Budgets and Debt Payment Tools
Mint – Mint.com is a free online budgeting software. You can link all your accounts (banking, credit cards, mortgage, student loans, car loans, etc.) to Mint to see your entire personal finances in one place. The site uses strong banking security technology managed by third-party security contractors and Mint also monitors your data on its site 24/7 so you can feel safe. The best part is Mint is absolutely free. You can set up your budget manually or allow Mint’s smart technology to help identify one for you based on your spending. I could not live without Mint and I highly recommend it to everyone.
ReadyforZero – ReadyforZero is a free site that allows you to link all your debts that you owe (think student loans and credit card debt) and helps you formulate a plan of action to pay off your debts using the avalanche method. There are three tiers of Readyfor Zero: the basic free plan, ReadyforZero Plus ($10/month), and ReadyforZero Plus Credit ($15/month). The Plus versions allow you to schedule payments through ReadyforZero and offer other benefits above the basic free version. I personally use the basic free version and I really like it. It really helps me visualize my progress and keeps me motivated to continue to pay off my debt.
Banking Tools
Barclays Online Banking – I keep my emergency fund in the Dream Savings Account through Barclays Bank. Barclays offers one of the highest interests in banking today with 1.05% APY with the Dream Account. Their regular savings account offer an APY of 0.95%, which is still very high compared to most banks. Opening a savings account with Barclays is extremely easy and quick. Their banking platform is intutive and I love the fact that I can set up automate bi-monthly transfers from my credit union checking account. I highly recommend banking with Barclays, especially for emergency funds where you can actually earn some money while saving.
Capital One 360 – I have both a Capital One 360 Savings and Checkings account for my travel funds. I opened my accounts when Capital One 360 was offering sign-on bonus, which they offer often so keep an eye out for them. Their savings accounts have an 0.75% APY and the checking accounts have an 0.20% APY. Capital One 360 Checking accounts offer fee-free ATMs and no account minimals. The best part of Capital One 360 is their mobile app where you can deposit checks remotely. The app is the best banking app I have used thus far. I would recommend Capital One 360 as a good online bank.