I was reading on Kiplingers earlier this week how Siri makes a great personal finance assistant. It’s true that Siri is a wonderful resource for these purposes and more. But you don’t need to buy an iPhone 4S or new iPad for your personal finance assistant.
Save on ATM Fees
I have never once asked Siri for help finding an ATM. I usually get enough cash in advance at my local branch or just use credit or debit cards.
If you are in an unfamiliar area and need to find an ATM, there are lots of free smart phone apps to help for both iPhone and Android users.
Bill Reminder
Yes, Siri can remind you to pay bills on time. So does virtually every calendar program out there.
My favorite tool for bill reminders and more is Manilla. It’s a free account and document management site I’ve discussed here previously.
Manilla will not only remind you about bills due but store the statements and it’s all free. They now have smartphones apps so you can get the notices other than via email.
Tip Calculations
My husband does tip calculations in his head. I’m not blessed with his math skills so I would use the calculator app that came pre-installed on my phone. That is before I had Siri. She’s great at figuring out the right amount
If you don’t have Siri (or don’t want to converse with your phone at the table) there are lots of free apps that do the job.
Other Tasks
Forget Siri, it is your smart phone that is the best personal finance assistant. Use it for the above purposes and more such as banking, budgeting, credit management.
Last week I took pictures of a couple of paper checks, submitted it to my bank and shortly had confirmation of the deposits.
I use the Mint.com app to check spending, account balances and my current net worth. For those of us who check credit scores regularly there’s the free Credit Sesame app.
How do you use your smart phone as your money management tool?
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Thanks, Kay Lynn. Great tips!
I own a historically old cell phone – no “smart” capabilities there! However, this post reminds me of how smart phones are so much more than just a phone. These are some great financial tools!
I need to upgrade my iPhone just to have siri. A good reminder for me.
I use the Mint app on my Droid, and have a list of my bills to pay, and the dates the bills are due. Chase has a mobile banking app too, and cashing a check by taking a picture of it is pretty cool! 🙂
I have not yet made the leap to a smart phone, but these types of posts always make me wish I had one. However, I think once I incorporated a smart phone into my life, I would have to have it, and it would then be an expense I would not want to cut, like Internet access at home.
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