7 Money Software Tools Worth the Price

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How was tax season for you? Complicated? Confusing? Exhausting? All of the above? (It's okay — I'm feeling all of those things, too.) Sure, the tax code needs a major overhaul. Since that could be a long time coming, here are a list of software titles that are worth the investment to help you get and stay on track of your finances, whether it's tax season or not.

1. Empower

There are so many types of savings and investment accounts — 401(k)s, IRAs, annuities, money market accounts, and the list goes on. Wouldn't it be nice to have all of these accounts in one place so that you could easily track performance, fees, and your allocations? Empower makes that possible, and it's gained quite a following. Users currently track over $1.2 billion of assets using the software.

2. Neat

There's no piece of financial paperwork more annoying than all of those tiny receipts we need to itemize and categorize. The Neat Company has software, mobile apps, and hardware so that you can set up the system that works best for you.

3. Morningstar

For those who want a more in-depth look at their investments, Morningstar gives users quite a range of proprietary tools. It will analyze the performance of your investments, and that's only the beginning. It will also provide you with proprietary, industry-standard Morningstar ratings for all of your investments and help you drill down into exactly which specific investments comprise your mutual funds. It doesn't link directly to your investment accounts, so you must manually enter all of the information when you start an account.

4. TurboTax

If you're looking for a piece of software to simplify tax filing time for you, I highly suggest TurboTax. There are a now a number of different versions for those of us with more complicated tax situations (the ownership of rental properties or a business, for example) and it has plenty of bells and whistles to makes sure the filing is accurate, while also maximizing your deduction opportunities.

5. Google Finance

If you're investigating different investment options, Google Finance is a free and simple tool that gives you a snapshot of a company's performance in easy-to-read charts. You can also use it to track your specific portfolio of investments, investment news stories, and domestic industry trends.

6. You Need a Budget

The name says it all. To achieve your financial goals, you need a budget and you need a budgeting tool that helps you stick to it. You Need a Budget (YNAB), is a simple and elegant tool that is also sophisticated in the amount of customization it provides. Easily record, tag, and track expenses, especially on-the-go with its mobile apps. You can try it for free for a month to see if you like it, and then to continue after that, there's a one-time fee that will work with all of your devices.

7. Budget Simple

Budget Simple is also an excellent budgeting tool that is simple and easy to use. The web app is free to set up and use. It's straightforward and also highly visual so you can quickly see how you're spending your money. If you'd like to get the mobile app and directly link your various bank accounts to the tool, there's a $5/month fee.

Achieving your financial goals requires organization, willpower, and performance information. These tools will help you get started.

Which financial software tools have you used?