Sitting down for a few hours each month to ‘sort out the finances’ and figure out where the hell all your money has gone is never fun, but it can be made much easier with these 6 very useful free apps.
Nearly everyone now has a smartphone and the apps industry is fully tuned into how much we all like to multitask.
Having a folder on your phone that contains a few clever apps can mean accessing your recent spending habits and latest investments’ performance is only a few fingertip moves away…all in the time it takes to boil the kettle, wait for a lift, or eat your lunch!
1. Legal & Medical Investments’ Client Portal (with mobile app)
The fear of discarding any financial correspondence means it often ends up spread throughout the house or in the depths of a computer hard drive. Sound familiar? It certainly does with me and many of our clients!
With Legal & Medical’s recently launched online client portal, you can now securely:
- Message your financial adviser
- Keep track of all your holdings at any time of the day or night, be it your income protection or investment portfolio.
Accessing our online client portal is free, heavily encrypted and needs very little setup. There is also a mobile app which you can use to view your holdings and communications with us.
2. UK Salary Calculator 2017/18
I have lost count of how many people I have seen who would benefit from either checking what their net income is, or what their ideal income needs to be when planning for the future.
Getting a pay rise or going up a pay scale is certainly cause for celebration. How much extra will you be taking home though? Once you’ve taken into account tax (especially if you’ve gone up a tax band) and the extra National Insurance you’ll have to pay, what ends up in your bank account each month may well not be as much as you expect.
With the UK Salary Calculator app, you can find out exactly how much your net pay is now, what it will be when your pay increases, and even what your net income would be if you got your dream job.
Unfortunately the app doesn’t allow you to deduct either your pension contributions or childcare vouchers but even so, the majority of the calculations are done for you.
There is a UK Salary Calculator for iOS phones and several similar ones for Android phones.
3. Moneydashboard
If you have multiple accounts with multiple providers you’re not alone! Moneydashboard is a clever, award-winning app that links with all major high street banks so that you can keep an eye on your current, savings and credit card accounts all in one place.
You can also chart your income and outgoings with some easy-on-the-eye visuals. In case you are concerned about security, this is a ‘read only’ app so no actions can be taken to move any of your money through it.
The free Moneydashboard app is available for iOS and Android smartphones
4. HMRC
The official HMRC app gives you an accurate position of your tax bill and timescales for payment, as well as easily downloadable forms and help.
I know, I know…it’s not exactly your most exciting app and one you may want to hide in a sub-folder in case your friends in the pub see it and forever nickname you The Tax Collector!
Still, it may be worth running the gauntlet of social shame for the clarity it gives.
The HMRC app is free for iOS and Android phones.
5. ClearScore
The ClearScore app gives you free access to your credit report and score, whenever you like and as often as you like.
It is of particular value to anyone looking to move house. Before embarking on any house hunting expeditions, you should check:
- What the best mortgage for your personal circumstance is
- What your credit rating is
For a totally independent view of what the best mortgage for you is at the moment, you can speak to one of our specialist financial advisers.
To find out what your credit rating is and actively manage your score, simply setup and login to the ClearScore app. A poor rating can throw a considerable spanner in the works when applying for a mortgage and yet it is sometimes something that can easily be improved. The higher your credit rating is, the more mortgage options you have.
The ClearScore app is free on iOS and Android smartphones.
6. Stamp duty calculator
When you’re working out if you really can afford the house you have fallen for, don’t forget the dreaded stamp duty!
The stamp duty calculator app is a natty piece of kit that puts the eye-watering sum in front of you, quickly and easily.
There is a stamp duty calculator app for iOS phones and one for Android phones; they are both free.
I am sure there are literally hundreds more apps out there, so if you have one that you now could not live without, or you would like more details on the Legal & Medical Client Portal, let us know!
What’s your favourite finance-related smartphone app? Let us know by adding a comment below.