Apps & Services
These are the websites & apps that we use. Everyone’s personal situation is different, so please do your own thorough research and due diligence before and if you decide to take any actions.
Organization and Tracking
Personal Capital: I don’t know how I effectively stayed on top of my finances without Personal Capital (honestly, I didn’t until I got Personal Capital). This is my favorite and most utilized financial tool. Personal Capital aggregates all your bank, retirement, and various other accounts into a single place to provide you a visual, read-only overview of your entire financial landscape.
They do offer wealth management or advisory services, but I just currently utilize the free tools. While I tried Mint.com for a while, I think Personal Capital is far more robust and a better product (I switched from using Mint to Personal Capital in 2015).
From tracking your net worth and cash flow to a number of useful tools, Personal Capital is extremely helpful – and FREE! Click here to sign-up.
Banking & Savings
Ally Bank: I been using Ally Bank since 2010, and I love it. Their online checking & savings accounts and other products have very competitive rates, you get reimbursed for ATM fees, and you can speak to a live person 24 hours a day. Ally Bank has zero (0) physical locations though – it’s an online bank only. If you’re in need of banking services, visit their website for the latest and full details.
Qapital: An app I discovered in late 2016, Qapital helps automate your savings. You can link the app to your funding account (like your regular checking account) and create different savings goals. Money is debited from your funding account based on various rules you create, including round-ups, fixed transfers, and the guilty pleasures. Saving is easy and kind of fun! Qapital recently started offering optional banking features and is FDIC insured – visit the Qapital website for the latest and full details.
Investing & Retirement
Acorns: An app that helps you automatically invest your spare change into a portfolio that you chose, Acorns has a beautiful interface and very helpful features. I’ve been using Acorns since late 2016, and I love watching the account balance slowly increase each week with money I barely noticed coming out of my checking account. There are also a number of ways to increase the balance in your account when you make purchases with certain vendors. Visit the Acorns website for the latest and full details.
Robinhood: A free equity or stock trading app, Robinhood enables you to open a brokerage account with no trade commissions or fees. Robinhood also came out with a monthly paid version called Robinhood Gold, which gives your account margin capabilities. I’ve been using the free version of Robinhood since early 2016 (and personally won’t go near the margin account version). The app is very simple and basic (and FREE!) – that’s why I like it. If you’re looking for wider brokerage services and research tools, you might need to look elsewhere.
Visit the Robinhood website for the latest and full details. Click here to sign-up.
Vanguard: Vanguard is one of the largest investment management companies and offers some of the lowest-cost mutual funds and other investment products in the financial services industry. I’ve been using Vanguard since 2009 for my Roth IRA and have opened other accounts since then. The vast majority of my net worth (tax-sheltered retirement accounts, as well as taxable accounts) is invested with Vanguard (mainly in their index funds, but a couple of actively-managed funds, too). I’ll likely stay with them for life.
I don’t currently utilize any of their advisory services, but they offer a number of different products and services. Visit their website for the latest and full details.
Credit / Credit Cards
Note: I pay off all my card balances in full each month.
Credit Karma: Before Credit Karma, I paid about 8 bucks a month for credit score reporting and monitoring through one of three big credit bureaus. With Credit Karma, I now get it for FREE! Check out their website for the latest and full details, as well as other useful tools and information.
Citi Costco: I’ve had the Costco Credit Card (previously offered by American Express (Amex)) for several years now. The card is one of my go-to cards because of the eligible cash back rewards: 4% on gas, 3% on restaurants and travel, 2% on purchases from Costco, and 1% back on everything else. The card has some other nice features as well. Check out the Citi website for the latest and full details.
Capital One Quicksilver: In addition to having a really cool spokesperson, the Quicksilver offers a simple 1.5% back on all purchases. I use this card for a lot of reoccurring monthly charges or anytime we can’t get a better cashback percentage from utilizing one of my other cards. Check out the Capital One website for the latest and full details.
Amex EveryDay: This is my oldest card. Originally an Amex Blue before I converted to the current Amex EveryDay, the card has a point/reward system. I use this card less frequently vs. the others, but we do sometimes come across a restaurant or store that only takes Amex. Visit the American Express website for the latest and full details.
