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Best personal finance products for 2024

We review a lot of products here at Money Under 30 to find the best personal finance products. We do have our favorites—products that stand out for their freshness of thinking, ease of use, and excellent benefits that can be added to your financial toolkit.

Empower is a free financial product we highly recommend for anyone looking to understand where they stand financially. Empower offers a number of powerful tools and calculators for net worth and cash flow, tracking your portfolio, retirement, calculating an emergency fund, and more.

Overview: Best personal finance products

Best for:  
Overall financial product Empower
High-yield savings account Barclays Online Savings Account
Checking account Chase Total Checking®
Favorite travel card Citi Premier® Credit Card
Everyday credit card Chase Freedom Flex℠
Brokerage account Robinhood
Robo-advisor Wealthfront
Savings app Acorns
Insurance marketplace Policygenius

Empower

Empower, previously known as Personal Capital, is a 100%-free personal finance app that can track all your financial information, including your bank accounts and spending, all one place.

Empower

Empower is a hybrid digital wealth management company and powerful finance app. In addition to paid investment management and advisory services, Empower offers a number of free tools and calculators to help with everything from net worth tracking to saving and retirement planning.

Pros:
  • Easy-to-use app provides financial 'big picture'
  • Tools and calculators are completely free to use
  • Great security, including two-factor authentication
Cons:
  • Wealth management fees can be be high
  • May be subject to upsells
Sign Up Today
Empower Personal Wealth, LLC (“EPW”) compensates Webpals Systems S. C LTD for new leads. Webpals Systems S. C LTD is not an investment client of Personal Capital Advisors Corporation or Empower Advisory Group, LLC. | Personal Capital is now Empower.

Empower stands out by offering a variety of features, calculators and tools to help you better manage your investments, track your portfolio’s performance, understand your cash flow, and avoid hidden fees. The financial tools it offers are free and easy-to-use, helping you save and budget. We’re big fans of the Retirement Planner, which helps you to see if you’re on track to retire as planned. It’s a tool that can be personalized to reflect how different changes impact your retirement outcome.

If you’re an Empower user who has a balance greater than $100,000, Empower offers a wealth management service (and likely will reach out) with a management fee of 0.89% annually on the first $1 million that scales down for a higher number of investments down towards 0.49%.

» MORE: Sign up for Empower or read our Empower Review

Barclays Online Savings Account

Barclays has a longstanding, stable reputation you can count on along with a competitive 4.35% on its Barclays Online Savings Account.

Our Pick
Barclays Online Savings

Barclays is a large international bank that offers an online savings account with a consistently competitive interest rate (not a teaser rate).

There is no minimum balance required to open or maintain an account, and never any monthly fees. Online transfers between linked accounts are easy and you can deposit checks with your phone, but Barclays does not offer ATM access.

Pros:
  • 4.35% APY
  • No minimum balance required
  • No maintenance fees
Cons:
  • No ATM access
Special offer: $200 bonus for new customers. $25k minimum deposit required to earn bonus. Expires May 3, 2024. Terms apply.
Open An Account

This may be the best high yield savings account overall, offering a high annual percentage yield (APY) and tons of free features to help you save. There are no monthly maintenance fees, overdraft fees, or transfer fees to deplete your earnings, meaning you end up saving more.

The Barclays Online Savings Account is easy to open with no minimum balance requirements to earn interest and can be funded with as little as $0.01. Online transfers from other US banks are free and easy, as is setting up direct deposit.

» MORE: Open a Barclays Online Savings Account or read our Barclays Online Savings Account Review

Chase Total Checking®

The Chase Total Checking® account is a robust choice for a checking account, especially if you’re a young professional or you prefer in-person banking as Chase has 4,700 branches nationwide.

$300 New Account Bonus
Chase Total Checking® account

Offering one of the largest branch networks in the country, the Chase Total Checking® account gives customer easy access to managing their funds.

Plus, there's responsive customer support, a versatile mobile app and customer-friendly features like Chase Overdraft Assist℠. There is a monthly service fee but there's multiple waiver options to avoid it.

