Saving money is hard and statistics bear this out. According to Federal Reserve survey data only about 15% of Americans can come up with $2,000 when faced with an emergency. However, your phone (yes, your phone) can make saving a bit easier. Here are three apps for saving money which are available for both Android and Apple IOS.
1. Chime. If you want your financial institution to just do it—take care of that saving thing, then Chime might be right for you. When you sign up you get an online checking and savings account. Whenever you buy something with your checking account Chime rounds up your purchase and dumps the extra change into your savings account. Cost: Free.
2. Digit. If you have a hard time figuring out how much you can afford to save and want your savings to happen more or less automatically, Digit is a good choice for a savings app. After you download the Digit app, you link your bank account and then set your savings goal. Digit will then analyze your income and how much you spend to come up with a reasonable figure of how much you can save. Cost: Free for the first 30 days and then $5 a month.
3. Qapital: If you want to turn saving into a game, then give Qapital a whirl. You download the app, link it to your bank account, and establish a savings goal. After that the game kicks in. You can set Qapital to reward yourself with savings every time you accomplish a basic goal, like getting eight hours of sleep or completing that morning run. Or if you have a guilty pleasure like Starbucks, you can tell Qapital to transfer a buck into your savings account every time you buy a cup of Joe. Cost: $3 a month for the basic version after a 30-day free trial.
