Apps We Love: 21st Century Adulting

Lindsay Stevenson, CPA, CGMA, vice president at 1st Financial Bank USA, agrees. “My favorite ‘adulting’ app is AnyList. It is a checklist app that allows you to make any kind of list and check items off. You can also share your lists (my husband and I use it for groceries and dinner menus so either of us can go shopping and have access to the list or the meals and the lists update in real time)!

Joshua Lance, CPA, CGMA, managing director, Lance CPA group, said, “My favorite app is Personal Capital. It tracks all of my finances including providing real time market values for my investments and showing how they track over time. I also like The Wall Street Journal app to keep up with the latest news.”

Rosalind Sutch, CPA, MT, shareholder, Drucker & Scaccetti said that among adulting apps, she likes Daylio. “Daylio enables you to keep a private diary without having to type a single line. Pick your mood and add activities you have been doing during the day. You can also add notes and keep an old school diary. Daylio is collecting recorded moods and activities in the statistics and calendar. This format will help you to understand your habits better. Keep track of your activities and create patterns to become more productive! You can set items to note if you did them that day or not. I’ve used this a way to create new habits with personal accountability. The App pops up daily and asks you to input your day. It takes a minute to do daily once you have it set up properly, which doesn’t take long either.”

Caleb Jenkins, EA, CQP, leader of client accounting services at RLJ Financial recommends Lumosity, the brain training app created by scientists and game designers. “I can do workouts to help challenge the core cognitive abilities. It is a great way to relax in the evenings and do some of the assigned workouts while expanding my cognitive abilities.”

Lindsey Curley, CPA, CGMA, senior manager, firm services – public accounting, AICPA, suggests we check out Paribus. “Who has time to price match? This app does. You basically just link your email to the app and it will track the price of what you bought online and detect any price match opportunities AND will either get the cash you’re owed directly or will give you step by step instructions. It’s so easy and what CPA doesn’t like to save money?”

Daniel Vidal, head of business development at Expensify, recommends a couple of apps that have helped me develop as an adult:

• Calm – great app to learn mindfulness and create a regular practice of meditation. It’s great for beginners! 
• Sworkit – As a traveler, it’s hard to get in a workout, Sworkit allows me to exercise even when on the road with very little time. 
• Blinkist – With so many books that I want to read it’s hard to get to them all. Blinkist provides a summary and the main concepts from a book in a 20-30 minute format which is incredibly digestible. If I like a blinkist enough, then I’ll read the full book but this allows me to consume a lot of books and still get the high level lessons.

Samantha Mansfield, director of professional development and community at CPA.com said, “Do you ever get home from the store and realize you forgot that rare item you rarely have to buy? Using the Amazon Alexa app is a great tool. Simply tell Alexa to add to the list, and even if I go shopping two weeks later I can check the list and not forget to replace the turmeric I used up.”

Chris DeBlanc, tax supervisor at RSM US recommends Mint.com . “Part of being an adult is getting your financial house in order. Mint helps paint your personal financial picture, so you can visualize your budget. You can use that information make better financial decisions to help you achieve your financial goals.”