Special offer: Earn $300 when you open a new Chase checking account with qualifying activities. Offer ends 4/17/24.
Pros:
  • 16,000 ATMs and more than 4,700 branches
  • Easy to earn welcome bonus
  • Powerful Chase Mobile® app
Cons:
  • Monthly service fee applies if qualifications not met to waive
  • No interest on balance
Learn More
JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Member FDIC

There is a $12 fee with this account but it can be waived a number of ways:

  • Maintain a minimum daily balance of at least $1,500.
  • Hold an average daily balance of $5,000 or more in combination of this account and linked qualifying deposits/investments.
  • Have at least $500 in qualifying electronic deposits (such as payroll providers or government benefit providers) made into the account.

We highly recommend this checking account for those who can meet one of these waiver options. There’s zero liability protection, Overdraft Assist℠ and you’ll also be able to manage your money, deposit checks and pay bills or people from anywhere, all with the Chase Mobile® app. Plus, you get access to more than 15,000 ATMs.

It’s one of Chase’s most popular accounts for everyday banking needs and one of our favorites as well.

» MORE: Open a Chase Chase Total Checking® account or read our full Chase Bank Review

Citi Premier® Credit Card

There’s a number of top travel rewards credit cards that we’ve broken down to fit what you may be searching for: travel perks, airline miles, hotel points, transferrable rewards and more. The Citi Premier® Credit Card in particular is our favorite for everyday spending, but be sure to check out the list to compare and find what’s best for you.

If you like to go on trips every once in a while but are by no means a travel hacker, then the Citi Premier® Credit Card is for you. It’s a travel rewards card that really rewards you in your everyday life

Citi Premier® Credit Card

Learn More →
  • Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
  • Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Gas Stations, Air Travel and Other Hotels
  • Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants and Supermarkets
  • Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases
  • Annual Hotel Savings Benefit
  • 60,000 ThankYou® Points are redeemable for $600 in gift cards when redeemed at thankyou.com
  • No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchase
Annual Fee Intro APR, Purchases Intro APR, Balance Transfers Regular APR Credit Needed
$95 N/A N/A 21.24% - 29.24% (Variable)
  • Excellent
  • Good

The Citi Premier® Credit Card allows you to earn 1 point for every dollar you spend overall, and 3 points for every dollar you spend at supermarkets, gas stations and on air travel. You’ll also get  $100 off a $500 hotel stay once a year, and you can transfer your points to participating airline loyalty program.

Traveling abroad? Use your Citi Premier® Credit Card and pay no international transaction fees. Be sure to note down, however, has no has no travel protections.

Card info has been independently collected by MoneyUnder30 to help consumers better compare cards. The financial institution did not provide or approve card details.

Chase Freedom Flex℠

Chase Freedom Flex℠ is one of the best credit cards to have in your wallet. Its rotating 5% categories (up to $1,500 max spend per quarter you activate), almost always include such everyday categories as gas, groceries, and utility services, make it easy to earn significant rewards without going into unnecessary debt. It also makes redeeming your awards a breeze—whether in travel, gift cards, or directly into a savings account.

Chase Freedom Flex℠ has no annual fee and even more cash back categories including 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate rewards®, 3% on dining and drug stores, and 1% cash back on all other purchases.  And the cash back rewards never expire.

If you don’t want to worry about rotating categories, you can also consider the Chase Freedom Unlimited® instead. It’ll still provide you with some stellar 3%-5% cash back categories, and a larger 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.

Card info has been independently collected by MoneyUnder30 to help consumers better compare cards. The financial institution did not provide or approve card details.

» MORE: Read our Chase Freedom Flex℠ Review

Robinhood

With zero-commission Robinhood, you can sign up with ease and begin trading stocks, crypto, ETFs, and even IPOs some companies starting with as little as $1.

Beginner-friendly
Robinhood

Robinhood is a popular stock trading and investing app that offers zero-commission trades on thousands of investments, including stocks, starting with as little as $1.

