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Apps to help you save and invest

If you’re set on growing your nest egg for retirement, you definitely are not alone.

As PC Mike Wendland reports, a number of apps can help you easily sock away money for further down the road.

Acorns allows users to not only save but invest using very small amounts. Simply set Acorns up to take whatever change you are due when buying stuff and instead invest it. For example, if you spend $3.75 on a coffee, you can set Acorns to round up to $4 and invest 25 cents. The idea is that the small amounts add up over time. If you want to cash out at any time, no big deal – just push a button. The app is free for iOS and Android. It costs a buck a month.

Stash is an app that allows you to choose from 30 different exchange traded funds, aka ETFs, based on the risk assessment questionnaire you fill out when you sign up. You place an initial investment deposit and can add more at any time via fractional share ownership. Stash investments are covered by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation. The app is free for iOS and Android.

From helping you save more on your everyday cash to investing for the long term, consider using the app called Betterment. Betterment offers one of the highest interest rates for its Cash Reserve offering, along with unlimited transfers in and out. The app can also assist in investing wisely, helping you determine financial goals and portfolio management based on personal preference. The app is free for iOS and Android.

Mike is a veteran journalist whose video "PC Mike" reports have been distributed weekly to all 215 NBC-TV stations since 1994, making him one of the most experienced tech reporters in the country. His tech stories and videos have appeared on MSNBC, CNBC, the Today Show, The New York Times, USA Today and in numerous national newspapers and magazines. In addition to the PC Mike tech blog, he also publishes the Roadtreking.com RV Travel Blog in which he travels North America in an RV reporting about interesting people and places.