Tech review: Apps for a fiscal-fitness checkup
The PocketGuard app lets you know how much money is left in your bank account as the bills pile up. Credit: PocketGuard
August is a perfect time for a midyear fiscal-fitness checkup. Enough of the year is over so you know how you’re doing, and there’s still a lot of time left in 2018 to correct any mistakes. These four budgeting apps can help you finish the year in the black.
YNAB
(iOS, Android; free trial/subscription)
Don’t have a budget plan? Then YNAB, by definition, is for you. YNAB is an acronym for “you need a budget,” and the popular app fills that role nicely. The app helps you understand and track your expenses so you have a good idea where your money is going. YNAB also offers tons of teaching and motivational tools. YNAB is free to try for 34 days. After that, it’s $7 a month.
Mint
(iOS, Android; free)
This app is from Intuit, the giant financial software company known for its TurboTax and QuickBooks programs. Mint will sync with your bank accounts, credit cards and investments to make your budgeting easier. It also keeps track of your bills, not only the ones you paid but the ones coming up. The bill-reminder feature can help you get organized and avoid late charges.
PocketGuard
(iOS, Android; free)
It’s not how much you make, it’s how much you keep, and the aptly named app will tell you how much is left in your pocket (or bank account) as the blitz of bills piles up. PocketGuard syncs with your banks and credit card companies so you have an overview of what you owe on a dashboard. PocketGuard lets you put limits on various types of spending so you can better control those discretionary purchases.
YNAB - (iOS, Android; free trial/subscription) - Dont have a budget plan? Then YNAB, by definition, is for you. YNAB is an acronym for you need a budget, and the popular app fills that role nicely. The app helps you understand and track your expenses so you have a good idea where your money is going. YNAB also offers tons of teaching and motivational tools. YNAB is free to try for 34 days. After that, its $7 a month. Credit: YouNeedABudget.com
Mvelopes
(iOS, Android; free trial/subscription)
This app takes an old-fashioned budgeting concept — putting hard cash into physical envelopes to pay bills — and moves it into the digital age. With Mvelopes, you keep track of your bills and stow the money in digital envelopes so when the bill comes due you have the funds ready to go. The app is free to try for 30 days. After that, you will need a $4 monthly subscription.
Tech scam ‘problematic and widespread’
If you get a phone call from someone claiming there’s a problem with your computer, hang up. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center has issued a warning about this tech support fraud, saying it has become “problematic and widespread.” The FBI says it received 11,000 complaints about tech support frauds in 2017. Victims were scammed of $15 million, an 86 percent increase over 2016.
— Peter King
Paper tigers
Readers still prefer going by the book. While consumers are embracing e-books, they feel more of an attachment to physical books, according to a University of Arizona study. The reasons: They feel a “constricted sense of ownership” with e-books and miss “the sound, smell and tactile experience” of physical books. These feelings are more pronounced with younger readers, who especially bemoan they can’t share e-books with friends.
— Peter King
Speed bump
Those who paid top dollar for an iPhone expecting the fastest mobile Internet speeds around won’t like these results. Apple’s iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and the $1,000 iPhone X trail the latest smartphones from Samsung and Google in download speeds, according to data from Ookla. Faster Internet speeds mean websites and movies load quicker and users can make crisper video calls with higher-quality video.
