Bloomberg LP
At the time of writing, the Bloomberg LP app is the most popular of all the finance apps in the store. Maybe that’s because it’s free to download, but perhaps it’s because this app is actually extremely useful. If you have investments in stock, or are tracking a stock before buying in, then this is an absolute for you. Bloomberg LP manages to pack in a frightening amount of financial data within the iPhone’s screen area with everything from share prices, a 52 week summary chart, volume and news related to the stock. Make no bones about it: if you are dabbling in shares then this app should be on your iPhone!

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Balance
If you want to keep an eye on your bank accounts then Balance is something you should look into. With Balance, the days of keeping track of your incoming and outgoing funds are over, it can all be done with this little app.

Every time you make a debit from or credit to your account with Balance, the app will automatically recalculate your account’s balance so you won’t get carried away and overspend your way to a nice overdraft fee! Balance is also free, which can’t be bad.

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Spend Lite
As the world economy contracts and home finances are being stretched it is more important that ever to set a budget and stick to it, which is much easier said than done! That’s where Spend Lite (the free version of Spend) comes into play.

With this free version you can only set yourself 5 weekly budgets for food, entertainment, going out or whatever else you want. Then any time you spend money you enter it into Spend, which will update your budget to show how much you have left to spend.

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Tripometer Mileage Log
When you work for a company and have clients scattered all around, you soon rack up the miles. The problem is that it is all to easy to do the miles, pick up the tab for the fuel, seal the deal with the client and never claim back your mileage expenses. With Tripometer Mileage Log on your iPhone you can easily track what a trip was for, who you met and how long you travelled. In other words, everything you need to get that mileage claim in.

There are some nifty features built in, including the ability to setup favourite destinations or pull details on origin and destination from the iPhone address book. Even better, Tripometer Mileage Log can export your trips for use with your favoured spreadhseet application and email reports to your finance manager.

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Bill4Time Mobile
If you work for yourself then you’ll know just how important it is to track time because being a successful freelancer relies on cashflow, which means efficient invoicing. Bill4Time Mobile, a free addon for the bill4time.com service, lets you track time spent on a project (both labour and travel time), expenses incurred, notes related to the project and scheduled tasks that can be converted into completed time entries.

All in all, this is a solid application and if you happen to use their services already then it is indispensable.

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Currency
If you do travel frequently or just make purchases on the internet in foreign currencies, then it’s always a good thing to know exactly what the exchange rate. This is exactly what Currency does. And it’s free!

1. Are You Suitable: Gold and platinum cards usually only suit those with an above average spending. So, unless you pay the balance of your credit card bill outright every month then avoid a card with a rewards program. If you ever pay interest then you’re far better off having a credit card with a low ongoing interest rate. If you only spend around $1000 or less a month on a card, there’s not much value to be gained in rewards programs. Typically you’d pay more in annual fees than you would earn in rewards.
2. Legitimate Reason: A credit card with a rewards scheme is all fair and dandy but look for a card that gives you suitable rewards for your needs. Ask, are there any rewards which you would find really beneficial? Do you want shopping or travel rewards? If you wanted travel perks, do you even have the time to take an extra holiday? etc.
3. Points Capping: Apply for a rewards credit card that does not put a limit on the points you can earn per month. Reaching that limit can be all to easy when you make a few large purchases in a month. After that your points will be maxed out.
4. Big Spending: Gold and platinum cards usually have high annual fees, sometimes as high as $400. Therefore, cards like these are are only suitable and worthwhile if you spend a large amount per month, such as $5000 or more. So you see that big spending is needed per month along with the ability to be able pay it off each month.
5. Possibly Ideal For Small Business: I’ve got three points to make on the idea of using a rewards card in business. Provided that you spend a considerable amount on the card per month it could be a legit purpose for a gold or platinum card. So, realistically if you were to spend around $5000 per month on goods and services you’d be able to rack up some decent perks. Bear in mind, you must be sure you can and will pay off the balance each-and-every month to make it worthwhile otherwise you’ll be getting hammered by the high interest rates. Lastly, you must apply the same discipline to a business credit card as you would to your personal credit card… that is, do not spend beyond your means!