2017, the year of getting my personal finances together! Seriously though, if there’s anything that 2016 has taught me, it’s how much I don’t know personal finance. I’ve heard investing thrown around. I read too much about having budgeting. I’ve seen over and over the importance of saving. But doesn’t anyone else feel like after they’ve heard those things so many times, they start tuning everything out?
Well this year I’m done with that. While I’m okay in some areas, I’m not so great in others, so here are the tools that I’m using this year to help keep my personal finances in order and start making everything even better.
Budget: Mint
If there is anything that helps me keep my life together, it’s this. Mint is great at pulling all of your accounts together and helping you see the whole picture. They’ll also look over your spending to help you start and keep a budget. I’ve been using it for the past few years, but this year I’m excited to start using Mint‘s other tools to go much deeper.
Invest: Ellevest
I’m not afraid to admit it: I know nothing about investing. But I want to and I’m ready to start learning. Ellevest is an investing site built by women for women. Not only have they already helped me start investing, but I’m excited for everything I’m going to learn from them along the way.
Save: Digit
Some people just flat out suck at saving. If you’re one of them, that’s totally okay. This area has been less of a weak point for me, since I have things automatically come out of my paycheck. Digit is the way to take that one step further. Digit connects to your bank account, monitors your spending, and takes a small amount (that you won’t miss) out of your account. It then stores it in a separate account and that money builds up over time. One of my favorite things about Digit is that it sends me a daily text message with how much is actually in my bank account. It’s been so helpful and I’ve really liked seeing my savings grow.
What do you think? Are you working on your personal finances this year? Are there any things you’re going to try?