With beginner-friendly features and easy-to-read charts, Robinhood is great for new investors and there's advanced features even more seasoned investors can appreciate.

Special offer: Get a 3% IRA match on every eligible contribution, every year. Requires Robinhood Gold (subscription fee applies).
Pros:
  • Commission-free trading
  • Easy to use, well-displayed dashboard
  • No obligation or minimum account balance
Cons:
  • No bonds or mutual funds
  • Crypto fees can be more transparent
Open Account
Advertiser Disclosure – This advertisement contains information and materials provided by Robinhood Financial LLC and its affiliates (“Robinhood”) and MoneyUnder30, a third party not affiliated with Robinhood. All investments involve risk and the past performance of a security, or financial product does not guarantee future results or returns. Securities offered through Robinhood Financial LLC and Robinhood Securities LLC, which are members of FINRA and SIPC. MoneyUnder30 is not a member of FINRA or SIPC.

Robinhood has become one of the most popular options in recent years because it’s truly a simplified trading experience that’s mobile-friendly with an easy sign-up. There has been some trading controversy that pushed forward a whole list of Robinhood alternatives, but over time Robinhood still remains one of the options for beginners and casual traders.

One of the best things about Robinhood for new investors is the ability to trade stocks and ETFs in pieces of shares, in addition to trading in whole share increments. These can be placed in share amounts and dollar amounts, so if you just want to invest $10 in Apple or buy a tenth of a share, you can do either one.

Margin traders, market researchers who want an easy tool to gather knowledge, and especially new investors can appreciate Robinhood.

» MORE: Open a Robinhood account or read our full Robinhood Review

Wealthfront

There’s a whole list of the best robo-advisors to consider, and honestly none of them are a bad choice. But we’re particularly fond of our top pick that makes passive investing easy, Wealthfront.

Most recommended robo-advisor
Wealthfront

Wealthfront is designed for young professionals, anyone from passive investors who want expert digital guidance, to people who want to be smarter with money.

With low fees and multiple tax perks, automated investment management tuned in to your individual risk level make Wealthfront worth a look.

Special offer: Open your first investing account and get a $50 deposit bonus. Promotional terms apply.
Pros:
  • Passive investing with automated management
  • Tax-loss harvesting
  • Ability to customize portfolios
Cons:
  • No fractional shares of ETFs in automated accounts
  • No human advisors
Get $50 bonus
MoneyUnder30 receives cash compensation from Wealthfront Advisers LLC (“Wealthfront Advisers”) for each new client that applies for a Wealthfront Automated Investing Account through our links. This creates an incentive that results in a material conflict of interest. MoneyUnder30 is not a Wealthfront Advisers client, and this is a paid endorsement. More information is available via our links to Wealthfront Advisers.

Wealthfront is a robo-advisor that investors can start using for as little as $500 that looks to maximize long-term gains. The fees are relatively low (0.25% annually) and there’s a number of impressive features in the Wealthfront ecosystem, including Path investment management for financial planning, a cash account that earns an impressive APY, and a number of planning tools.

New investors can look at Wealthfront and see some great reasons to sign up, but Wealthfront isn’t solely for those starting out. Experienced investors and those with higher balances will be pleased by what else Wealthfront can offer as they dive more into it. There’s US Direct Indexing, for example, which is stock-level tax-loss harvesting for those with a balance of $100,000. The versatility across the board for multiple types of users makes it our favorite robo-advisor.

» Sign up for Wealthfront or read our full Wealthfront Review

Acorns

Acorns is a simple multifunctional app for savings and investing with useful features that make saving automatic and most pleasantly barely noticeable. It’s great for those who need help sticking to a savings plan or are new to certain financial areas, like investing.

Great for new investors
Acorns

Acorns makes it easy to start investing (even if you know nothing) and provides helpful tools to help you save more automatically. In under 3 minutes, start investing spare change, saving for retirement, earning more, spending smarter, and more.

