What's Best for Post Processing JPEG?

I have a decent point and shoot. It saves in JPEG. I need post software that works on JPEG as JPEG.

Editing out wrinkles and blemishes.
Lightening or darkening selected areas realistically.
Removing Chromatic Aberration
Cropping
Resizing
Adding text
Color saturation changes
White balance adjustment

My current, 15 year old software will not do most of that, and what it does do, it does not do well.

Best for the money? Photoshop Elements would be my choice for between $50-$100, because you would get more help with it here. But GIMP is free & pretty good.

OK. Will try GIMP first. Steep learning curve?

Yes, Elements or The GIMP will do most of what you want (not sure about CA -- you might have to get creative and do this manually). The GIMP is free to try, so why not start there? One advantage of Elements is lots of books and videos available to help you. Both programs have a somewhat steep learning curve just because they have so many features, but nothing you can't master with a bit of study and practice.