Do any of you use these type programs to log/manage your finances? If so - what do you use?

4/26/2007 11:31:29 PM

I have been using MS Money since 1998 when it came with a computer I bought. I recently started trying out Quicken, and have been maintaining both programs until I decide what I like better.

I think for anyone starting out and for anyone just wanting to manage day to day money management, either of those programs will work just fine. The differences come into play with some of the more complex features of the programs, which is something I am just beginning to explore.

4/27/2007 7:02:39 AM

I use Excel and Sas.

4/27/2007 8:06:57 AM

What kind of differences are you seeing Joe? I had an old version of money and am now on the 90 day trial of 07, but haven't tried Quicken.

4/27/2007 8:17:40 AM

/transfers all funds to b.gates

4/27/2007 10:20:08 AM

i just use excel.

it doesn't import info from accounts of course, but i don't mind doing it manually once a month

4/27/2007 12:00:35 PM

I wasn't too impressed with Quicken. I stick with MS Money.

Both will synch to a pocket PC, which is great for keeping track of your expenses on a day-to-day basis.

4/27/2007 3:01:22 PM

I don't like MS Money's budget feature, because if you change it to reflect a new job or new rent payment, it doesn't do it point in time...and now it shows I have 3 separate rent payments. That feature's worthless now.

I recommend you track gross pay and all the taxes per paycheck; it's a pain if your pay fluctuates, but otherwise I can't figure out how to put the $ into the 401k to track my performance there.

4/27/2007 7:24:57 PM

I'm having a rough time with MS Money - it isn't calculating any of my loans correctly, and I can't figure out how to make adjustments without it trying to actually move stuff in my accounts. I'm such a n00b on this thing

4/27/2007 7:57:28 PM

I use quicken, i prefer it over money.

I dont use the auto update features though, i do everything manually.

4/27/2007 8:57:55 PM

im happy w/ quicken, but i never tried Money

5/5/2007 10:47:27 AM

i use quicken premier 2006

it's kind of buggy and the reporting features could be a lot better, but there are only so many choices for personal finance software

it helps me keep track of stuff, which i guess is good enough

[Edited on May 5, 2007 at 1:15 PM. Reason : version]

5/5/2007 1:15:18 PM

Quicken is seriously pissing me off now - I wish I stuck with MS Money instead

5/5/2007 1:29:31 PM

why's that? i'm considering switching to quicken so i'm curious to know

5/5/2007 2:06:20 PM

i like quicken cause i can double click and get my accounts updated, without having to remember all the stupid bank addresses and pins and passcodes.

i dont use it for any exporting/data manipulation, though. just to open real quick and see if something posted or whatnot.

my form of budgeting = i dont spend a lot on stuff i dont need (home entertainment not included since i am a homebody now). i got a book about it though and i might just make one someday!!!1

5/5/2007 7:18:31 PM

I downloaded a trial of Quicken today to see if I liked it better. It seems a lot simpler, and actually calculates my loans/mortgages correctly but I'm not sure I like it.

I don't think I really need either - the only thing that has been really helpful is the debt calculator - like paying x more will reduce my car loan by x months - but you can get that off of other websites.

5/5/2007 8:51:12 PM

i've used quicken for about 4 or 5 years now. i have almost no complaints about it and i feel it is simpler to use than money

5/5/2007 10:06:09 PM

I use Quicken though I'm not all that good at it. Basically, use it as a one stop point to download Brokerage account value, 401k value (my wife's and mine), IRA value (we have 3 of them out there), my Sharebuilder account, the mortgage, our car loan, our credit card statement, and our checking account. Nice to click 2 buttons and 1 passcode to have all of this automatically updated.

I do the mortgage, car loan, IRA's, credit card, and checking account manually. The bank want allow for the IRA to update through Quicken and I can't figure out how to set up the mortgage and car loan correctly in Quicken. The checking account can only be updated through the bank website and only when the statement becomes available. Same with credit card statement. I also find most of the numbers don't sync correctly and I have to do balance adjustments. I'm sure this is my error somewhere though. I'd like to learn the budgeting feature on Quicken, but until I get the sync errors corrected, it wouldn't do me any good.

5/6/2007 10:05:00 AM

I can't figure out how to get this quicken shit to connect to my online accounts, so I hate it.

5/7/2007 12:28:01 AM

i use Money Manager Ex

get it at http://www.thezeal.com/software

its freeware.

its solid, but simple

dont have to fuck with all that bullshit that MS Money makes you jump through

5/7/2007 12:57:26 AM