responsibility is gaining momentum, and managing money and budgeting is easier than ever with programs available at your fingertips. Here are the top-rated apps that Skills Fund recommends.

CREDIT KARMA

Chances are you've heard of Credit Karma before - it's a powerhouse of personal finance resources. While it is recommended to get a hard copy of your credit score from the three top agencies every year - Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion - it's also important to monitor your credit throughout the year to see if there is any unusual activity on your account. CreditKarma does just that, by utilizing a soft credit check to monitor your finances. With a free account, you can log in and see the trends of your credit score, as well as discover offers that match your financing needs.

"Credit Karma is easy. I used it to check my credit score before applying for a new credit card to see my likelihood of getting approved. Now I get email notifications whenever an account is closed or opened in my name - which really helps me keep an eye out for fraud." - Corinne, Marketing Manager

EVERYDOLLAR

EveryDollar made an appearance on our 2017 list - and it looks like their features have gotten even better in the past year. The EveryDollar interface is easy-to-understand and completely designed for people who are on-the-go. In less than 10 minutes, users will be up and running with a dashboard of their income and expenses. As you spend money, add line items into the dashboard to track where your money is going every month.

“Living on a budget has been one of the most freeing decisions my family made. Assigning every dollar to a line item is quick and easy in the EveryDollar app. Then, I don’t stress or worry about my money after that.” - Kristina, Office Manager

PERSONAL CAPITAL

Personal Capital is an all-in-one money management tool with a heavy focus on advising. Personal Capital users benefit from the standard budgeting tools in addition to holistic wealth management, where advisors and portfolio managers provide insight into where your savings, retirement, and future life spending should grow.

"I've been using Personal Capital for about 3 years. I found that it generally stayed connected to my accounts longer and had useful recommendations about portfolio balancing, managing cash flow, investment checkups, retirement planning, etc., as opposed to being a vehicle to send me credit card offers." - Tommy, SVP of Growth

ACORNS

Words like "retirement", "investment", and "savings" sometimes are met with a blank stare when it comes to young minds. 20-somethings that take the time to invest are smart - because any amount you put away now can triple or quadruple 10 years from now.

Enter: Acorns - an app where you can invest your spare change automatically. It's the true definition of passive investment - where you don't need to worry about logging in and making a contribution every month. Whenever you spend money, Acorns will round your payment up to the nearest dollar, and invest those pennies and quarters on your behalf.