Personal Finance Software Review

A personal finance software review can be a huge benefit when you are trying to find personal finance software to use.  Everyone is different so it helps when a personal finance software review is objective and simply states the features of a product with some comments of the pros and cons of each software reviewed.

This type of review will give you the information that you need to clearly identify what personal finance software will work best for your situation. 

The following personal finance software review takes a look at the three top rated products on the market.  Each products has features, pros and cons listed so that you can see a good overview of the product and make the best decision based on your needs.

Quicken Starter Edition

Quicken is a well known name in personal finance software.  The 2008 edition from Quicken follows in the tradition set by this company to be straightforward and easy to use.  Here is quick personal finance software review of Quicken starter edition:

Pros:

• Easy to install and set up
• Easy to use with simple menus and help
• Online back up for secure information saving
• Bill pay feature allows for quick and easy paying of bills
• Turbo Tax integration for simple tax filing
• Quicken Loans with loan calculators
• Mange multiple bank accounts at once
• Link to Paypal for managing Paypal accounts
• Variety of reporting features
• Excellent support system with online help, tutorials, forums and email support
  

Cons:

• No investing features
• Data does not convert between different Quicken products
• Phone support is not free

Quicken Starter Edition is a powerful tool that is perfect for a home budget situation.  It is simple and easy to use for someone who is not advanced in using computer programs.  It is suffice for simple budgeting, banking and tax needs.  It may not be best for someone who is heavily into investing.

For more information about Quicken, visit this website

Microsoft Money Essentials

Microsoft is a well known name in the computer industry.  There main business is developing programs and software.  With their personal finance software, Money Essentials, Microsoft has expanded into the world of personal finance's to help you budget your money successfully.

Here is a review of Microsoft Money Essentials:

Pros:

• One of the lowest costing persona finance software programs on the market
• Easy to install
• Easy to use
• Simple update process
• Homepage at-a-glance feature allows a complete financial picture summary
• Ability to mange multiple bank accounts
• Reports with charts and graphs for all aspects on finances
• Website connection for financial calculators in a variety of areas
• Tax area for recording deductibles and other information
• Good help section with tutorials and FAQ's
• Password protecting on your account
• Excellent investing services including stock quotes, history and projections

Cons:

• Charge for online bill pay services
• Upgrade needed for financial calculators for expenses like insurance, debt consolidation, retirement and college
• Tax program must be compatible with Tax Exchange Format in order to export information for easy tax filing
• Does not help you find deductions
• Help through phone, email or live chat costs extra
• No archive feature to back up files

Microsoft Money Essentials is great for the investor or someone more advanced with their money situation.  It may also work for simple budget recording.  People concerned about security and back up may not like this program as well.

For more information about Microsoft Money Essentials, visit this website

Moneydance

Moneydance from Reilly Technologies is chosen as a top program because of its feature rich set up and lack of extra charges for features.   It is a great option for someone who is serious about personal finance and wants more fro a personal finance software program.

Here is a review of Moneydance:

Pros:

• Supported on Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems
• Simple main page for ease of use
• Main page contains summaries of all financial areas
• Online banking options
• Free bill pay option
• Ability to synchronize account quickly with minimal data entry
• Ability to save reports and call them up with one click
• Variety of financial calculators
• Library of extensions for almost any financial need
• Email and forum support
• Information blog for updates
• Archive, backup and password protection available
• Ability to import files from brokerage house
• Investment features are free of charge

Cons:

• Limited connection to different banks and financial institutions
• Lack of application help

Moneydance is a much smaller recognized application than others, but it is quickly seeing a rise in popularity.  Making more available for less Moneydance is a top contender in personal finance software.  It is a great option for someone who has a lot going on with their financial situation and who needs to stay on top of it.

For more information about MoneyDance, visit this website