Insurance
Liberty Mutual: I’ve been using Liberty Mutual for over 10 years. I haven’t owned any vehicles for nearly 10 years, so I just utilize renters insurance and related coverage items. If and when I obtain a vehicle (trying to prolong as long as practically possible), I’ll likely also leverage Liberty Mutual to combine my existing renter’s insurance (or potentially homeowners in the future). Rates obviously depend on numerous factors, and I have found sometimes better deals elsewhere; however, I continue to stay with Liberty Mutual due to client service and overall competitive rates for decent coverage that meets my unique circumstances.
Trupanion: My dog has her own health coverage; her human just happens to pay for it. Trupanion offers extensive coverage for what I personally call “doggie doomsday” scenarios – surgeries, advanced testing, and treatments, etc. Basic preventative services and other certain activities are not covered. Check out the Trupanion site for other details. There are other reputable pet insurance providers available, but I’ve found Trupanion to be a lifesaver more than once – literally.
Books & Other Resources
Here are some of my favorite books and resources I’ve found useful. Some focus more on the “how-to” vs. the “why”, and others provide motivation and consideration to take action. Whatever you’re looking for, you might find something interesting – just carefully reflect before making any decision.
I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi
Perhaps my favorite “nuts & bolts” read and one of the most entertaining, I Will Teach You To Be Rich contains lots of great information. With various “hacks” and scripts to more detailed sections, you can read this front-to-back and not feel like you’re studying. While primarily targeted toward 20 to 35 year-olds, I’ll keep referring to this book for years after I’m 35.
The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferris
Another extremely entertaining read, The 4-Hour Workweek is the blueprint on how to automate and redefine your own lifestyle design. There are countless examples, tips, and step-by-step details on how to increase productivity and how to liberate your time. I found it extremely helpful in many areas of my life – both personal and professional.
The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey
This book made me angry at myself; I knew I could do so much better and stop making excuses. Reviewing Dave’s 7 Baby Steps, I realized some of my priorities were out of whack. Filled with simple, practical examples, this book outlined a process to get me to take action – not just to absorb additional material.
Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki
I wish I read this book sooner. Its simple structure and easy to follow concepts are extremely powerful. At the time I first read it, Rich Dad Poor Dad left me wanting to do more, but I also asked myself, “Ok, what do I do now?” There are other books in the Rich Dad Poor Dad series, but I found this – the first – to be the most effective.
The Automatic Millionaire by David Bach
This book made me realize the power of time and compounding in investing. Not as entertaining as some of my other favorite reads (but definitely not boring), the book got me to take action. The content is a bit simplistic and light for my taste, but still quite powerful.
The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley & William D. Danko
Perhaps too stats heavy at times, but that’s what makes this book so eye-opening. The “average” millionaire’s lifestyle is not what you’d expect at all. Extremely researched and detailed, I did read this front-to-back once, but I find myself skimming it now when I occasionally revisit the book.
The Ultimate Financial Plan: Balancing Your Money and Life by Jim Stovall & Tim Maurer
This book is dense. It has an enormous amount of detail around the intersection of money and life. A lot of ground is covered: saving, investing, and insurance, as well as various details on different accounts, products, and strategies. I found it very useful after establishing a foundation from some of the other materials I’ve read first.
Money Master the Game: 7 Simple Steps to Financial Freedom by Tony Robbins
A very motivational read (perhaps too much at times), this book is extensively researched. I found the interviews with a number of famous investors (Warren Buffett, John Bogle, Ray Dalio, and others) to be extremely interesting. Regardless of one’s position on investing, savings, and portfolio allocation, I thought the various perspectives and ideas shared were very diverse.
The Ultimate Dividend Playbook: Income, Insight, and Independence for Today’s Investor by Josh Peters
This book shows an interesting approach to consider leveraging dividend-producing stocks as part of your portfolio. I’m still sticking primarily to passive, index fund investing (vs. picking individual securities), but the book did make a strong case for considering dividends as part of your portfolio strategy. I found this read helpful after having gone through some other books covering the “basics” first.
Balancing Work & Life by Bill Butterworth
A quick and humorous read, I could easily relate to a number of the points raised by the author. Leveraging a unique perspective of the common life is a marathon, not a sprint metaphor, the takeaways are refreshing and easy to apply. I read this nearly 10 years ago and still pick it up from time-to-time.
Related:
BD’s (Semi-) Automatic Ecosystem
BD’s Passive Income & Portfolio
