FirstBank is no stranger to the Digital Age. We offer on-the-go banking access and try to make staying on top of your finances easy. You can check balances, review transactions, send money to friends and family, apply for loans, and more without ever stepping foot in a branch through FirstBank’s Mobile Banking app and online banking.

While FirstBank is discontinuing its Money Manager tool, we’ve identified a few options that can help you track spending, set budgets, and take more control over your finances.

Before we start, it’s important to note that FirstBank is not affiliated with any of these companies, nor do we directly endorse any one product listed. We encourage you to do your own research to see what works best for you.

Mint

(Free)

Mint is a financial tracker allowing you to connect various accounts, from checking to credit to investments, using one app. Once connected, you’re able to view expenses and income, create budgets, and even get personalized savings recommendations. Another cool feature is Mint’s Subscription Management feature, which tracks all of your monthly subscriptions, such as Netflix, Spotify, etc., and lets you know if costs change over time.

The app is completely free with ads and has no premium paid version. You can sign up using your email and find out more at mint.intuit.com.

YNAB

($14.99/month or $99/year)

As the name suggests, You Need a Budget is a budgeting app. But unlike similar software, YNAB claims to offer a proactive approach to budgeting by allowing users to assign income to various expenses based on priority. This prioritization process results in a monthly budget that you can track and adjust on the fly. Instead of reviewing a month-end report (after the money is gone), budgeters are encouraged to stay engaged throughout the budgeting process, which – in theory – can lead to better financial decisions.

What’s more, YNAB users can access various online finance courses and live Q&As moderated by financial experts. One consideration is that YNAB has no free version. Subscriptions are $14.99 per month or $99 for the year. However, the app is ad-free and offers a 34-day free trial. Learn more at youneedabudget.com.

Personal Capital

(Free)

If you want a head start on retirement and investment planning, then Personal Capital may be for you. The app allows you to connect your external accounts in order to keep track of balances, income, and spending. It also has several robust features for retirement planning and portfolio management. For example, the software’s Retirement Planner can take your current retirement savings and income, as well as projected expenses, and let you know if you will be able to meet your retirement goal using your current savings strategy. Similarly, Personal Capital’s Investment Checkup tool can review your investments and make recommendations to help streamline your portfolio.

Personal Capital is free, and you can learn more at personalcapital.com.

EveryDollar

(Free for basic, $12.99/month or $79.99/year for premium)

EveryDollar is a budgeting tool brought to you by Ramsey Solutions, which is headed by renowned financial guru Dave Ramsey. This budgeting app does all the basics. You can connect your external accounts and keep track of your monthly transactions while on the go. What makes EveryDollar unique is that this app follows Ramsey’s “zero-based” budgeting strategy, where users are encouraged to calculate income, deduct necessary expenses and expected spending, then allocate savings until the resulting figure is…you guessed it, $0. Like many budgeting apps, you can categorize expenses and create due dates for upcoming bills. There’s even a handy notes feature for keeping tabs on specific transactions.

EveryDollar has a basic free version, but you will have to upgrade to the premium version to get automated transaction tracking and other useful features. The premium version is $12.99 per month or $79.99 for the year after a 14-day free trial period. Learn more at ramseysolutions.com/ramseyplus/everydollar.

Why Do I Need a Budget?

Budgeting is an essential aspect of healthy financial planning. Accurately tracking expenses, income, and savings goals can help reduce debt, increase savings, assist retirement preparation, and reach specific financial goals such as buying a home or paying for college.

When it comes to a budgeting strategy, knowledge is power. That’s why we have a variety of easy-to-understand articles covering a wide range of financial topics, such as:

• Strategies to Help Save and Grow Your Money
• Retirement Preparation
• Creating an Emergency Savings
• Debt Management

Free Financial Education Resources

Visit our Empower All page to access a series of free, bilingual (English and Spanish) videos, infographics, and articles that take the mystery out of banking. Whether you’re buying your first home or saving for retirement, Empower All can help you better understand the process.

And while you’re here, consider subscribing to our Smart Cents newsletter to stay up to date on all the latest and greatest financial literacy articles from FirstBank.

Online Banking is required to use Mobile Banking.  Online Banking is free with eStatements and $3.00 per month with mailed statements. Prices for third-party app subscriptions are accurate as of 10/31/2022, and may be subject to change. 

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