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The 4 Best Personal Finance Apps for Android

PSafe Newsroom — Sun, 21 May 2017 16:00:43 +0000

Before the dawn of technology, you had to plan your personal finances using the good ol’ pen-and-paper method. But now there are a plethora of user-friendly apps available that are designed to handle all of your money matters. The following will tell you about four of Android’s best personal finance apps.

Money Managing: Mint

Although the Play store offers many personal finance apps, Mint is one of the most detail-oriented. Designed by Intuit Inc. — the makers of TurboTax and QuickBooks — this all-in-one app connects to your checking, savings, and credit card accounts. Using this banking data, Mint lets you design a budget and monitor your expenses and money habits. It will even remind you to pay your bills on time! Other perks include advice on how to improve your spending and a free, detailed credit score.

Tracking Expenses: Wally

What’s the best thing about using Wally to track expenses? You can upload data by taking photos of your receipts! Instead of waiting until the day’s end to tabulate your expenses, you’ll be adding to your list throughout the day. Wally also allows you to set personal finance goals, like your spending targets and ideal budget while taking your income into consideration.

Improving Credit: Credit Karma

Trying to qualify for a loan or rent your dream condo? Credit Karma can help fix up your credit rating. Through TransUnion and Equifax, this app monitors your credit scores for you, while suggesting constructive ways to improve them. Credit Karma also provides resources on credit cards, loans, and mortgages that your current credit rating could qualify for.

Paying Others: Venmo

Run by PayPal, Venmo is an app that lets you pay back personal loans, using your debit account or credit card. That $20 you owe your buddy from way back when? Send it to them over Venmo. The transaction will show up in a “news feed,” where you and friends can comment on it, just like on a social media app. Venmo is perfect for splitting the tab at a restaurant, chipping in for friends’ fundraisers, or even buying from a company. Some restaurants and retail stores even accept payments with Venmo.

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A Round-Up Of the 5 Best Online Banking Apps

PSafe Newsroom — Fri, 28 Oct 2016 16:49:07 +0000

When ATMs were first introduced, they presented customers with the idea that many banking functions should be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week without the need to step into a branch and deal with a teller. With the rise of smartphones, that idea has been extended so that many banking functions are now available without the need to ever leave the couch.

Just because customers want banking to be easy and convenient, however, doesn’t mean that they don’t also want their money to be completely safe and secure. And not only do customers want their funds to be safe from thieves, but they also want all of their financial and personal data to be well-guarded, too.

Which banks have successfully launched apps that have that much-desired mix of safety and convenience? Here is a list of the top five online banking apps that walk that fine line:

American Express didn’t start out as a bank, but its banking app allows you to link easily with other banks to make fee-free saving easy.
Capital One consistently wins praise for its “Sureswipe” feature and for the overall reliability of its app, since no one wants to try to deposit a check and get the dreaded “service not available” message.
Chase has been investing heavily in its online banking app in recent years. The result is a feature-rich experience that has functions (like a touch-ID log on) to allay your safety concerns and smart design (like showing images related to your location) for a sense of fun.
PedFed, like many large credit unions, is making a real effort to move its customers to online banking to keep costs low. With its pleasant interface, that effort is likely to succeed.
Simple is a totally online banking platform, so it makes sense that it knows what customers want from an online banking app. Its offering is attractive and intuitive.

One thing you absolutely must consider, no matter which banking app you choose, is how safe and secure your own phone is. Mobile phones are vulnerable to hacking just like other computer devices are. The best way to protect your financial information is to install products, like those available from PSafe, that have been specifically designed to keep your phone and other devices safe and secure from hackers and thieves.

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Popular Apps That Allow Digital Money Transfers

PSafe Newsroom — Fri, 21 Oct 2016 19:01:22 +0000

Some of us like to keep a couple of dollars on our person at all times. Certainly, there are still times when you need a little physical cash on hand in 2016, such as when leaving a tip at a restaurant. Still, you’re more likely to use digital transactions — it’s safer to have your money in your bank than in your pocket, and in the event that you lose your wallet, you don’t lose your hard-earned cash. While sticking with a card is fine if you’re going shopping, what about if you owe friends a little bit of cash for dinner and you have no dollars on your person? What then?

Lucky for you, there are plenty of apps available on smartphones that allow for seamless, easy transactions. Below, we look at the most popular apps you may find convenient.

Venmo
Perhaps the most widely used app on this list, Venmo has established itself as a fantastic way to transfer money to your contacts not only because of its slick and seamless interface and the ability to send and accept cash without transfer fees, but because so many people trust Venmo for their money transfer needs. Unlike the other apps on this list, Venmo is a dedicated money transfer system — the app does nothing outside of money transferring, so you may feel more secure trusting Venmo with your financial data. If you only need a platform to exchange money between friends and family, Venmo is probably what you’re looking for.

