Useful Money Tools That Will Never Judge You by Your Finances
Disclosure: We’re letting you know that this post contains sponsored links which The Smart Wallet receives compensation for, which may impact their order of appearance because talking about money should always be an honest discussion.
I don’t like getting judged. No one does.
And especially on a sensitive topic like personal finances.
I know I need to save more for emergencies, and I know I probably shouldn’t have gotten the latest Spider-Man game and an iced coffee to go with it. (But I did.)
And investing? Sounds complicated.
I prefer to be helped and not judged.
So I took the time to round up some personal finance tools and money management apps to help get your money in working order too.
You’ll get no judgment from them and some, you don’t even need to talk to!
Start Investing (Even if You Can Only Spare $5)
Investing doesn’t have to be overwhelming nor does it require an expensive stockbroker.
We found an app that’s like an easy gateway to investing. Technically, microinvesting.
It’s called Stash, a microinvesting app that lets you invest for as little as $5 and it takes less than 2 minutes to get started. We’ll even give you a free $5 to get started.
They curate from over 150 investments which include stocks and Exchange Traded Funds.
And you’ll get to choose where to put your money based on things like your personal beliefs, interests, and goals. So you’ll feel good about your investments, without being judged.
Breathe In. Breathe Out. Take a Look at Your Credit Score
Let’s talk about the most judgmental 3 digit number in your personal finance life.
Your credit score.
Maybe you only look at it once a year but the good news is that with the right steps, you can make vast improvements to your score if it needs some extra love.
Credit Sesame can help as it’ll give you a free credit report card that includes your score.
If you have any negative stuff, Credit Sesame will have personal recommendations to help get you back on track. We think that’s a pretty valuable service to have in your life for free with no judgment.
It definitely helped Joe K. when he found out his credit score tanked when opened up a credit card just to save $16 on jeans. Read his story here.
Save Money with Almost No Effort
Saving money gets hard but there’s a way to do it without even noticing.
Digit makes that happen.
This useful and genius app will automate your savings for you! Just link a checking account and their smart algorithm will determine small but safe amounts to withdraw into your separate FDIC-Insured Digit savings account.
Plus, regular savers will get a 1% bonus every three months!
It’s the perfect set-it-and-forget-it app that even helped a fellow Bill Wizard teammate save $2,500 this year without even thinking about it. Read her review.
You can withdraw your money at any time you need and it’s free to use for the first 30 days. After, it’s just $5 a month.
Get a BFF (Best Financial Friend)
Friends look out for each other and with the following 2 BFFs we’ll introduce to you, your financial health will be even better.
Meet Charlie, a money-saving prodigy penguin that you can talk to via SMS text or Facebook Messenger (he’s way cooler on Facebook though). Basically your very own personal financial assistant in virtual waddly form.
After simply connecting your card(s) and/or bank account(s), Charlie will non-judgementally analyze your financial health and let you know how much you’re spending on food and drink, taxes, shopping, and bills. He’ll also alert you of surprise fees, send reminders on credit card bills and find you deals on services you’re already paying for.
Charlie will keep you updated and more aware of what’s going on with your money on a daily and weekly basis.
So if you want your own virtual penguin that improves your financial life for free, just send him a hello. You don’t need to pay him because he has an AI heart of gold.
If having a money conversation with a penguin isn’t your thing, how about a robot instead?
Meet Trim, a financial bot assistant that’ll negotiate your bills, cancel any unwanted subscriptions, and help you understand your financial health.
It also informs me of my spending via text messages or Facebook Messenger which help to keep an eye on my budget.
It’s easy to use – just link a credit card or bank account to the 256-bit SSL encrypted secure service and Trim will work hard to cut down your bills and you don’t have to talk to anyone real.
Time to Get a Little Personal…Loan
If you’re carrying any debt, the last thing you want to hear is negative feedback.
Yes, you know you have money to pay back, but what can you do?
The first step is to consolidate or refinance your debt to help you pay that sum down faster.
If it sounds foreign to you, don’t stress. You can find the right personal loan for whatever you need with Fiona.
It’s free to use and takes only three easy steps to sign up.
Fiona will search all the top online lenders to get you the best personal loan anywhere between $1,000 and $100,0000. And loan lengths can last 24-48 months depending on the lender.
Not only will they help with debt consolidation, they can help with any big moment in your life that you may need a personal loan for like Home Improvement, Wedding, Medical bills and more.
Want more play to save apps?
Go ahead and download Long Game Savings, a personal finance app that mixes fun games and saving actual money.
Just play 1 game a day, and you could win cash daily.
Yes, it’s safe. Your money is FDIC-insured up to $250,000 and you can withdraw money at any time.
After setting up your savings account, you’ll be able to play quick games like Spin to Win, Flip Cards, Slot Machines, and more for chances to win money to increase your savings. Eons better than 0.01% interest rate.
It’s like you’re getting paid to save and it only takes less than a minute of your day to play. And there’s no judgment on playing too many games.
Play Scratch-Off Cards as Much as You Want
If your vice is grabbing a scratch-off card each time you’re at the pump or convenience store, there’s a free way to get that fix.
Scratch for free with Lucktastic, an app that will supply you with fresh digital scratchers every day.
Each card ranges in cash prizes of $1 – $10,000. You can also earn tokens to exchange for free gift cards like Amazon, Walmart, Sephora and more.
Lucktastic keeps things free by showing short ads. No more having to pay the guy behind the counter to get your scratch-off cards!
*Investment advisory services offered by Stash Investments LLC, an SEC registered investment adviser. *Stash does not endorse the illegal use of Narcotics. This material has been distributed for informational and educational purposes only, and is not intended as investment, legal, accounting, or tax advice. Investing involves risk.
