Keeping track of your money used to mean piles of receipts, handwritten budgets, or spreadsheets that were easy to ignore. These days, managing your finances is a lot more convenient—and smarter—thanks to technology.
There's a growing number of budgeting apps, automated savings tools, and other resources that can help you stay on top of your financial life with less stress.
As someone who loves using tech to make life easier, I’ve personally tried several financial tools over the years. The one that finally stuck? Monarch Money.
Why I Use Monarch Money
Monarch Money is a modern budgeting and financial planning app that puts all your accounts—checking, savings, credit cards, investments, loans, and more—in one easy-to-read dashboard. It’s been the most comprehensive and user-friendly solution I’ve found. You can set custom budgets, track net worth over time, create financial goals, and even share your plan with a partner.
Marlon Buchanan is a best-selling author, IT Director, and founder of HomeTechHacker.com, a website with free resources to help you make the most of your home technology.
Why I Use Monarch Money
Monarch Money is a modern budgeting and financial planning app that puts all your accounts—checking, savings, credit cards, investments, loans, and more—in one easy-to-read dashboard. It’s been the most comprehensive and user-friendly solution I’ve found. You can set custom budgets, track net worth over time, create financial goals, and even share your plan with a partner.
To learn more, you should check out my full review of Monarch Money. Also, if you're interested in trying it out, you can use this referral link to get a 50% discount on your first year.
Other Great Financial Tools
Of course, Monarch Money isn’t the only option out there. Other popular apps like YNAB (You Need A Budget), Simplifi, and Rocket Money offer similar features with different focuses—some are better for zero-based budgeting, while others shine in subscription tracking or bill negotiation.
Of course, Monarch Money isn’t the only option out there. Other popular apps like YNAB (You Need A Budget), Simplifi, and Rocket Money offer similar features with different focuses—some are better for zero-based budgeting, while others shine in subscription tracking or bill negotiation.
The key is to find a tool that works with your lifestyle and actually motivates you to engage with your finances. These tools can help you stick to a budget, remind you when bills are due, and show how much you’re really spending on takeout. These apps put powerful insights right in your pocket.
Let Tech Do the Heavy Lifting
One of the biggest benefits of using financial tech is automation. Automatically categorizing expenses, syncing accounts, tracking investments, or setting rules to move money into savings each month can save you time and mental energy. And the less time you spend manually updating spreadsheets, the more time you have for everything else.
One of the biggest benefits of using financial tech is automation. Automatically categorizing expenses, syncing accounts, tracking investments, or setting rules to move money into savings each month can save you time and mental energy. And the less time you spend manually updating spreadsheets, the more time you have for everything else.
I dive deeper into this concept in my new book, Life by Design: Automate to Master Time, Health, Money, and Unlock Personal Success. It’s all about using automation and smart systems—like Monarch Money—to boost productivity in your finances and every other part of your life.
If you're interested in reclaiming time for the things in life that matter most to you, I highly recommend picking up a copy of my book.
Final Thoughts
Tech won’t magically fix your finances, but it can make managing them a whole lot easier. If you’re trying to stick to a budget, grow your savings, or just gain peace of mind, tools like Monarch Money and others can help you build better habits—and keep them.
Final Thoughts
Tech won’t magically fix your finances, but it can make managing them a whole lot easier. If you’re trying to stick to a budget, grow your savings, or just gain peace of mind, tools like Monarch Money and others can help you build better habits—and keep them.
Time is tight, and decisions come fast. Letting tech take on some of the financial heavy lifting just makes sense.
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| Marlon Buchanan |
If you have questions or comments about this article you can contact Marlon through his website or X (Twitter).
And you can read Marlon's previous columns here.
And you can read Marlon's previous columns here.
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