50 Must-Have iPad Apps

Finance

TurboTaxTurboTax (Free): Do your taxes from your iPad. Do I have to say anything else? OK, fine. Import your data from last year, then let the app guide you step-by-step through the process of filling out and submitting this year’s tax return, deductions and all. Everything is saved securely on your iPad and sent to the IRS when you’re ready. You’ll have to pay to file on both the federal and the state returns, but you’ll also save a ton of time and money by not going through an accountant. If your taxes are fairly simple, the TurboTax 2011 app might be a great way to file this year.

Mint.com Personal FinanceMint.com Personal Finance (Free): Mint is a free app from Intuit (the Quicken people) that tracks the data for every account you could possibly have. Mortgages, credit cards, checking accounts, car loans – you name it, Mint watches it, then shows you how much you’re spending in specific areas of commerce. It can even help you set a budget. For example, Mint may think you should be spending $130 a month on groceries, but if it sees that you’re spending $200 a month, it’ll let you know how far over budget you are. Mint is a beautiful, robust application that can really help you see where your money is going every day. It’s free, secure and an iPad must-have.

Bank of America for iPadBank of America for iPad (Free)/Chase Mobile (Free): I’m lumping these two apps under the generic umbrella of “banking apps”. They all let you access your account information, pay bills, transfer money and see your daily transactions right on your iPad. Sessions are accessed over secure networks at all times and each app offers push notifications, so you always know what’s going on with your money. In the case of the Chase app, you can perform a person-to-person QuickPay, which lets you deposit money into anyone’s account (even at non-Chase banks) using their phone number or email address. How awesome is that?

Bills for iPadBills for iPad ($0.99): If you’re looking for something a little more light-weight compared to Mint, you might want to take a gander at Bills for iPad. With Bills’s unique office-style interface, you can track your upcoming bills, see when they’re due, how much you want to spend and export the data to HTML or CSV (Excel). The app syncs with its iPhone counterpart, so your financial info always stays up-to-date on all your devices, and a PIN code can be enabled when the app first starts to keep out unauthorized eyes.

CNBC Real-Time for iPadCNBC Real-Time for iPad (Free): Some people are just finance junkies. Bonds, stocks, futures – they need to know everything happening on Wall Street at all times. The CNBC Real-Time app lets you track your stocks with a customized ticker and interactive charts as they fluctuate throughout the day. You can also watch CNBC videos and up-to-the-minute breaking news within the app, so you never miss a moment. If you’re serious about tracking the world’s money, there’s no reason not to download CNBC’s app to your iPad.