This is a guest post by Eliza Morgan who is a full time blogger.  She specializes in writing about business credit cards. You can reach her at: elizamorgan856 at gmail dot com.

The versatility of smartphones has made them the most important tech item. Sure, we might use laptops or desktops to use word processing software or view high quality video, but the smartphone can do everything a computer can do and then some. In fact, many would say that the advantages of the smartphone far outweigh those of any laptop, desktop, or even tablet. Perhaps nothing has exemplified the endless utility of the smartphone more than financial management apps. These apps are changing the landscape of financial management for consumers, giving them the power to completely control, regulate, and plan their monetary needs without ever stepping inside a local bank branch. You can reorganize your personal finances and make payments on credit card on the same phone where you read your emails and texts, and that’s an amazing feat. So how can you turn your smartphone into a personalized financial planner? Consider the following apps.

Mint

Mint is the golden standard of financial management apps. It acts as a mobile bank account, notifying you of every purchase and expense made from whatever money accounts whose activity you want to track. The app ingeniously organizes and categorizes your purchase in real time, not only letting you know exactly how much you spent but also informing you if you purchase was for food, bills, alcohol, entertainment, and so forth. After using Mint for a short period, the app will propose a budget based on your spending history that you can adopt or edit as you see fit so you can keep a leash on your expenses. Mint will also remind you of recurring expenses such as mortgage or rent payments, and will warn you if the balance on your account is exceedingly high or low.

Google Wallet

Google Wallet is an app that seeks to make the smartphone the only item you need for monetary transactions. The app works by imprinting your debit or credit card information on your smartphone to be used at checkout stations that accept “tap” technologies (those places where you can tap your card for payments). In theory, a user can simply tap their phone against the checkout station to purchase goods without any trouble. However there are a few caveats with Google Wallet, at least how it exists in its current state. You can only use the app if you own an Android smartphone with a near field communication (NFC) chip, and if you choose Sprint as your wireless carrier. Google is currently in talks with other network providers to expand the app to companies other than Sprint.

Manilla

Manilla is the user’s all-in-one app meant to collect and manage all their bills and fees onto one legible page. If you download Manilla (for free), you just enter the information of all your bills and Manilla does the rest of the grunt work, organizing ideal payment times for your expenses and notifying you when statements are nearly due or late. If you’re tired of keeping track of all the random paper bills that flood your mailbox, Manilla could really help you get organized.

Debt Minder

If you have a sizeable amount of debt, whether it comes from credit cards, car payments, student loans, or some other large purchase, the mobile app Debt Minder might be for you. The app analyzes your debt information and your personal finances and then presents you with an ideal payment schedule meant to minimize interest charges and hurry you towards a foreseeable payoff date. For those who don’t respond well to cold hard figures, Debt Minder presents your finances and debts in easy-to-understand charts and graphs for a visual representative of your monetary status. The app costs a small fee (1.99), but it’s an insignificant price for such a helpful service.