Do you use Quicken?

[start2]

Just curious how many Quicken users we have in here. If you use Quicken, what do you think about it? Are you happy with it? Do you prefer to use Microsoft Money or some other financial software besides Quicken?

[concerned]

I started using it about 7 years ago, went through a crash with no backup, and started a new file 4 years ago. I love every minute I spend in it. Instead of scheduling and using the forecaster, I just go ahead and enter all transactions for a 12-month period, including fluff like $500 each week for gas, groceries, dining out & entertainment. That way I don't overspend and I make sure everything will be paid out. Plus it also helps when you see that a transaction is due, but you never received the statement, especially for yearly accounts like pest control or the paper.

 

Also, another fun part is that you can breakdown your paycheck into categories (income, overtime, social security, taxes, etc) so you can check against your W-2's at the begining of the year, and check your donations, paid interest, etc in a flash.

 

ETA: Forgot to say that the only part I don't like is that the files is greater than 10 MB now, and it takes a few minutes to backup to the USB drive. I wish they had something where you could move all the transactions from a closed account to a separate file, without hurting the main checking cleared transactions.

Edited July 22, 2008 by concerned

[prudent]

I have used Quicken since about 1999 (and have another three years' worth of transactions before that, which I imported from another program). It does exactly what I need. I don't care for the fact that they force upgrades every couple years, but I can live with that. I buy year-old but brand-new copies on ebay for about $10.

 

It requires some discipline if you want to get the full value of its reporting abilities - you can only get out of it what you put in. If you label much of your spending as "miscellaneous", it will track that, but you still won't know where your money went. I download all my credit card transactions, all my 401k contributions, all my checking account transactions automatically. I can see how much I've spent on any category with a couple mouse clicks even if the money was spent from different accounts.

 

With Quicken, it literally takes me under a minute to balance my bank statement - if it takes any longer, it's because I missed entering something.

 

I don't use the budgeting feature but it appears to be quite powerful.

[credit_help]

I use it. I used to use money earlier. But, I don't have many transactions to deal with so can't comment on how useful it is for others. I like some features but feel could be better.

[Kevin20]

Just curious how many Quicken users we have in here. If you use Quicken, what do you think about it? Are you happy with it? Do you prefer to use Microsoft Money or some other financial software besides Quicken?

 

 

I have Quicken and had great expectations but I've found it's essentially not much use to me. It's bank-account download feature worked with Wells Fargo, but when I switched to WaMu, doesn't work any more. Apparently Quicken changed to a new file format a couple years ago and broke compatibility with some banks -- and surprisingly it will not convert the old file type -- or some banks haven't upgraded, whatever.

 

In any case I wasn't much interested in the budgeting analysis, I know how I spend my money. I was hoping it would prove useful for investing, but it didn't really seem to have much to offer.

 

Seems to me Quicken just doesn't give you much that you can't do by yourself with your head and a pencil -- I was hoping packaged software would handle some analytical stuff that's too impractical to do on your own, but I don't think that's the case w/ Quicken. I dunno, maybe I'm missing something.

Edited July 22, 2008 by Kevin20

[Uncle Leo]

I use it, and love it, but I don't use it to it's full potential.

 

ETA: Forgot to say that the only part I don't like is that the files is greater than 10 MB now, and it takes a few minutes to backup to the USB drive. I wish they had something where you could move all the transactions from a closed account to a separate file, without hurting the main checking cleared transactions.

 

Yep. The ability to separate out old/closed accounts, and keep the file size down, would be a great addition.

 

 

I have used Quicken since about 1999 (and have another three years' worth of transactions before that, which I imported from another program). It does exactly what I need. I don't care for the fact that they force upgrades every couple years, but I can live with that. I buy year-old but brand-new copies on ebay for about $10.

 

I don't link to banks, etc., but I've never been "forced" to upgrade. I started with 1998 and didn't upgrade until 2006, which I am still using. They push upgrades heavily, but I don't feel compelled to buy them.

[Guest Bree82]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Quicken. It imports all my bank and cc info. It keeps track of my car note and student loans. I always know the balances to the penny on everything. I have a budget saved on it. I recommend it to everyone!

[romadant]

I use MS Money and have for many years. I LOVE it! I really LOVE it! I track every penny in there. I'm a little OCD about it, but it keeps me happy and I can always look back 3, 6 or even 12 plus months and watch my spending patterns on things like gas & groceries. I have my food separated into categories such as groceries, dining out, etc. so I can look back and see the difference from when I used to eat lunch out everyday at work vs. taking lunch from home now. The reports (spending, net worth, etc.) are great in Money.

 

I don't "link" to my accounts, but I do download transaction from my accounts and balance them that way.

 

I tried to switch to Quicken at one point but liked Money much better, but it could just be a familiarity thing. I think they're somewhat similar.

[Call Me Laura]

I have Quicken for the Mac and I find it useful. Some things aren't terribly intuitive, but I have managed to figure out what I want to do. I keep track of my mortgage, 401(k), savings, and checking. I used to do checking in an Excel spreadsheet, but I do like the ability to download automatically. However, I can't upload payments to my CU, so I still end up having to log in to their system, too.

 

I don't use it to its full potential, but it definitely works for what I want.

[prudent]

I have used Quicken since about 1999 (and have another three years' worth of transactions before that, which I imported from another program). It does exactly what I need. I don't care for the fact that they force upgrades every couple years, but I can live with that. I buy year-old but brand-new copies on ebay for about $10.

 

I don't link to banks, etc., but I've never been "forced" to upgrade. I started with 1998 and didn't upgrade until 2006, which I am still using. They push upgrades heavily, but I don't feel compelled to buy them.

