“`html

Top Budgeting Apps of 2024: Manage Your Finances with Ease

Budgeting is crucial to a successful financial plan, but it’s not always easy, especially if you’re doing it all on your own. The best budgeting apps can help you get your finances in order, stay organized, and work toward your money goals. Here are our choices for the top five budgeting apps that are currently available.

Our Picks for the Best Budgeting Apps of 2024

PocketGuard

Cost: Free, with a premium tier

App Store rating: 4.7/5

Google Play Store rating: 4.4/5

Best feature: Simple snapshot of how much you can spend

If you’re looking for a simple approach to budgeting, PocketGuard is a solid choice. The app connects to your financial accounts and keeps track of your transactions and bills. Then it gives you a snapshot of how much you have available to spend based on your income, past and upcoming bills, and the money you’ve budgeted for spending and savings goals.

You Need a Budget (YNAB)

Cost: $99 annually

App Store rating: 4.8/5

Google Play Store rating: 4.6/5

Best feature: Helps you assign a purpose for every dollar with a zero-based budget

A zero-based budget is one where you budget every single dollar you earn. YNAB allows you to connect your financial accounts and maintain a strict budget based on your spending habits. The YNAB app lets you share your budget with a partner, set and track various financial goals, review spending and net worth reports, track debt and investment accounts, and more.

Goodbudget

Cost: Free, with a premium tier

App Store rating: 4.6/5

Google Play Store rating: 4.2/5

Best feature: Lets you view your budget across multiple devices

Goodbudget is an envelope-based budgeting app that lets you share your budget with others. You’ll create virtual envelopes for individual spending categories, then use those to manage your money. Once the money from one envelope is gone, you can no longer spend money in that area unless you take it from another envelope.

Empower

Cost: Free

App Store rating: 4.7/5

Google Play Store rating: 4.3/5

Best feature: Also helps you track your investment accounts

Empower, formerly Personal Capital, is primarily an app for managing your investment accounts, but you can also connect it to your existing financial accounts and use the app to track your budget and spending. You can track your progress with your net worth, develop your retirement savings strategy, get some insights on your current investment portfolio, and more with the Empower app.

HoneyDue

Cost: Free

App Store rating: 4.5/5

Google Play Store rating: 3.4/5

Best feature: Helps couples share and manage expenses together

HoneyDue is an app designed specifically to help couples budget together. You and your partner each sign up for your own individual accounts. Then, you can link views of your accounts and credit cards, choosing what accounts are shared between you and which are kept individual.

Other Options for Creating a Budget Without an App

Using a budgeting app can help you stay on top of your budget. But if you want to create a budget on your own, consider these options:

• Making a budget spreadsheet: Budgeting templates available for free online can help you find the right approach. Keep in mind, though, that some budgeting spreadsheet methods may require complicated formulas, so it might not be the best option if you’re not familiar with the software.
• Pen and paper: If you consider yourself old school and want to write down everything to keep track, develop a system that works for you. That may include binders, folders, and other storage options to stay organized.

Whether you use a spreadsheet or pen and paper, you’ll need to do everything manually. Again, this might not be a problem if you only have a few accounts to keep track of. But as your financial situation gets more complicated, you may want to use a budgeting app to make things easier and less time-consuming.

Evaluate Your Budget to Ensure You’re Still on the Right Track

As with anything in your financial life, it’s important to evaluate your approach to budgeting at least once a year to determine if it’s still working for you and helping you achieve your financial goals. This can include evaluating whether your current budgeting app is still right for you or if you should switch your budget over to another one.

Because this can be a time-consuming process, it’s important to take your time to research your options and consider how to proceed. As you evaluate your financial health, it’s important to keep an eye on your credit, which you can do for free through Experian.

Contact O1ne Mortgage for Your Mortgage Service Needs

At O1ne Mortgage, we understand that managing your finances can be challenging. That’s why we’re here to help you with all your mortgage service needs. Whether you’re looking to buy a new home, refinance your existing mortgage, or need advice on managing your mortgage payments, our team of experts is here to assist you.

Call us today at 213-732-3074 to speak with one of our experienced loan officers. Let O1ne Mortgage help you achieve your financial goals and make your homeownership dreams a reality.

“`