5 Apps to Brighten Your Financial Future - Netted
Video • April 3, 2015

5 Apps to Brighten Your Financial Future

These iOS, Android, and web apps will get your finances back on track

Saving money is a good idea. We all know that… but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. It can be, though, with the help of these 5 simple apps.


OPEN: Hi, I’m Netted’s Senior Editor Charlie Kaplan, and this is Netted Does.

INTRO: Saving money is half about good habits, but it’s 2015: who the hell has time to develop good habits anymore? We’re going to walk you through five real simple ways to brighten your financial future without a lot of work on your part.

SMARTASSET: Let’s start by plugging you into SmartAsset. This site takes basic information about your current financial situation and gives you a sense of how to plan for your future. It shows you how much money you need to save every month to retire comfortably, how to refinance debt, or how much you can spend on a mortgage if you’re ready to shack up.

ACORNS: To get there, of course, you’ll need to start putting your cash to work, which is where Acorns comes in. Acorns is an investment app that does the legwork of designing a portfolio that matches your needs, while keeping fees low, and avoiding trade commissions. I see your eyes glazing over. It also rounds up every transaction you make on your bank account and invests the runoff to your portfolio, so you save without even really realizing. Plus, it’s called “Acorns”! How cute is that?

DIGIT: Digit is finally launched to the public, and it’s a little like Acorns, but for your savings instead of investments. Every couple of weeks, it analyzes your checking account and how much you’ve spent, and quietly transfers cash to a savings account, but only if you can afford it.

DOLLAR A DAY: We had to include our favorite app of last year. Dollar a Day does more than put your money to work; it puts your money to work making the world a better place. Give this site your card information, and it’ll pull a dollar out of your account every day and put it towards worthy charities. If you’re wondering where that warm glow is coming from, now you know.

MINT: While these apps are at work planning and building a cushy financial future, use Mint to survey your quickly-growing kingdom. Sync all your bank accounts, credit cards, investments, insurance plans, and anything else money-related to get a sense of your net worth. Monitor growth and transactions, and even pay your bills right in the app.

OUTRO: Managing money can seem really scary, but these five big apps do the hard work of planning your future, building investments and savings, contributing to charity, and centralizing your finances for easy monitoring, which should definitely de-scare-ify things.