Do you need help keeping your finances in check? Or perhaps you’re looking for an easier way to keep tabs of your spending habits and paying bills on time? Whether you want to manage loyalty cards, have an easier way to split restaurant tabs among friends, or you just want to go “cardless,” stay on top of managing your money with these five smartphone apps—without the hefty fee of a financial planner.
The app is widely recognized by millennials—and investors—as the investment app that lets you automatically invest spare change from your debit and credit card purchases. Last month, the eight-month-old app banked $23 million in its third round of funding, which brought total funding to a whopping $32 million. With 650,000 members, consisting of mostly millennials, Acorns connects to a card and “rounds up” the spare change to the next dollar on all purchases. Once a roundup reaches $5, the money is withdrawn and invested in a personalized stock portfolio. On average, customers put $100 a month into investment funds, helping you to essentially become your own investor.
For managing loyalty cards, CardStar is an app that provides you with the convenience of going “cardless.” By eliminating your wallet and the bulk that comes along with dragging one around, CardStar stores your loyalty, rewards, and membership cards together within the app. All of your cards are stored and located in one space, providing a quick and simple way to store shopping lists and manage your accounts.
Need a fast, accurate way to pay and split bills at restaurants or bars? Perfect for millennials, Dash will not only sort out your bill, calculate the tip, set the tax amount, and show each individual in a party how much he or she owes, but also provides details on how crowded a given venue is. The app has you “check in” once seated, and then informs your waiter that you will be paying with the app. In addition, the app will send a copy of the bill to your personal e-mail, ensuring exactness. Users can see the distance to each “Dashable” restaurant on the home screen of the app, as well as an estimated cost of an Uber and ambiance rating.
Venmo is an app that allows you to send money securely. You can pay anyone instantly using money you have in Venmo, after linking either your bank account or debit card, and the transfer happens within seconds. The app allows you to “cash out” overnight, so you will receive your money and can then move it to any of your accounts within one business day. You can venmo anybody with either a phone number or e-mail address, regardless of them having the app. Venmo allows you to find friends automatically by syncing your contacts or Facebook.
For managing your expense account, this app takes a unique approach. Users will be prompted to take a picture of their receipt, which is then automatically loaded into the individual’s account. The app proceeds to fill in expense details and can attach receipts to the associated credit card expense. In addition, users can tag and categorize receipts, as well as add numbers to expense reports. The app also tracks mileage and time spent, offering coinage conversions and IRS-approved e-receipts under $75.