Reviews (18)

The best in Class, but not perfect
In comparison to the competition, MS Money 2004 is really a superior product. I had been a Quicken user for years, and the change was easy and refreshing. I am not a financial mogul, nor am I an extremely diversified individual, but the features in Money go far beyond my needs. I'll be perfectly honest, I bought the program to have an updated checkbook register, and I have come to find the other features almost as useful.

I'll summarize my favorite items:
1. The budgeting feature that allows you to customize and categorize your weekly, monthly and annual expenditures. This is really a handy feature for trying to stay within a budget, and the program clearly ties the outcome of the budget to savings goals.

2. The reporting features. At first, the sheer volume of report types that you can generate is a bit intimidating, but after a few times of working through what was available, it became clear the select few that I liked. Another handy feature is the fact that Money will save the settings of each report independently. I find that the best report is the monthly report, as it tracks your top expenditure categories, how you are doing on your savings, and how your net worth and investments are changing over time. Really a pretty useful thing to look at once a month.

3. The debt reduction feature. If you have a lot of loan, credit card or mortgage debt, this feature will be a great tool. You can select debt accounts that you want included in the calculation, tell Money how much you want to spend each month, and it will calculate the most effective way to make monthly payments for each of the loans to get you out of debt ASAP. Really a nice feature, and the best part is that you can run several scenarios very easily so that you will get a quick feeling for how much money you will save in the long run if you pay 500 a month vs. 250.

4. The feature that ties it all together for me is the monthly bill pay feature. While it is possible to use Money to get your account balances and pay your bills on-line (if your bank will let you), this feature will simply let you create a list of all of your monthly bills, paydays, and other recurring expenses/credits. Then, you can see what bills to pay in between what paychecks, and maximize the use of your money for a given period of time. Of course, the debt reduction feature is integrated into the bill summary, and the bill summary outputs to the monthly budget! Really a nicely done and tidy little package.

Before software like this existed, I used to do all of the same tasks, but keep them all on a MS Excel spreadsheet, which required a lot of extra work on my part, and really didn't look as good at the end of the month. Suffice it to say that MS Money 2004 really gives you more data, and more options, than you will want, but doesn't clutter up the program by making you wade through them. The interface and data entry methods are all very clear and straightforward.

That being said, often times people have a certain way that they like to do their finances. You may like to transfer money between accounts, or you may have odd types of accounts. In some cases, the program doesn't easily recognize what you are doing. For instance, I would make weekly savings deposits, but the program kept telling me that I should start making savings deposits or else I wouldn't meet my savings goals! I tried everything but eventually just learned to live with it (and then for some reason it started working). I think that the documentation for the program (all in the form of a help file) is good, but misses a lot in how to completely customize the program to capture the nuances of your financial plan. Despite that, I wholeheartedly recommend this program to both the financial fanatic and the average person with a checking account.

What a deal!
2004 Standard Moneys for under 20 bucks! booya!

-Gnome

The worst software I ever saw...
Microsoft Money has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience...

Please tell Microsoft about this problem...

I just received the product this afternoon. I install it and even restart my PC many times. It still cannot ever start... Really disappointed. DO NO BUY THIS PRODUCT!

M$ Sucks
I just bought this product. After installation, I can not even start it. It really sucks.

A good tool with flaws
I find this software is a good tool to help me track spending and investments, though it does have some annoying flaws. The first is the forecasting that it does on accounts is worthless, it takes an asset account that receives a nominal increase monthly and projects a two month increase far in excess of what the historical trends, and common sense, would suggest. It does this as well with credit accounts, for instance I had a credit account with $700 with a 6 month no interest period, over a 5 month period, with monthy payments and no interest, it was paid down to $35, the forecast tool took this information and predicted in two months the account would be at - $5,000. Other annoying things, the prompt on the home page that I should enter the monthly interest on my AMEX card, the advertisements and notices that my money would do better in accounts held by advertisers, the difficulty enterering the actual price paid on fractional share purchases, and the difficulty in handling the mortgage payment transactions when part of the monthly payment goes to a escrow account to pay taxes and home insurance.

