3 apps that can help you shore up your finances
When it comes to managing your finances or looking for a new job or side gig, everything can be at your fingertips with the right apps on your smartphone. And at CESI Solutions, we’re especially excited to highlight a few of our partners who are doing just that with innovative solutions that help users get out of debt, reach their financial goals and build their job skills.
If you’re ready to get serious about your finances, check out these three apps.
Qoins
With Qoins, users link up their bank account to the app and set their goals to pay off debt or save more money. From there, they decide how they’re going to set aside that money through the app, often through small, incremental changes that can add up to a lot of money over time.
Through Qoins, users can choose, for example, to round up their purchases. So, when they buy a coffee for $4.25, Qoins rounds up that purchase to $5 and sends that extra 75 cents toward debt repayment or savings. They could use its Smart Savings feature, an algorithm that determines what amount to contribute each day toward debt. On payday or when a user gets any other deposit of $100 or more, they can have Qoins set aside a specific amount or percentage of the total. Or they can simply set weekly recurring withdrawals, and Qoins will move their money automatically.
According to Qoins, the app has helped users pay off more than $16 million so far, shave years off the terms of their loans and save thousands of dollars in interest. Available for both iOS and Android, Qoins charges a monthly $2.99 fee.
Digit
Digit is a personal digital assistant that helps users pay off debt and meet their savings goals by automating much of the work. Users connect their bank account to the app. Using machine learning, Digit then scans their checking account activity to determine how much they can afford to save or invest each day. From there, it moves that money toward the user’s savings goals. To protect against overdraft fees, the app also can move money back into a user’s checking account as needed.
Within Digit, users can set aside pots of money for any kind of savings goal — from ensuring there’s enough to cover monthly expenses such as rent, grocery costs, and debt payments to saving for emergencies, vacations, or a down payment on a house. Digit also will help users invest their money to save for retirement or other needs. It matches users with an investment portfolio that’s based on their risk level — typically lower risk for more immediate needs and higher risk for long-term ones. Available for both iOS and Android, Digit comes with a $5 monthly fee.
Steady
One way to pay off your debts and save more money is by making more money, and Steady helps you do just that. The app lets users build skill profiles and connect to full-time, part-time, or one-time opportunities—from hourly gig jobs to work-from-home positions—depending on their needs. Thousands of jobs are added daily.
In addition to the jobs board, Steady also helps users get control of their finances and find ways to earn or save more. An Income Boosters feature highlights everything from sign-up bonuses to cash rewards and other financial incentives. Users also can browse for deals on daily purchases like banking or groceries. And there’s a Financial Stability Plan where users can set income goals, track their progress and get customized recommendations on how they can boost their earnings and savings. For qualified members facing a financial emergency, the app offers emergency crisis grants of $100 to $1,000.
So far, more than 2 million people are signed up on the platform, and members make, on average, $338 more per month, according to Steady. Available for iOS and Android, Steady is free to use. Consumers have the option of upgrading to Steady+at at just $1.99 per month.
Smart Habits
A successful debt repayment or savings plan often comes down to building the right habits to stay on track. With apps like Qoins, Digit, and Steady, users can build those smart habits by setting their earnings to automatically flow to the right destinations or capitalizing on the skills they already have to grow their income and move toward a brighter financial future.
The team at CESI is committed to helping you make wise financial decisions and to helping you understand how to get out and stay out of debt. For a free debt analysis, contact us and find out how we can help.
*Digit and CESI have partnered to help promote savings and financial education. Digit donates to CESI’s Education Fund for providing counseling to CESI consumers who become Digit Members.
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