These are the financial tools and accounts we actually recommend — organized by category. All Amazon links use tag smf-blog-20. See our Affiliate Disclosure.
High-yield savings accounts
- Marcus by Goldman Sachs — No fees, no minimums, consistently competitive APY. Best for simplicity. Visit marcus.com.
- Ally Bank Online Savings — Strong rates, excellent customer service, full banking suite. Visit ally.com.
- SoFi Checking and Savings — Highest APY with direct deposit, plus checking with no fees. Visit sofi.com.
- Discover Online Savings — Reliable rates, no minimums. Visit discover.com/online-banking/savings.
Budgeting apps
- YNAB (You Need a Budget) — Best for zero-based budgeting. ~$14/month or $99/year. Visit youneedabudget.com.
- Monarch Money — Best for couples and shared finances. ~$14/month. Visit monarchmoney.com.
- Copilot — Best iOS budgeting app, automated and polished. ~$13/month. Visit copilot.money.
- Simplifi by Quicken — Most affordable full-featured option. ~$4/month annual. Visit simplifimoney.com.
Brokerage accounts for investing
- Fidelity — No minimums, ZERO expense ratio index funds, excellent for IRAs. Visit fidelity.com.
- Charles Schwab — No minimums, strong index fund lineup, excellent customer service. Visit schwab.com.
- Vanguard — The originator of index fund investing, best for long-term buy-and-hold. Visit vanguard.com.
Books worth reading
- The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey — Best for getting out of debt with a clear system. View on Amazon
- I Will Teach You to Be Rich by Ramit Sethi — Best for automating finances and optimizing accounts. View on Amazon
- The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel — Best for understanding the behavioral side of building wealth. View on Amazon
- A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton Malkiel — The definitive case for index fund investing. View on Amazon
Credit score tools
- AnnualCreditReport.com — Free official source for all three bureau reports. Pull once per year minimum.
- Credit Karma — Free credit score monitoring and dispute tracking. Visit creditkarma.com.
- Experian — Free FICO score access. Visit experian.com.
Affiliate disclosure: Book links above use our Amazon affiliate tag. We earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you.