PayPal
If you’ve been relying on online commerce for a while and just need to handle money transfers within the United States, there’s PayPal. The long-lived ecommerce platform has proven a solid option for money transfers domestically, as those can be processed free of charges. The app does have a few downsides, however: transferring money from your PayPal account to your bank accounts requires a manual transfer from your PayPal balance, and it isn’t as immediate as Venmo is. Moreover, the service does charge if you use your credit or debit card for money transfers.

Snapchat
Snapchat is one of the world’s most popular social media platforms that also happens to support money transfers, or as they are referred to in-app, Snapcash. Simply add your payment information onto your account, and money transfers can be sent and received as easily as a Snap can. Since Snapcash support is handled by Square instead of the Snapchat team itself, the security issues that plague the social media network aren’t something to worry about if you prefer to send your friend $5 after losing a bet along with your latest Snap Story post.

Google Wallet
Google Wallet is easy and convenient for anyone that has a Gmail account and has friends as contacts on their Gmail account. Simply click on the dollar icon if you need to manage money between you and your friend when composing a message to them, and you’re free to send money either from your Google Wallet or from any connected debit cards. If you already use Google Play on your Android smartphone, this may be the option that requires the least amount of work to setup and use.

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Here Are the Best Apps for Mobile Commerce

PSafe Newsroom — Thu, 20 Oct 2016 11:54:07 +0000

It doesn’t always make sense to shop with our mobile browsers on our smartphones. Some websites work poorly on mobile browsers, or else they are tricky to navigate. Luckily, many of the sites you visit most are available in app form, which makes mobile online shopping easier than ever.

Amazon
This app preserves the design of the website, which makes it easy to navigate. Like on the website, you can search for millions of products, use 1-Click ordering, create or access registries and wish lists, and receive all necessary information on current deals. There are many convenient features included as well, such as the ability to search for items or track orders with your voice, scan a competing product’s barcode to compare the price to available Amazon products, and receive app notifications on the status of your order.

Overstock
This app has many of the same features as the website, and allows you to browse and purchase discounted products from the convenience of your smartphone. You can receive notifications on coupons and daily deals to make sure you get the items you want at the price you want. There’s also the option to purchase items with Android Pay — another perk.

eBay
If you’re a fan of eBay, then you need to download this app immediately. This app makes it even easier to buy, sell, shop, and make bids on the go. It also includes a barcode scanner to search for relevant items, compare prices, and make listing items for sale faster. App notifications are also included so you can keep better track of your items.

Etsy
Further discover unique, handcrafted goods on the go with the Etsy app. The app makes it easy to browse for a last-minute gift or an item you didn’t know you needed until now. This app includes recommendations according to your tastes, notifications on items you’ve purchased, and information about Etsy events near you.

Protect Your Device with PSafe
Many of the above-mentioned apps request a lot of permissions from your smartphone that are necessary for full use of the app. As a precaution, remember to read through the permission requests so you know what the app is accessing from you. Unfortunately, many malicious apps are designed to mimic popular apps in order to gain access to your phone through these permissions. Be aware of any suspicious-looking apps, and download PSafe Total for your Android to protect your device against malicious threats 24/7.

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Mint Manages Your Budget, Investments, and Credit Score

PSafe Newsroom — Mon, 03 Oct 2016 23:09:44 +0000

Mint is a comprehensive financial program that is easy to use and delivers great results. It is also compatible with various Android devices. Following is an overview of what Mint does and how you can use it to easily manage your income, expenses, and investments.

Getting Started
Once you sign up, it is time to add your financial information. Create a budget and add your bank and credit accounts and bills. Your information is updated in real time, so you can always count on Mint providing accurate numbers.

If you have invested in a 401K account, stocks, bonds and/or mutual funds, be sure to add this information to Mint. The app will then keep tabs on how your investments are doing and point out hidden fees that may be nibbling away at your profits.

Digging In
Mint offers tips on how to invest money, reduce expenses, and improve your credit score. What’s more, this advice is personalized, as the app has all your financial information and thus can offer customized help to suit your needs and financial goals. Be sure to regularly check the advice sections as your financial situation changes over the years to ensure that your money is being spent and saved wisely.

You may also want to monitor trends in your expenses over time. Doing so will help you see if you need to invest more in a certain part of your budget or cut back expenses in a particular category.

Regularly Check Your Credit Score
Checking your score too often using conventional methods can actually temporarily lower your score. Mint solves this problem by enabling you to see your up-to-date credit score on its app. Furthermore, the app provides a free credit report summary so you can easily see what factors are raising or lowering your credit.

Naturally, those who use a smartphone to regularly monitor and control personal finances will want to make sure this smartphone remains secure at all times. PSafe Total offers the comprehensive protection you need to ensure that your smartphone is not hacked or infected with malware. The program is available from PSafe at no cost and not only keeps your phone safe, but also helps to boost your device memory, accelerate internet access, and clean up large, hidden files.

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