That said, the product is a good tool for househiold budgeting and financial record keeping. ... Read more

Features

• Powerful accounting management tools to help you run your business
• Email financial and management reports, invoices, quotes, and orders
• Send reports to Microsoft Excel; create ready-made letters with links to Word
• Track your profit and loss and other financials with a click of the mouse
• Accept credit cards and offer your employees direct deposit

Reviews (3)

Quickbooks Converters be cognizant...
I ordered this product knowing that it had a freely available Quickbooks converter. The Quickbooks converter, while simple, did not do what I had hoped:

1) For any bank accounts, it carried over the balance accurately but it did not carry the register.
2) Transactions carry over as "historical transactions." You will not be able to see the specific details of these transactions (apart from the balance) in MYOB.
3) Along with that, if you run a statement on any preconversion purchases, all it will say is "Preconversion Sale" which is confusing to a customer who has no idea you "converted." I have not found a way to edit this.
4) It didn't pull my customer data well. The data is all there but it put the customer name in the address field as well as the name field so my invoices come out with the name twice and then the address.
5) Also know that you have to pick a conversion date and it must be the first of a month. It will not accept any transactions dated prior to that conversion date.

The software in and of itself is decent. I have some minor issues with the fact that I can't use my scrolling mouse and that the form customization interface doesn't have tool tips but otherwise the interface is not too difficult to navigate and I haven't come across any major problems that weren't directly related to the conversion.

Not good for a beginner
Although it has many features useful for a small business, it is very difficult to work with. There is better accounting software, so please look around.

Nice Piece of Software
I've been pleasantly surprised by MYOB after being referred to it by a friend. I had never heard of it prior. It was simple set-up and it does everything I'd ever need (actually a lot more). ... Read more

Reviews (24)

Perfect for home based consulting business
I have a simple home-based consulting business with 2 employees and a small number of customers. Quicken Home & Business is the perfect accounting system for me. I was a financial officer for several companies and have used several high end systems. This is the easiest and most efficient accounting system ever made - an excellent product. If it covers your needs, you should consider yourself lucky.

Here are some highlights and pointers:

1. Data entry is extremely fast. As soon as you start typing, Quicken guesses what you are going to enter and fills it in for you. Check book entries are effortless. This is the most important feature of any accounting system because sole proprietors should not waste time with data entry.
2. Credit card transactions are automatic. Get yourself a separate credit card for business transactions and download directly into Quicken. I have used 4 different cards and the best integration is the with Quicken Master Card. It also earns you about 1% in airline awards or gift certificates. Just click on "one step update" and you have all new transactions ready to review.
3. Bank reconciliation is completely done for you. You never need to go through a bank statement again, matching up transactions. Quicken "one step update" downloads new transactions and finds the corresponding entry in your check register. You just confirm or add if it is a new transaction. When the monthly statement comes, you enter the ending balance and Quicken figures out which transactions cleared. You rarely need to even look at the bank statement.
4. Reporting is simple. Just choose from dozens of pre-designed reports and make small adjustments if needed. You can also export any report to modify it in Excel or Word if you prefer.
5. Invoicing is simple and quick. Just create descriptions for each service you offer and invoicing is a snap. Quicken tracks which invoices have been printed and tracks receivables effortlessly.
6. Tax reporting is easy. You can instantly produce a Schedule C and if you also purchase TurboTax (which I highly recommend), you can import data directly into your tax forms.
7. Manage cash between multiple bank accounts. If you choose a bank that is supported by Quicken, you can easily move funds between checking and savings.

A few pointers for using the product.
1. Don't confuse this product with other Quicken products such as Quicken Deluxe or Quicken Premier.
2. Intuit also produces QuickBooks, which is not a product I recommend. If you need the power of QuickBooks, there are other applications available that may be better.
3. Don't combine your personal and business financial data in one file. Quicken recommends you do this but you definitely should not. Instead, set up your personal Quicken file first. Then from the main menu, select File/New/New Quicken File. It is very easy to switch between your personal file and your business file and you will not have any problems with reports, tax forms etc. if you keep them totally separate. You do not need to purchase additional software licenses to have multiple files. I have 3 businesses and one personal file on my copy of Quicken Home & Business.
4. Create a liability account called "owners draw". Quicken does not explain this well, but this will become your owners equity account on your balance sheet. When you draw funds from the business (unless you do it through payroll), you assign the check or transfer to "owners draw" and this will accumulate on your balance sheet to show the true net worth or your business.

