Fintech (financial technology) is an important part of digital literacy, whether you’re planning a monthly budget or saving for a major purchase. If someone in your household has disabilities, there are even more budget items to consider. Including such major purchases as home modifications—or a more accessible home.
For Houston and Montgomery County residents, Easter Seals Greater Houston (ESGH) offers financial-education services with a focus on homebuying. Today, we share some fintech apps recommended by:
- Jenny Lopez-Martinez, ESGH Financial Coaching and Education Program Coordinator, and certified housing counselor
- Alejandra “Ale” Gonzalez, BridgingApps Digital Navigator and financial-education presenter
Jenny: I recommend Goodbudget and EveryDollar for budgeting. Clients are also using Capital One CreditWise to monitor their credit scores. (Note that CreditWise has changed their scoring system and is now using the FICO® Score 8 model to provide the score for TransUnion.)
Ale: Apps I share in our bimonthly homebuyers sessions are usually focused on budgeting and credit, as they relate to the process of buying a home. In addition to the apps Jenny mentioned, some of the tools I share are Debt-to-Income Ratio Calculator; Honeydue; and myFICO.
About the Apps
- Capital One CreditWise monitors data from TransUnion (a free-credit-reports company) to estimate the user’s “credit health.” It provides weekly updates; explains the basics of credit scores; and sends alerts (with advice) if suspicious activity is detected. (Social Security and bank information are required to set up an account.)
- Debt-to-Income Ratio Calculator is a simple calculation tool with text-to-speech and switch-accessible features. (A debt-to-income, or DTI, ratio is a person’s total debt divided by total income. Most lenders require it as part of loan applications.)
- EveryDollar: Budget Management uses a system designed by financial speaker Dave Ramsey, and based on Christian/Biblical principles. It comes in free and premium versions. Features include a monthly budget planner; a video library; and (for Premium users) automatic transition recording.
- Goodbudget Budget Planner, recommended for users who have trouble remembering everything they buy, tracks daily and monthly spending. It uses a “digital envelope” system, dividing funds and transactions into categories such as Rent, Groceries, Eating Out, Gifts, and Emergency Fund. The app can be linked to bank accounts and credit cards to streamline the tracking process. It comes in free and Plus Plan versions.
- Honeydue: Couples Finance holds two user profiles per account, allowing both users to view each other’s transactions, contribute to a shared budget, and chat with each other. It’s a useful tool for collaborating on household finances and responsible spending.
- FICO is the standard scoring system for evaluating consumer credit. myFICO–FICO Score Monitoring helps consumers keep an eye on their own credit rankings (and the standards lenders use to evaluate applications). It comes in free, Advanced, and Premier versions.
For more fintech app suggestions, see: