Finance apps

5APPS TO HELP GET YOUR FINANCES IN ORDER

It can be difficult to work out where to start when it comes to setting up a budget and sticking to it, but these five apps will help you get to your goals in no time

WORDS ALICE CLARKE

1GOOD BUDGET Leading home money experts such as Barefoot Investor Scott Pape recommend setting up diff erent envelopes for diff erent spending purposes, such as “fun money”, “food” and “bills”, to help keep your savings saved. Good Budget allows you to sync virtual envelopes across multiple devices, so your family can make a note of the money they spend and assign it to the proper digital envelopes, with progress bars to show whether you’re on track for the week. 2 POCKETBOOK This app takes budgeting to the next level, connecting directly to all your bank accounts, even if you have accounts with multiple banks, and keeping track of all of your expenditures and bills. It does require an extra level of trust, but there’s no cleaner and clearer way to see your fi nancial life set out before you without engaging an accountant. The free app provides a weekly summary, and bill reminders, so you never pay a late fee again. 3OFFICIAL

BANK APP

No matter who you bank with, our largely cashless society means it’s easy to feel disconnected from your money. If your balance is only something you see when you get a credit card statement in the mail, or you make a special eff ort to log in on your computer, it can be easy to live in the now and spend big, rather than budget and save. All the large and medium banks in Australia have good apps, most with handy budgeting features. 4 APPLE

WALLET/ SAMSUNG PAY

A lot of people avoid adding their credit card to their digital wallet because they think it’s less safe, but in the case of Apple Wallet and Samsung Pay, it’s actually more secure to leave your card at home and pay by phone. Your card can have its numbers easily copied for use online, and someone with the physical card can tap and go under $100 without your PIN. Your phone, however, needs your PIN or FaceID to pay for anything. 5AUSTRALIAN

TAXATION OFFICE

Tax is boring and complicated, and generally a pain. But this app can make it easier to keep track of your work-related expenses and trips throughout the year, so working out your deductions doesn’t become an all-consuming day of frustrating work. You can record receipts as you go and note down the odometer reading at the beginning and end of your work-car trip, with the app doing the maths for you.