I wish that I read the reviews first
I tried to install this program a couple of days ago and was prompted to uninstall the previous version (Quicken 2002 Deluxe). I chose to do so. At the end of the installation process, I got the error message "Your program files may have been damaged. You will need to reinstall Quicken." I uninstalled using Add/Remove Programs and reinstalled with exactly the same result.

At that stage, having looked in vain for help on the Intuit site -- the solution to this error message did not work for me -- I went elsewhere and found dozens of negative reviews. Intuit seem to have hit rock bottom with this product.

So I decided to go back to using Quicken 2002, but of course it had been uninstalled and I can't find my original CD. So I chose to use the Windows XP System Restore function to roll back the clock. But although Quicken 2002 reappeared, my Quicken file no longer seems to work properly. The screen freezes and flashes when I switch from one account to another.

I called Intuit this morning and described my scenario. They offered to replace my Quicken 2002 at a total cost of $20 plus. It would take them two days to get it out of the warehouse and a further 7-10 days for shipping. Shouldn't they provide a free downgrade when their buggy software doesn't work?

I have been very impressed with this software.
This is first time I have used Quicken, and I am impressed with the sophistication of the software. It is very cool. Balancing my check book is easier then I thought, as well as, updating my investment portfilio. I did have to upgrade to a preffered online bank account to get automatic updates though. That cost about $3/month, but worth it. For my bank, online bill pay is another $3 more for 10 bills per month. Some investment accounts will not download to your quicken but the quotes will. Also, you definetly need to read Quicken 2004 for Dummies. It can take about 20 some hours to learn the majority of the programs with the book. I wouldn't even try without it. Once you learn it, if you have the time, it is worth it. At least so far for me. I just put in about 20 plus hours with it so far, and I haven't done too much on the business side, such as payroll. Good luck.

Intuit Stumbles on Quicken 2004
A major player in the personal finance software arena for years, Intuit and Quicken has helped thousands keep track of their personal finances. I have been a Quicken user since the early days (Quicken 1 and 2), have upgraded to new releases over the years and have always been very satisfied with the Quicken product.

Quicken 2004 Premier changed all that.

The release of Quicken 2004 was advertised as allowing you to get instant answers to questions like "Are my investments outperforming the market?" and "What is my return for the past 1,3 and 5 years?" Unfortunately, after upgrading from Quicken 2003 to Quicken 2004 Premier, the question I was asking most was "What happened to my data?"

Quicken 2004 has corrupted my personal finance information on four separate occasions (I know, "fool me once shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me" ... I don't want to even think about "fool me four times...").

My financial books include four checking accounts, several credit card accounts, some loans, several investment accounts, and a smattering of other accounts. No account type is immune to corruption.

In my checking accounts, one major problem is that Quicken 2004 insists on making up numbers (really, really, BIG numbers, like as big as your computer can handle), creating transactions with random dates to go along with the made-up numbers, and then inserting these transactions in the register. At one time my calculated net worth was too large to display (I wish ...); another time I owed more than the United States GDP. On another occasion Quicken 2004 erased all of the transactions from one checking account, strangely keeping a balance that looked to be about right. In another account, I have been overdrawn once due to a Quicken 2004 error.

In the investment accounts Quicken 2004 decided to change the ticker symbols of some stocks in the investment accounts to unknown symbols on more than one occasion. It's not clear when this happened; it may have been during the updating process when prices are downloaded into Quicken. This caused trouble not only in evaluating the portfolio, but the reconciliations of the accounts were very challenging, because I was never sure if the difference was due to my error, or if Quicken had changed a symbol in one of the dividend re-investment transactions (which it did on two occasions).

A few of the shortcut keys that Quicken power users have grown accustomed to, no longer work in Quicken 2004 (hitting the space bar to select a check during reconciliation, for example). These are known errors and "will be fixed in the next release". At least that's what I was told when I discovered the issue in Release 1. It has not been fixed as of Release 5.

