I personally use US Bank [Big stable bank with Zelle capabilities], Relay [Checking and Savings 3%] and then Quickbooks [high interest rate 5%].

My next step after posting this is to reach out to a few similar hosts for the style of property I am looking to invest in and see how well they do on a personal level.

Find a group or person that can give you both education and mentoring. 

Real estate investing can change your life.

But I get it if you can invest 500.00 U certainly cant buy whole notes or secured positions with such a small amount. becomes a personal decisions make 7.5% with risk of losing it all or buy T bills for about 5% with zero risk.. its up to the individual investors.

It also takes a personal guarantee from the borrower.  

However, if you prefer to meet in person and not over zoom or some other digital means, that would be a consideration.

For my personal investment journey I have done flips, buy and hold, BRRR, and wholesale.

Personal excel sheet?

House hacking will also give you some personal "property management" experience.