👋 Hello! Welcome to this post where I share the money tools and apps I rely on. From credit cards to budgeting software to investing, I’ve compiled everything you need in one convenient place.
Disclaimer: SeedTime Money has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. SeedTime Money and CardRatings may earn commissions from card issuers. The opinions and recommendations in this article are solely those of the author and have not been reviewed or endorsed by any card issuer.
What’s in My Wallet?
Let me give you a glimpse of what I carry:
- My trusty Saddleback wallet
- A cherished photo of my partner
- My Tennessee driver’s license
- A rarely used debit card (just a backup)
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (details below)
- Medi-Share insurance card (details below)
- Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (details below)
1. My Go-To App for Shopping: Rakuten
This is one of my best-kept secrets. Rakuten (currently offering a $30 sign-up bonus) is incredibly easy to use—so simple that even a child could navigate it. If you shop online, this tool will help you save money effectively.
Check out the brief video below for tips on saving hundreds each year!
Oh, and don’t forget the $30 sign-up bonus!
The Only Two Credit Cards I Use
As of now, my family has enjoyed 161 hotel nights and 97 flights for free, thanks to credit card points. For this reason, I strongly advocate for rewards cards. After having opened over 25 credit cards in the last decade, here are the top two that I keep in my wallet.
2. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
This card has been my primary choice for the past six years. It’s a favorite among financial bloggers, and it’s rated as a top pick for travel rewards by CardRatings.
Why I Love It:
- Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first three months. That’s a value of $750 when redeemed through Chase Travel.
- Enjoy 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Travel(SM), 3x on dining, select streaming services, and online groceries, and 2x on other travel purchases.
- A $50 annual Chase Travel(SM) hotel credit.
- The annual fee is $95, but the signup bonus far outweighs this cost, making it negligible.
If you want a solid travel rewards card, this is the one I recommend.
Learn more here about the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.
3. Chase Freedom Unlimited®
This is my second favorite card. While it doesn’t offer as many perks as the Sapphire Preferred®, it has two major advantages:
- No annual fee.
- Earn 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel(SM), 3% on drugstore purchases, and 3% on dining (including takeout and eligible delivery services).
They currently have an introductory offer where you can earn an extra 1.5% on all purchases (up to $20,000 spent in the first year), potentially giving you up to $300 cash back.
Discover more here about the Chase Freedom Unlimited®.
4. Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
This card is my go-to for business expenses (more details here). It earns 3x points on the first $150,000 spent in several categories, including travel, shipping, and advertising on social media and search engines.
If you’re utilizing online ads for your business, this card is essential. If not, the Chase Business Unlimited card may be a better fit.
Get more information on the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card here.
Financial Tracking Tools
5. RocketMoney
Currently, my favorite tool for tracking expenses is RocketMoney. While we previously recommended Empower Personal Dashboard, we’ve found RocketMoney to be quicker and more efficient. If you want a clear snapshot of your finances without the hassle of Quicken, it’s worth a try.
Watch the video below for a quick overview of how to use RocketMoney to track your spending.
Banking Options
6. Ally Bank
I appreciate Ally Bank for several reasons:
- They offer consistently high interest rates on savings accounts.
- They don’t charge overdraft fees.
- They provide chat support for quick answers without needing to call.
Ally aligns well with our financial methods, making it our top choice. Our runner-up is Capital One 360, which remains good but hasn’t innovated like Ally.
7. A Local Bank
While Ally covers most of our banking needs, having a local branch is still beneficial occasionally. This provides a balance for any in-person banking requirements we might have.
8. The Money Management Method We Use
After testing various budgeting apps and tools and still disliking traditional budgeting, we created an alternative method called The Real Money Method. It’s designed to be simpler and more user-friendly.
To date, over 1,500 students have learned this method, resulting in significant positive changes for many.
Insurance Tools
9. Health Insurance
We’ve been using Medi-Share as our health insurance alternative for the last decade and have had a positive experience. I recommend checking out our Medi-Share review for full details.
10. Life Insurance
Like the majority of people, we find term life insurance to be the most suitable option. It’s straightforward, cost-effective, and easy to set up.
I recommend Policy Genius for comparing quotes; their user experience is far superior to many other comparison sites.
11. Auto Insurance
While I don’t have a favorite auto insurance provider, I recommend shopping around, even if you believe you already have a good rate. I managed to cut my annual premium by $530 simply by comparing rates.
Investing Tools and Apps
If you’re a new investor looking to get started, I highly recommend our 10x Investing course. It outlines proven, long-term investment strategies that can help you achieve substantial returns while controlling risk.
Here are a few investment tools we use:
12. Acorns
Acorns is one of my favorite apps for getting started with investing. It automatically rounds up your purchases to the next dollar and invests the change. For example, if you spend $16.25, it will round up to $17.00 and invest that $0.75 difference. Over time, those small amounts can add up significantly.
It’s by far the easiest way to begin investing without a large initial commitment.
Learn more about Acorns here.
13. Fundrise
Fundrise offers a simple way to invest in real estate. We discovered that our returns via Fundrise (which generates completely passive income) outperformed our rental property’s returns.
Read my full Fundrise review here for more details.
14. Sofi Investing
Sofi is my preferred platform for new investors looking to buy ETFs, stocks, and cryptocurrencies. They stand out in three key ways:
- They allow you to buy fractional shares, so you can invest with any amount, even if partial shares are priced high.
- They offer a Roth IRA option, which I consider essential.
- Their user interface is straightforward, making it easy to navigate.
My runner-up is Robinhood, but they currently don’t offer Roth IRAs.
15. Retirement Estimator
To track your progress toward retirement goals, I recommend using Personal Capital, which includes a free tool for checking your retirement plans.
This allows you to see how small increases in your savings can significantly impact your overall retirement fund.
16. Vanguard
Vanguard distinguishes itself in an industry often burdened by fees, providing excellent index funds and ETFs. Warren Buffett recently proved that the S&P Index Fund (offered by Vanguard) outperformed a collection of hedge funds with high management fees—by more than 3 times!
You can also invest in Vanguard ETFs through Sofi.
Credit Reporting Tools
Though I don’t frequently monitor my credit anymore, I recommend checking your credit report annually to ensure there are no errors.
Here are two useful (and free) tools for managing your credit:
17. Credit Karma
Credit Karma provides an array of free services, allowing you to:
- Check your credit reports from Transunion and Equifax.
- Monitor your credit score.
- Keep an eye on your credit report for any changes.
I appreciate how they do the monitoring for you, so you don’t have to remember to check on it regularly.
18. Annual Credit Report
As there are three credit reports, and Credit Karma only provides two, this site allows you to obtain your Experian report as well.
Feel free to reach out for more information or specific questions about any of these tools!