This list includes everything I use to manage my business and personal finances. I occasionally get money-related questions from readers that I’m completely unqualified to answer because I’m a millennial still paying off college debt, so I figured I’d make this list to give an idea of what I use to keep my financial life in order and automate as much of the process as possible.

Some of these are affiliate or referral links, but these are only products and services that I personally use and would recommend to a friend.

Related lists:

Every tool I use to run my Etsy shop in 2021

Every tool I use to run my blogging business in 2021

Best Accounting Software for Freelancers & Etsy Sellers: Quickbooks Self-Employed

I’m listing this one first because listen: if you do ANY sort of freelance, side hustle, online biz type of work and you have even the slightest interest in not freaking the fuck out about your income and expenses and taxes, you need Quickbooks Self-Employed. This is the #1 tool that helps me run two Etsy shops, two blogs, and a freelancing/consulting business without my brain removing itself from my skull and swan-diving into a pool of sharks every tax season. 

Quickbooks Self-Employed logs all of the income and expenses from every bank account and credit card I link to it, so all I have to do come tax time is download the profit and loss sheet to hand to my accountant so he can do my taxes. I can also send branded invoices to clients right from Quickbooks, which looks much more professional than sending an invoice or accepting payments through your personal Paypal account. This is one of the first things I wish I had signed up for the second I started freelancing, so don’t make the same mistake as me. The best part is it’s adapted with my business as I’ve acquired more income sources, and it’s easy to manage all of it in one place. Sign up for Quickbooks with my referral link for up to 55% off the monthly price.

Checking & Savings: Huntington Bank

I’ve been using Huntington Bank for my personal and business checking and savings accounts for about 2 years. They have no monthly fees and their online banking is better than any other bank I’ve used (including my local credit union) so I plan on staying with them for the time being. Alright, that’s enough compliments for a bank.

Best High-Yield Savings Account: Smarty Pig

Smarty Pig is a free online bank that allows you to save for specific goals in a high-yield savings account. Their interest rates are currently (as of Feb. 2021) between 0.55% and 0.80%, which is better than anything else I’ve found (even though their interest rates were almost 3% when I first started using them in 2011). I like Smarty Pig because you can create as many savings goals as you want and deposit/withdraw at any time without penalty. I have a house savings goal that I share with my husband, a new car fund for when I need to give in and buy a car, and a miscellaneous/emergency fund because that’s always important to have. My “real” emergency fund is technically my Huntington savings account because I can immediately transfer funds to my checking (hence the emergency part of it), so this goal might turn into a travel fund once the world opens back up.

Best Investing & Trading App: Fidelity

I’m trying to become more financially literate when it comes to the larger parts of the economy that I’ve always been to poor to understand, like the stock market. Fidelity has been a great resource for that. I actually bought my first stock in a company last year (Etsy!) and my goal this year is to learn more about things like index funds, mutual funds, ETFs, and other ways to invest. So far, Fidelity has been a great resource for that so I definitely recommend them if you’re interested in learning about investing but feel overwhelmed and intimidated by *waves hands* all of this fancy shit (some of the financial experts linked at the bottom of this post also have great info on investing for beginners).

Best Cryptocurrency App: Coinbase

Coinbase is the most widely used cryptocurrency exchange in the United States, and it’s what I used when I bought my first chunk of Bitcoin in 2017 (I don’t even remember why I did this, probably FOMO). If you’re brand new to cryptocurrency, I would recommend starting with Coinbase because it’s very easy to use and understand, plus it has all the most popular altcoins available. I’ve also played with the Crypto.com app which has some of the more obscure altcoins like Dogecoin, but Coinbase is still my top choice by far. Sign up with my referral link and we’ll both get $10 in free Bitcoin. 

Best Coupon & Cashback Apps for 2021

I’m a total sucker for couponing and cashback apps, but 99% of those I’ve tried are way too time-consuming for their payouts. These are my favorite coupon and cashback apps for shopping:

Receipt Hog

This is the only receipt scanning app I use because you don’t have to scroll through 40 pages of deals to see if they’ll give you 25 cents back for buying Kotex tampons only to find out you needed to buy Always brand tampons to get cash back. I totally get why some people use those apps (couponing is a lifestyle, after all) but I’m too lazy for all that work. All you have to do with Receipt Hog is scan your shopping receipts into the app in exchange for points (the higher your receipt total, the more points you get), which you can cash out in Paypal cash or Amazon gift cards. I probably remember to scan about 60% of my shopping receipts, and I’ve made $75 off this app since 2018. You can sign up for Receipt Hog in your phone’s app store.

Honey App

Honey is a free shopping app and browser extension that you can install directly onto Google Chrome. When you’re shopping online and reach the checkout page, Honey will pop up and offer to scan all available coupon codes to see if you’re missing any deals. I’m always shocked when it finds me a coupon (which is more often than not), which can be anything from free shipping to 30% off your purchase (that one felt like the jackpot). They also have a program called Honey Gold which accumulates points when you shop. I never paid attention to this part of the app until it told me I had enough points for a $10 Target gift card. Okay, Honey! Take me to Target. Sign up for Honey here.

Rakuten/Ebates

This is another free shopping app and browser extension that gives you cash back when you shop at certain stores. I also have this installed on Chrome, so whenever I’m shopping, I check out what’s offered through both Honey and Rakuten to see which one has the best deal (you can’t use both on the same purchase). Aside from cash back offers, Rakuten also has in-store coupons and travel deals when you book through their partners. Rakuten sends quarterly payments via Paypal, so it’s always a fun surprise when a random payment comes in. Sign up for Rakuten with my referral link and we’ll both get a $20 bonus. 

Financial Experts to Follow 

Like I said, I’m definitely not qualified to give financial advice but I have been doing a lot lately to educate myself and become more financially literate. One thing that’s been unexpectedly helpful is following financial experts on Instagram that are the polar opposite of the Dave Ramsey types who think all financial setbacks are due to too many lattes instead of, um, Capitalism. Some of my favorite finance experts to follow:

@YoQuieroDineroPodcast – Jannese is a Latina money expert who talks about investing, saving, money management, and other topics in an approachable way that acknowledges the systemic barriers designed to keep people from getting ahead.

@HerFirst100K – Tori is money expert who makes fun and insightful videos about all sorts of finance topics, from how to start saving to how to negotiate a higher salary.  

@KerryForMayor – Kerry is a business and financial consultant with lots of videos on her “profit first” financial system for managing your business finances.