6 Great Apps That Help With Retirement Planning

Retirement planning is difficult for many people because of all of the unknowns that go into the calculations. Estimating incomes, inflation, and retirement account earnings can give you a good picture of how much you need to save for a secure retirement, but you will still need a plan for how to achieve your retirement savings goal. Fortunately, developers have created a number of great apps that can help with your retirement planning. Here are six that you should try.

Acorns – The Acorns app allows you to invest your spare change in low cost exchange-traded funds. The app works by rounding up purchases on your debit or credit charges to the next dollar and investing the difference. The funds are invested in one of six portfolios of your choosing. There are three tiers of fees for the service: $0 for all students and anyone under age 24, $1 per month for accounts under $5,000, and 0.25 percent per year for accounts over $5,000.

Level – Level is a personal finance app that provides guidance on a good amount to allocate for monthly spending and how much you should be saving for the future. The app calculates your monthly income and bills based on your banking and spending history, then makes suggestions on spending limits and savings goals.

Loan Calculator Pro – The Loan Calculator Pro app helps you figure out the best way to pay off your existing loans so you can eliminate your debt. Using the app, you can see what putting an extra $100 per month towards your car loan or credit card payment would do for your balances. The sooner you get out of debt, the more money you will have to put towards your retirement planning.

Mint – The Mint app helps you identify where your money is going so you can make adjustments according to your priorities. The app automatically categorizes your transactions so you can identify the areas where you need to cut back and reallocate that money towards boosting your retirement savings.

Personal Capital – Personal Capital helps with retirement planning by giving you an overview of your investments and finances in general. With the free version of the app, you can sync all of your investment accounts track your net worth and manage your cash flow management. The app can also analyze your portfolio and fees, providing you with a detailed insight on your investments.

You Need a Budget – You Need a Budget is a great app to use if you are unclear on where your money is going each month. The app tracks what you spend, what you have left over and how much you could be stashing away for your future.

All of these technological tools to help with retirement planning can be set up in fifteen minutes or less, giving you the power to plan for your financial future with minimal effort. What might have taken hours before, now only takes minutes a day to track and adjust your finances to keep your retirement planning on track.