In the second part of this two-part blog (you can view part one here), this piece will focus on management apps or services that focus on shopping, real estate, insurance, or even credit cards. As a refresher, Real Simple magazine compiled a list of products and services discovered in 2020 that profiled the best apps, accounts, and services to utilize for your best financial life. Let’s get started on the next round of services!
Insurance
Next Insurance focuses on finding insurance for small businesses (such as contractors, consulting, fitness, cleaning, therapy, entertainment, and more) that includes, but isn’t limited to, business insurance, general liability, workers’ compensation, and total & equipment insurance. Next Insurance has been featured on Forbes, Reuters, CNN, and in the WSJ for their exceptional service and easy application process to receive a quote.
Fabric is designed for responsible humans with kids, who are typically searching for affordable term life insurances policies. Fabric finds policies issued by Vantis Life, a Penn Mutual Company with an A+ rating for their financial strength. Fabric prides itself on the quick application process (ten minutes or so) that helps to decipher the best term length and coverage options to suit parents’ budgets. As a bonus, free wills for you and/or your spouse can be created online in about five minutes.
Credit Card Management
Eno is an assistant from Capital One that monitors your account 24/7 and will reach out to account holders if something unusual is detected. Eno tracks spending by customers to prevent fraud and helps users stay informed about their purchases, free trials, and unexpected transactions. Eno takes advantage of the new ability to create virtual card numbers that help protect your credit card information online from being stolen or compromised.
Petal prides itself on being a responsible credit card for the modern world. The company states that it has two missions: expanding access through technology and providing responsible credit without fees. In other words, Petal does not charge an annual fee and provides cash back opportunities. A Cash Score is generated by using your banking history so Petal can measure your creditworthiness. Petal has been featured on Forbes, Fast Company, and Tech Crunch for their comprehensive underwriting model and radically simplified user interface.
Real Estate Management
Opendoor allows users to sell their homes from the comfort of their own couches, and has been featured in The NY Times, Forbes, Fortune, and the WSJ. When a user lists a home on Opendoor, they may receive instant offers that allow them to skip the hassles and uncertainties of selling their home. Opendoor even purchases homes from the sellers themselves, and the sale can be managed entirely online. It’s up to the user to choose whether to accept the offer from Opendoor or utilize them to list the home to solicit other offers. If the user chooses to list with Opendoor, it can maximize their sale price (by providing a $10k interest-free advance for renovations) or save on fees (users pay just 5% on fees which may be 1% less that traditional fees).
Shopping Management
Honey is an add-on for your web browser that helps you find the best deals, promo codes, and ways to save while you’re shopping online. It takes two simple clicks to install. Honey searches the web to find the best price on everything from shoes to pizza to travel, by browsing through information from over 30,000 online retailers. They will apply the best promo codes to your cart and save you money. If you’re not willing to pull the trigger just yet, you can add an item to your Droplist, and Honey will notify you if they detect a price drop. According to Honey, users are saving roughly $126 a year, which is an average discount of 17.9%.