Sylvester Knox, Finance Advisor, on Top Personal Finance Apps

Personal finance management can be challenging but today's personal finance apps make the job easier and less stressful. From budgeting and expense tracking to investments and peer-to-peer payments, the following are the 5 best personal finance apps of the year that are worth using.

Venmo for Peer Payments
Venmo, purchased by Paypal in 2013, combines social media and peer-to-peer payments in one intuitive format. Users can share personal QR codes to receive payments from friends and family. Money can be sent using a Venmo balance, bank account, or credit card. Transactions can even be viewed by other friends.

Mint for Budgeting and Saving
Intuit's Mint has a well-earned reputation as one of the best money management apps ever made. This all-in-one app makes it easy to set up an effective budget, track spending in personalized categories, and manage savings. All credit cards, bank accounts, investment accounts, and monthly bills can be connected to track everything in one place. Mint sends alerts when bills are due and when a budgeted spending category is exceeded.

Acorns for Saving and Investing
A big barrier to investments for many consumers is the perceived expense. Acorn makes investing easier and more accessible by rounding up purchases and automatically investing the difference in a low-cost ETF portfolio based on the user's chosen risk preference. Acorns charges $1 per month (or nothing for college students) to help users save and invest without even noticing it.

Prism for Paying Bills
Never make a late payment again with Prism, a user-friendly app that makes it easy to organize and pay every bill. Prism lets users see bills and account balances using a single platform. Bills can be scheduled for payment or paid directly through Prism. Quickly see income, account balances, and upcoming monthly expenses at a glance with the calendar feature and get alerts when bills are coming due.

Albert for Help with Finances
Consumers who want a little help with their finances can appreciate Albert, which tracks accounts and provides simple and actionable recommendations for boosting the user's financial health. Albert automatically sets up a budget based on the user's spending habits, income, and bills and sets aside money every month into a savings account. For a small monthly fee, users can access the Albert Genius feature to get personalized advice about savings, investments, and debt from real personal finance experts.

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This article was originally published on sylvesterknox.net

About the Author

For over twenty-eight years Sylvester Knox has worked in the financial industry as an investment executive. As the CEO of the Knox Group, Sylvester assists corporations, individuals, and families with their financial decisions. Knox draws on his decades of experience to craft tailored strategies for each of his clients. Sylvester Knox currently resides in New Jersey, and is an active philanthropist focused on giving back to his community.

For Sylvester's personal finance blogs, visit sylvesterknox.net

For Sylvester's blogs on philanthropy and volunteering, visit sylvesterknox.org

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