Best Personal Finance Apps

The first thing to take care of is that debt of yours. Several debt apps employ the debt snowball method of getting rid of your debt faster. Debt Snowball+ has a good description of what this is and how to use it. It also has a great interface that shows how you're doing without a lot of flashing red lights. The app also provides a great way of showing how much time and money you can save by changing your payments.

If one of those debts is a mortgage, then a proper mortgage calculator is needed if you want to crunch your numbers. This one has all of the necessary functions, plus it works for regular loans as well. An added benefit is that, unlike many loan calculators, it doesn't look like something from Windows 95. 

The easiest way to keep your finances in order is to create and stick to a budget. If you are new to the concept, Back in Black does the best job at introducing you to the idea and helping you set things up. It uses the envelope method of budgeting, but does it without ugly envelope graphics. 

Many apps in this list have some kind of built-in notification system for bills. If you are looking for a dedicated app to remind you to pay bills, BillMinder lets you customize your notifications based on your location, time of day, and can automatically adjust due dates when they fall on a weekend. When you pay a bill, there are spaces available for confirmation numbers and notes for anything unusual about the transaction, which could come in handy if there is any question later.

When you get that reminder to make a payment, hopefully you are making most of your payments electronically. Having an electronic check register can be really convenient. While many check register apps lack essential functions, Accounts 2 is the best bare-bones paper register replacement. Your data is safe with backups and iCloud sync. Daily inputting of transactions is quick and easy with auto-complete and automatic decimals. You can tell that a lot of thought went into making this app user-friendly.

If you want an all-in-one personal finance app, MoneyWiz has everything you need. You get account registers, budgets, bill reminders, and snazzy reports. They all work together wonderfully. The syncing function works great with anyone you share accounts with and between available versions for iPad and Mac.

One free money management alternative that many people use is Mint. You can get a lot out of Mint if you have a supported bank. If you do, Mint will download all of your latest information and put expenses into categories for you. It even makes a budget for you. While not being able to make any customizations might turn some people off, it is perfect for many others. For free, it's worth checking out.

Another app that can be trusted to log into your banks for you, this app can be seen as a supplementary tool to monitor your finances. Once opening, you can see updated balances for your accounts, due dates, and more. Depending on which financial institutions you do business with, you may even be able to pay some bills from within the app. Additional features, such as notifications for suspicious behavior, make this app worth having. 

Anyone who has to keep track of work expenses will appreciate this app. You can organize your expenses at both a job and project level. A simple interface lets you choose to track your time, an expense, or milage. Choosing Work It to track your expenses makes sense, because it is fast and it has all of the functions you need.

Managing finances in the Internet age means having a PayPal account. While there is definitely a list of things you can't do from the PayPal app, and using PayPal comes with its own hassles, there is one feature that just might have you using their service more. The app lets you cash checks by taking their pictures. This means you don't need an account with a large impersonal bank just to use this feature. 

Now with your personal finances in order, you can start investing all of that extra money in the stock market. The E-Trade app is a great way to manage your stock portfolio on the go. The app allows you to follow stocks and actually make trades and purchases right from your iPhone. In the stock market, timing is everything. With E-Trade Mobile Pro, you'll never miss a moment.