Special offer: Claim a bonus today in three easy steps: open account, set up recurring investments, make your first successful recurring investment (min. $5). Receive a $20 bonus investment.
Pros:
  • Effortless automated investing
  • Easy-to-use savings features
  • Low-cost solution to manage money
Cons:
  • Flat monthly fee more expensive for smaller accounts
  • Can use more robo-advisor features
Get $20 bonus

The cost for Acorns ranges between $3 to $9 a month, so it’s not free, but you’re likely find the lowest tier satisfactory for your basic savings needs. The first savings feature Acorns offers is “Round-Ups.” This takes spare change from your purchases rounded up to the nearest dollar and invests it once the amount hits $5. There’s also Smart Deposit, which can take a piece of your paycheck automatically to be invested.

It backs this all up with a well-designed mobile app and no hidden fees as the monthly fee is all-inclusive, so you can focus on saving.

» MORE: Sign up for Acorns or read our full Acorns Review

Policygenius

Policygenius is one of our favorite places to shop for insurance online for its ease and transparency. It’s broker and marketplace that offers, among a number of other insurance, renters insurance.

Policygenius Renters Insurance

Policygenius is an unaffiliated insurance broker and online marketplace designed to help users find the right insurance policy for their needs. Policygenius compiles offers from many different companies for variety of needs, including renters insurance. The platform is free and easy to use.

Pros:
  • Provides multiple quotes in one place
  • Educational tools
  • Tailored recommendations
Cons:
  • May need to input information more than once
  • Doesn't include all options
Compare Quotes

Policygenius partners with a large number of reputable, big-name lenders to find the right insurance for your situation. You only have to fill out one application. After your application is submitted, you’ll get many quotes from different insurance companies. And, when you’re ready to apply through a direct lender, Policygenius is there to help walk you through the process.

Like we mentioned, Policygenius can also help you with finding a number of insurances, including disability insurance, term and whole life insurance, and renters insurance. With an engaging and attractive interface and the no-pressure approach of an independent broker, Policygenius makes insurance as painless as possible and notably easier.

» MORE: Compare quotes with Policygenius or check out our Policygenius Review

How we picked our favorite personal finance products

We looked at a few factors: relevant fees, ease of use with a focus on new users, available features, and on the basis if there would be value added if you were to download or sign up for these today as one of our readers.

We have over 500 financial service reviews published since 2006, so during that time we’ve been able to pinpoint some of our favorites to narrow down the field.

Why should you use a personal finance product?

Managing your money and your financial profile if the strong foundational basis of a better future. There’s a number of reasons specific to your personal situation currently or in the future that means it may make sense to use a personal finance product. Here’s just a few:

You want to save

A savings account is a great place to build and keep an emergency fund in the event of an unexpected event. You can also a saving account for short and long-term goals, like an upcoming wedding, with money you don’t want to invest during any given time.

Then there’s also money-saving apps, like Acorns, for people who struggle to get into the habit of saving.

You’re ready to start investing

There’s a standard brokerage account, accounts for retirement, accounts for your kids and so much more to soak in when learning how to invest. The takeaway as you learn more is that one of the most important things you can do it to start investing.

You’re not properly budgeting

Using some of the solid methods for budgeting with or without the assistance of a budgeting or wealth management tool actually means you’ll spend less time worrying about money in the long run. You figure out how much you should be saving, what you should possible cut out and ultimately have less anxiety about your finances.

You need to understand what you’re earning and what you’re spending.

The best personal finance products are ones that suit your needs

While these are our personal favorites, that doesn’t mean they are the best for everyone. (How could they be?)

For instance, if you’re a major traveler and relatively big spender, then the Citi Premier® Card which has no foreign transaction fee and has an annual fee of $95 that may be worth it for you when it wouldn’t be for a more casual or infrequent traveler.

Personal finance isn’t cookie-cutter.

With that in mind, we’ve including some of our best-of lists below that we’ve researched and compiled for your use to compare what’s best for you:

Summary: Best personal finance products

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of credit cards, personal finance apps, bank accounts, and investment services out there (and the often-conflicting advice that goes with them).

Our favorite personal finance products are a great start for anyone looking to get ahead on their finances with some of the top options.

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