Here are nine apps for the tech-savvy financial planner or investor

There’s never a better time than now to start thinking about how you manage your money. That said, it’s hard to know where to start, especially if you’re young and have no idea what your Roth IRA or 401K is. Don’t worry, these days there are all sorts of ways to make smart investments or better plan your financial life — all right from your smartphone. Here are our picks for the best financial apps around, whether you’re looking to invest or simply keep your balances available at a glance.

Acorns

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All it takes is a few seeds to grow some huge trees, right? That’s the same philosophy behind Acorns, a new spare-change investment app designed to encourage small, gradual investments over time to help grow your portfolio. Acorns links up with your credit card and bank account, and every time you pay or bill or buy something at the store, it will automatically round off to the nearest dollar and put that money in a flexible, automated investment portfolio. There are a few distributions to choose from, which come from a variety of exchange traded funds.

Available on:

iOS Android

Robinhood

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Robinhood hopes to be a game-changer in the way people buy and sell stock, especially among young investors. First, you deposit any amount of cash into the Robinhood account. From there ,you can use that money to buy and sell stocks without any per-share fees or per-trade fees. For those used to brokerages, this is a real game changer.

Available on:

iOS Android

Betterment

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Betterment is an automated investing service for those interested in large scale, long term investing strategies. The service’s accompanying mobile app grants you access to many of the same features available on the Betterment website, with quick access to your ongoing IRAs and other retirement plans, including quick deposit options.

Available on:

iOS Android

Qapital

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Qapital is a new take on saving money for a rainy day, or just to build that nest egg. Rather than try and remember when to deposit some cash into savings, or how much to put in, Qapital takes all the guesswork out of the equation with its mobile app. Qapital lets you set rules that automatically deposit cash into savings as you go about your day and spend money, rounding up little deposits to help you unconsciously save. Those savings can then go into goals that, once achieved, can be withdrawn or used instantly on a Qapital debit card. It’s a savings account that makes it both easier to save and easier to spend.

Available on:

iOS

Mint

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Mint, Intuit’s personal finance app, is a lifesaver for keeping tabs on your overall financial health. The app links up with all your different bank accounts, loan accounts, credit cards, and shows them all within a single, streamlined interface. This is especially helpful with transaction searching, so you can figure out which card or account you used to buy something at the department store. Mint also offers recommendations based on your habits, offering new loan accounts, special credit card offers, or other suggestions on how you can save money.

Available on:

iOS Android

Next page: Four more of the best financial apps

Wealthfront

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Wealthfront has been getting a lot of attention lately as an automated investing service for those used to using the traditional certified financial planner or other such brokerage for their long term money management. Wealthfront uses automated investing strategies, and takes the guesswork out of managing a IRA or other long-term retirement plan for those not only growing their nest eggs, but also those just starting out.

Available on:

iOS

Level

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Level is an aggregate money manager much like Mint, but is designed mobile-first to help you manage your everyday spending. It can sync up with most banks and credit cards, as well as detect bill payments and other regular costs you need to keep on the look out for. Charts and other visuals also help you understand your money situation at a glance without sifting through any menus or complicated pages.

Available on:

iOS Android

Stash

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Another spare-change investment app on the horizon is Stash. You can invest in small increments — five dollars at a time, for instance — and invest across a variety of available portfolios. Stash will also help you discover companies that align with your values, so you can choose firms that are making strides in equality, ecology, and other issues.

Available on:

iOS

Simple

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Looking for a bank that works with you to manage your money? Simple is an online bank that includes a bunch of money mangement tools to help you plan your spending and figure out how to keep within your means. Since it’s a fully fledged bank, you can manage your check deposits and other services directly within the app, and your debit card is free at more than 55,000 ATMs.