I was given the above information on one of my several attempts to get help by calling customer service. I was helped by "Jennifer", although I suspect her name was really Neeraja, or Srividya or something similar. Customer service appears to consist of very bored people, who are very far away, reading answers in OK English off of scripts to solve problems you did not call with. I was told once to reload Windows (I did not). Most of the time, I was told to run the File/File Operation/Validate option within Quicken 2004 (I did several times). I don't remember ever having to run that option on earlier versions of Quicken; I'm not sure it even was an option with Quicken 2003. On another occasion, I was questioned quite closely about the type of printer I had. Apparently, printers have become notorious corruptors of data in Quicken 2004. So, who knew? (I'm joking -- they're not). In no case, did the call to customer support solve my immediate problem.

Sending in questions via email was better in the sense that I did not receive any wrong or useless information. In fact, I received no information at all. All emails went unanswered. Bug reports are never acknowledged, but they never have been.

Running Quicken 2004 requires some serious horsepower. Intuit will tell you Quicken 2004 can run on a Pentium 200 or higher machine with 32 MB RAM and 75MB hard drive space. I originally installed Quicken 2004 on a spare Pentium 233 MHZ machine with 100MB hard drive. Big mistake. When I fired up the software, the lights in the house didn't exactly dim, but I bet they wanted to. Quicken 2004 is unbearably slow on machines below the recommended 300MHZ limit, and I wouldn't put it on anything less than 700Mhz. Quicken 2004 seems to be doing a lot of disk I/O and window rendering and all of that thrashing around costs performance points. My copy of Quicken is now installed on a Dell Dimension 4600, 2.79GHz, 512RAM, 111GB free hard drive, Windows XP Professional. As you might expect, speed is no problem.

On the plus side, Quicken has done a nice job with the charts and reports. So, even if the numbers are wrong, they look marvelous. The screen gets real busy, though, what with the Menu Bar, the icon bar, the Quicken Home side window, the main register window, the transaction window and the maddening Inuit advertisements ('Try Turbo Tax - the #1 tax solution year after year") at the bottom, all showing up at once. Intuit will tell you that Quicken 2004 works with a Super VGA (800 x 600). It will, but the recommended 1024 x 768 with 16 bit color monitors will make your life more pleasant. Again, the numbers might be wrong, but at least you'll have a shot at seeing them.

So, what's a body to do? Well, I'm digging through my files looking for my copy of Quicken 2003. I'll revert back to that. It worked fine, no funny stuff, had almost all of the features of Quicken 2004 and it was stable. In the meantime, I'll keep watching Intuit to see if they fix the new version, and begin to understand what customer service is all about.

Works fine for me
With all the complaints, I was a bit reluctant to purchase the 2004 version of Quicken. However, since I was still on 2001, I decided to bite the bullet. While the interface is disappointing and there really isn't anything new or improved, the product works well. Next time I purchase an upgrade, though, I probably won't need the business portion and, seen as how Intuit never really adds any features of importance, I'll settle for Quicken basic. There's really no point is paying for stuff you can get elsewhere for free - like investment analysis. ... Read more

Features

• Tax preparation software with step-by-step guidance and free electronic filing
• Imports data from Quicken, QuickBooks, and Microsoft Money software
• Puts answers on IRS-approved forms; double checks return for accuracy
• Includes latest tax law changes; download and import W-2 and 1099 forms online
• Assists calculating optimum withholding situation for personal needs

Reviews (4)

Accounting background recommended
I don't want to rate the product as such (3 means neutral) but I would advise anyone thinking of using Peachtree to either have an understanding of accounting or an accountant nearby. It is a very good program but it does demand some accounting kowledge or technical skill.

Very complex for Small Business
This software could be good if you are an experienced accountant. However I think it is very complex and hard to work with if you want it to be simple and fun to work with. Good luck in your selection.

Would not buy again
I got this product (Accounting 2004) to run my small business. I would not recommend this product to anyone.

I tried running the included tutorial to learn to navigate around this product, but the tutorial was meaningless to someone who is new to accounting principles - the tutorial is simply a imaginary company with imaginary data. It just shows you in which "bin" each of the imaginary data goes, but doesn't help you to correlate your information to the imaginary data and then into the "bins."

This is particular true for me since the tutorial provides for a typical products based company (i.e. lots of invoices from vendors and some invoices from your company), while my business is a service business - much like the audience for this Peachtree product. I couldn't fully service business information on top of their product based company tutorial.

