Add The New York Post on Google Personal finance apps used to feel like an exciting new way to get your financial house in order. Now, nearly two decades on, consumers are getting wallet fatigue as multiple apps are required to cover feature gaps in their primary platform
A 2023 study from J.D. Power and Associates found that many providers of more advanced personal finance management tools had trouble connecting with users. It’s not surprising: Quality financial advice is often complicated, and apps, however elegant their designs, must squeeze a massive amount of information into one interface.
But it’s also a bedrock truth that tracking what comes in and goes out of your accounts gives you the information needed to make better decisions. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says monitoring spending can clarify your habits and help you make choices that support your financial goals.
That is where Rowan by Rocket Money comes in. Rowan is an AI-powered personal finance assistant that lives in your text messages, watches your connected finances and reaches out when something deserves your attention.
Rowan is not a standalone app, and it does not replace the Rocket Money app. Instead, it offers another way to use Rocket Money without learning a new interface or developing another digital habit.
Rowan’s headline feature is its ability to reach out first. Each week, it can text you a spending summary with updates on recent transactions, your budget and areas that may deserve a closer look.
Those weekly texts turn money management into a regular check-in with a knowledgeable voice instead of a monthly reckoning with a spreadsheet. Rowan can also send alerts when your balance is low, when a new subscription is detected or when the price of a recurring service increases.
You can respond by asking questions about your finances. Rowan can explain recent spending, help categorize a transaction through text, identify subscriptions that may be eligible for cancellation and estimate how much may be safe to spend based on your income and expenses.
The service can also handle some of the financial chores that are easy to postpone. You can text Rowan to start a subscription cancellation request, begin a bill negotiation or set a reminder to pay a credit card on a particular date.
A general-purpose assistant can explain a budget you provide, while Rowan is connected to your Rocket Money information and is designed to initiate supported actions through Rocket Money’s established cancellation and negotiation services.
It’s worth noting, however, that Rowan does not provide instant results. Asking it to cancel a subscription or start a negotiation begins the process, but it does not mean the request is immediately completed — you still need to stay alert and pay attention to anomalies wherever you track your money.
That said, Rocket Money brings plenty of experience to the table. The company says its platform is used by more than 10 million members, so Rowan is backed by an established financial platform rather than operating as an untested standalone service.
Rowan is available only through Rocket Money Premium+, which costs a flat $15 per month. Premium+ includes all the features of Rocket Money Premium, plus access to Rowan.
Rocket Money’s regular Premium plan is separate and currently uses a pay-what-you-think-is-fair model ranging from $7 to $14 per month, subject to change. The app is free to download and includes basic features, but neither the basic version nor Premium includes Rowan, according to Rocket Money’s pricing information.
Before upgrading, consider whether you will use Rowan’s proactive texts, cancellation assistance and spending insights regularly. Bill negotiation may also carry a success-based fee when Rocket Money lowers an eligible bill, so review the service terms before starting a request.
Good financial habits begin with knowing where your money is going and how much you are saving. Rowan keeps that information from getting buried by delivering it through a tool most people already check throughout the day.
For people who want to organize their spending, simplify routine money chores and gradually improve their financial habits, Rowan makes a strong case for Rocket Money Premium+. It puts useful financial information within texting distance and gives users a timely nudge to do something with it.
Brooklyn-based financial journalist Will Kenton has over a decade of experience covering the intersection of money, economics and culture. Specializing in investing, personal finance and retirement planning, his work has appeared in Investopedia, AP News, Business Insider and TIME Stamped. While at Investopedia, Will was the creative force behind the Anxiety Index, a proprietary tool used to gauge investor sentiment. His expertise is rooted in behavioral economics — a field he explored as associate editor of the New School Economics Review — and he aims to help readers navigate the “predictable irrationality” that influences financial decisions. Will holds a BA from Ohio University, an MA in economics from The New School and a Ph.D. in English literature from NYU. Beyond his financial career, he is also an award-winning playwright featured in the Red Bull Theater’s annual festival.
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