

What's not: Payments can take a few days to process.īillGuard focuses on protecting you from fraudulent charges. What's great: Check lets you either make a one-time payment, or set up recurring payments for your bills each month. There are some fees associated with Check, but if you pay your bills with your bank account and pay them before the due date, you can avoid them. You'll get reminders for upcoming bills, and there's a handy calendar view that shows all your bills' due dates plotted out each month. You can log into your various accounts for your utilities, credit cards, cable subscriptions, loans and more, and then see a dashboard of what's due next and when. This app helps corral all of your bills in one place, and then helps you pay them easily without going to each service's website.

What's not: The service can be overwhelming to use at first, and managing budgets can be tedious. What's great: Mint categorizes most of your purchases so you don't have to. You can also create savings goals, such as paying off your credit cards or saving for a new car, and the service will coach you along the way. You can set up budgets for nearly anything, then Mint will categorize all of your spending to make sure you stay in check. The app and Web service pulls in data from your bank accounts, credit cards and loans to give you a full picture of your net worth and financial health. It's hard to talk about budgeting apps without talking about Mint, one of the most popular money management services. I've rounded up several apps that pay attention to your money for you, offering advice, helping stick to a budget or even protecting you from fraud. For most people, a few mobile apps can help you make sure your bills get paid, that you're spending smart, and you're saving for the future. These days, you don't really need a financial planner to help you keep a handle on your money.