The final straw that made me junk this product before fully implementing it is that this product does not (or at least I cannot find) understand setting up multiple checking accounts and/or setting up a trust account.

In my line of work I handle trust money and must account for each client's trust money in a pooled trust account. I don't believe this product gives me that ability and upon a call to Peachtree customer service, they would not answer this basic question without requiring me to pay for a service plan. The help file and online help community was likewise unhelpful. Yes, they offer 30 days of free customer service, but my issue cropped up after the 30 days time period.

In short I am out a bunch of money for a product that I will uninstall. I don't even think I can sell it at a substantial discount legally. I would recommend Quickbooks instead of this thing.

Too Much
This product is too complex for a small or home-based business. Try Peachtree First Accounting for something that won't take up all your time.

Also, beware if you use a high-end version of Windows - they claim "Product will not operate in a Windows Terminal Server Environment using Windows Terminal Services". Well, ignore the "using" part of their statement. It won't work if terminal services simply _exists_ on your machine, whether you're currently using it or not! I guess they are concerned with piracy, but this is over the top, and I doubt even applicable to this product considering its intended audience and use. It's not like everyone in a small business is going to be running this software via terminal services to access a single installed PC. The business owner is just going to run it as needed. In any event, this would not be an issue had one of their developers spent 5 minutes extra and put the _proper_ check in - don't check for the existence of terminal services, but rather check to see if the user is logged into the console, and if so, let it run, else don't. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Discipline made easy
I got Quicken and I thought it would be horrendous trying to keep up with all the data entry. I thought, boy would it be easier if I could sync with my palm pilot (which goes with me everywhere, to every store, and to every cash register). When I looked, sure enough, some genius had thought of the same thing before I did. The software incorporates a similar format to the PC version, so entries require as few stylus strokes as possible.

I am a dentist, and there is a principle in dentistry that applies here: the easier something is to use, the more it will get used and the more effective it will be. This software makes Quicken practical because you can enter it at the point of sale and be DONE with it. No harboring receipts, no pile ups of entries to be made. All you gotta do is make it a point to enter it at the cashier, and that can usually be done while the receipt is being printed out.

If you are checking this out, you already know you could use it. I'm here to tell you that it will pay for itself, so take the plunge. Don't let your finances go out of whack because you aren't using your Quicken. ... Read more

Features

• Tax software guides users through IRS returns
• Interview-based wizard system
• Up-to-date with latest federal tax law
• Checks math and audit flags
• Very simple to use

Reviews (34)

hopelessly annoying,needlessly confusing,potentially expensi
I've never used tax software before. While it has some advantages, there are sufficient traps,confusions and incompletions to make this a potentially hazardous undertaking. Little things like being very obtuse about including your estimated tax in total taxes. Big things like not having the rules for underpayment penalty of taxes in the software. Come on guys, it's not that hard they're in IRS Pub 17. Dumb things like trying to assess a premature IRA withdrawl penalty for a 1099-R pertaining to a matured life insurance policy. Then there's the mess with Sched K-1. None of these are ready yet, try downloading. 5 hours later, it gets all the way through and crashes. In some ways it was better than manual. At least it would have been if I could control it and or complete it. I guess I'll just use this as a set of crib notes for manual prep. Oh well

Updates a pain, but TurboTax did its job
I didn't have a problem using TurboTax last year (even with the software activation) so I used it again this year. The software with its interview format worked for me, was able to save my return as pdf and e-file without a hassle. The only real pain was getting the updates. I had to go to Intuit's website to look for info and play around with my broadband connection to get the updates to download.

My return has gotten easier over the past few years but with the update annoyance, I may just buy TaxCut next year. I don't import last year's stuff so Intuit - give me a reason to get TurboTax 2004.

Worth it if you're going to itemize...otherwise forget it
Okay, the download process was a nightmare as described by my earlier review. However, three hours later I have a very comprehensive itemized return, which would have been way too complex to do on my own without the guidance of the filing questions. The good news is that I had done my taxes by hand last night and came up with a large amount owed, and after using the deductions calculator in TurboTax ended up with a refund instead. So it more than paid for itself.
My major complaint is that there appears to be no way to review the content of your return until the very last "print and submit" step, and I wanted to check the numbers prior to actually submitting it.

