3 apps to help advisers stay on task while traveling

As a road warrior, I use a lot of technology. For convenience, there’s nothing better than my iPhone and iPad. (I also have my laptop in case I need it.) The fact that they’re lightweight, instant-starting and multifunctional make these my most-used tools.

My iDevices offer a plethora of apps. While traveling, there are several that make my life much easier. My top three are TripIt, Google Maps and WPS Office.

TripIt is amazing for organizing and tracking travel plans. Simply forward confirmation emails to [email protected] and TripIt will organize each of your trips in order. By using it to record flight details, hotel bookings, restaurant reservations and other engagements, you can access every piece of your agenda in one spot. TripIt is a free app if you can tolerate ads; otherwise spend 99 cents to go ad-free. Upgrade to TripIt Pro for about $50 a year, and the app will update you on flight status, seat assignments, check-in reminders and more. In my experience, TripIt has informed me of flight delays and gate changes substantially earlier than the airlines themselves — even before gate agents. For someone who travels often, this app is a must.

Those who know me know that I can get lost walking around the block. (I’ve literally done that.) Google Maps is my constant companion, saving me thousands of steps as a result of going left when I should have gone right. No matter how remote the location or where I am in the world, Google Maps leads me to my desired destination.

Finally, WPS Office is my choice for the iDevices’ Microsoft Office equivalent. I use it to download attachments and create all kinds of documents, including spreadsheets, Word documents, PowerPoint presentations and PDFs. WPS Office does everything in one easy app — and it’s free! You can save your documents to your iPhone or iPad (which will sync if you want), as well to the cloud. For someone who doesn’t like to read complicated (or any) instructions (like me), WPS Office is intuitive and immediately useful.

Of course, I use many more apps as well as programs on my laptop. These three just happen to be my favorites.

I always say that technology can be your best friend or your worst enemy. When technology provides me with the ability to live in a foreign country for a month, it’s my best friend.

Sheryl Rowling is head of rebalancing solutions at Morningstar Inc. and principal at Rowling & Associates. She considers herself a non-techie user of technology.