 

As you have seen, as long as you don't use Quicken to download transactions, you don't have to upgrade. That's what they use to "force" the upgrades - make sure that you can't download transactions after a certain period of time. But you can always keep using the same version if you don't need downloads.

[Seabee]

I started using it about 7 years ago, went through a crash with no backup, and started a new file 4 years ago. I love every minute I spend in it. Instead of scheduling and using the forecaster, I just go ahead and enter all transactions for a 12-month period, including fluff like $500 each week for gas, groceries, dining out & entertainment. That way I don't overspend and I make sure everything will be paid out. Plus it also helps when you see that a transaction is due, but you never received the statement, especially for yearly accounts like pest control or the paper.

 

Also, another fun part is that you can breakdown your paycheck into categories (income, overtime, social security, taxes, etc) so you can check against your W-2's at the begining of the year, and check your donations, paid interest, etc in a flash.

 

ETA: Forgot to say that the only part I don't like is that the files is greater than 10 MB now, and it takes a few minutes to backup to the USB drive. I wish they had something where you could move all the transactions from a closed account to a separate file, without hurting the main checking cleared transactions.

 

Quicken has a nice feature which can split your data file. It's under File->File Operations->Year End Copy. It will make a backup copy of your data file and you'll have the option to purge old transactions from your current file. If you ever need the old data, you just have to open up the backup.

[concerned]

Quicken has a nice feature which can split your data file. It's under File->File Operations->Year End Copy. It will make a backup copy of your data file and you'll have the option to purge old transactions from your current file. If you ever need the old data, you just have to open up the backup.

 

Awsome! I will have to try that when I get home. Thanks

[drew3918]

Have used both Money and Quicken, I like Quicken better I use the Home & business must say it has helped greatly with the book keeping and record keeping paperwork...

[VibrantEcho]

I just bought the very very very most basic version of Quicken a few weeks back. It's little more than an electronic checkbook register, but that's really all I need.

 

I've used MS Money as well, and liked it for the most part, but I wiped out hours' worth of account setup work with one wrong click one to many times, and finally said the hell with it.

[polarbear]

Quicken also has a online backup 100 meg for 9.99 a year. Then you have a offsite backup. If you use quicken to its potential you can track how you spend every penny , and how your investments are doing.

[dl9346]

I use Quicken and like it. I have a hard time using MicroSoft products they make me ill

[concerned]

Quicken has a nice feature which can split your data file. It's under File->File Operations->Year End Copy. It will make a backup copy of your data file and you'll have the option to purge old transactions from your current file. If you ever need the old data, you just have to open up the backup.

 

Awsome! I will have to try that when I get home. Thanks

 

I tried it, but it didn't work well. It took all my images that where attached (checks, receipts, warranties, etc) away from each transaction. I'm glad I had my backup.

[olliecat]

Another option is Quicken Online. It's not loaded with features, but it has the ability to add upcoming transactions, which is what I really needed. Used to be if I had the money in my account I thought it was available to spend. But since most of my bills come at the end of the month, that's not really the case. So now I can project out my balances for as long as I'm willing to input transactions.

[start2]

Quicken has a nice feature which can split your data file. It's under File->File Operations->Year End Copy. It will make a backup copy of your data file and you'll have the option to purge old transactions from your current file. If you ever need the old data, you just have to open up the backup.

 

Awsome! I will have to try that when I get home. Thanks

 

I tried it, but it didn't work well. It took all my images that where attached (checks, receipts, warranties, etc) away from each transaction. I'm glad I had my backup.

 

I know what you mean. The attachments are very important to me and a backup without attachments is not the backup I am looking for.

[Seabee]

Quicken has a nice feature which can split your data file. It's under File->File Operations->Year End Copy. It will make a backup copy of your data file and you'll have the option to purge old transactions from your current file. If you ever need the old data, you just have to open up the backup.

 

Awsome! I will have to try that when I get home. Thanks

 

I tried it, but it didn't work well. It took all my images that where attached (checks, receipts, warranties, etc) away from each transaction. I'm glad I had my backup.

 

I know what you mean. The attachments are very important to me and a backup without attachments is not the backup I am looking for.

 

Did it strip the attachments from the backup or just from the working file? I could see removing them from the working file in order to reduce that file size. How often do you really need to access those images?

[concerned]

Quicken has a nice feature which can split your data file. It's under File->File Operations->Year End Copy. It will make a backup copy of your data file and you'll have the option to purge old transactions from your current file. If you ever need the old data, you just have to open up the backup.

 

Awsome! I will have to try that when I get home. Thanks

 

I tried it, but it didn't work well. It took all my images that where attached (checks, receipts, warranties, etc) away from each transaction. I'm glad I had my backup.

 

I know what you mean. The attachments are very important to me and a backup without attachments is not the backup I am looking for.

 

Did it strip the attachments from the backup or just from the working file? I could see removing them from the working file in order to reduce that file size. How often do you really need to access those images?

 

From both files. About accesing, I have all the images of the checks and receipts under My Documents. The checks are saved by number, so that is not a big deal, I can access them directly. As for the receipts and contracts, I rarely looked them up, but that was supposed to be one of the new improvements. I would like to keep access to them for a few years at least, in case my paper copies somehow get damaged. They have been archived in serial sequence, so its easier to know what it is through Quicken.

[wolf8278]

I've been using Quicken for many years now. I'm obsessive about keeping track of expenses so I enter them myself as they transpire and then go back and mark each one cleared once they hit the appropriate account. I have been playing with the idea of setting up some new items in Excel because I don't really care much for some of the Quicken options when it comes to reporting.