(The author is a Reuters columnist. The opinions expressed are her own.)
By Liz Weston
LOS ANGELES, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Earlier this year a tax pro mentioned the FileThis organizing app to me. Within seconds of installing it, I wondered, "Where has this been all my life?"
I have tried an absurd number of software programs that promised to simplify, streamline and de-clutter our family's financial life. Most fell short, offering too little benefit, steep learning curves or both. A few insanely useful ones, though, made it to the mobile Hall of Fame, otherwise known as my home screen.
If you are trying to get a grip on your money, you may find these to be helpful:
1. FileThis (http://filethis.com/)
The app does what I frequently forget to do since going paperless several years ago - download account statements.
It also gives you an overview of your accounts and gives you bill due-date reminders.
I use FileThis' free version to automatically fetch statements from up to six "connections" or links to financial institutions.
I have multiple accounts at each institution, so I am able to track far more than just six accounts. The free version offers 500 megabytes of cloud storage.
To get more connections and storage, you can pay $2 a month for up to 12 connections and 1 gigabyte of storage or $5 for up to 30 connections and 10 gigabytes of storage. Users also can opt to have documents downloaded to a number of other storage sites, including Dropbox and Evernote, or to their computers.
2. ItsDeductible (https://turbotax.intuit.com/personal-taxes/itsdeductible/)
We donate a ton of clothes, toys, books and household goods to local charities, but I always put off attaching values to the donations until our taxes were due and it became a big, unpleasant chore.
The free ItsDeductible app from Intuit Inc allows me to record contributions as we make them and offers values for common items. I print out an annual report for our tax pro, although TurboTax users can download the information directly into their returns.
3. DropBox (http://www.dropbox.com/)
Accessing files from any device or location is essential for my work, but cloud-based storage also helps when we travel and in preparing for natural disasters. So I regularly upload travel documents, insurance policies, appraisal reports, home inventories, scans of old tax returns and other important paperwork.
I used the free service for years but recently approached the 2 gigabyte storage limit and upgraded to 1 terabyte of storage for $99 a year.
4. Mobile banking
I dismissed mobile check deposit as a fad until I actually tried it. Now I agree with financial planner Michael Kitces, who calls it "a crucial aspect" of his financial life.