Frustrating download errors!
After 20 or 30 attempts to run the V-box installer program after dowloading it from the Amazon digital library, I was just about to request a refund when my boyfriend starting doing some troubleshooting research for me. Here's what he figured out:
Once you download the installer and try to run it, if you keep getting the error: "3001 Encountered unexpected error when trying to locate product...etc.", there is a browser setting you need to change. (This applies to IE 6.0+, Windows 2000 and XP at a minimum, since I attempted the install on 2 different machines).
Go to Tools-->Internet Options in your browser menu, then to the Connections tab and the LAN Settings button. Uncheck the "Automatically Detect Settings" box if it is checked and try running the installer again. Worked for me. Just be sure to recheck the box and close your browser afterwards.
Seeing as how frustrating just OBTAINING the software was, I'm really skeptical about using it, especially after reading all the other reviews...

The Last Time I Will Use Turbo Tax
When it imported my information from 2002 it also picked up internet connection data that is no longer valid. Since then I have gone to broadband with a new ISP. It simply refuses to recognize my new connection information. When I tried to update the program by going to their support site through my browser, I simply could not get on despite repeated attempts. I guess everyone is trying to get support for this buggy software. As a result, I can't print out some of my forms because it tells me I must update first. Now it is totally useless. BEWARE ... Read more

Features

• Easy-to-use contact and customer-manager software
• Access, organize, and manage contact details
• Stay on top of schedule 24/7; share customer info securely
• Enhanced group scheduling; link to Palm OS and Pocket PC handhelds
• Includes Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Standard Edition

Features

• Manage your finances more efficiently -Schedule your bill payments, collect recurring payments or service fees, or create a check draft for immediate deposit
• Track all accounts, check payments and receipts online from one location
• Import records from financial software or print filled out checks directly through QuickPass
• Send checks by email, or create new drafts by phone and fax
• Draw from 300 hand-crafted images to add to your checks, with Check Designer PRO

Features

• Create Invoices & Estimates
• Generate Purchase Orders
• Manage Receivables & Aging
• Automatic Tax Calculation
• Track Product Inventory

Reviews (6)

It works for me!
I actually bought this software before reading any reviews on it. I was shopping for Quick Books Pro, but was set aback by the price. When I saw Invoices & Estimates Pro it looked like a bargain. It does 80% of what Quick Books does, and it's 1/8th the price. Since all I need is the ability to store customer records and print invoices, it was perfect (although it does lots more than just that).

When I got it home and looked up some reviews I was disappointed at what people were saying. I wondered if I should just return it. But it said on the box there was a 30 day money-back guarantee, so I figured I'd give it a chance....

Turns out, it's great! I honestly don't know why the other reviewers have had difficulties with it. I'm running Win XP Pro and this software has never once failed or locked up my computer. I also find it more intuitive and easier to use than Quick Books.

What I like about this as opposed to QB (which I've used in the past) is that it is much easier to customize the design and layout of your templates. My invoices are far nicer looking now than they ever were with QB. I can also print aging reports and graphs in seconds.

Don't get me wrong, Quick Books is a great program and it does have many added features. But if all you need is basic invoicing, accounting, and reports, like me, and you'd rather spend $40 than $300, I would recommend Invoices & Estimates Pro.

I do not recommend for a non software "Guru"
This program is a night mare. I think the software person that wrote this program thinks all people know what he knows. This is definately not for the average person or business person trying to set up a invoice program. It simply is not easy and simple like the box says.
I have been at it for two days now and am going to have to hire a software engineer for big bucks to set it up or I may just TRY to return it.
The box is very very deceiving, it is far from simple.

Pure Junk!
This piece of software has the honor of being the ONLY thing that has ever locked up my Windows XP Pro system in over a year. Support is free for the long distance call but all they say is "well, it doesn't do it on my system." and that is that. No help or advise at all. I wish I could give this thing a -5 stars...

Completely locks up my system EVERY time I use it!
This software locks my system up everytime I use the program. I am a service based business as well and found this very difficult to muddle through to get the right columns and descriptions to show up. If you have basic needs, this may work for you.

An incredible bargain
Being a long time MyInvoices. I decided to give this software a trial. While not looking for a full-fledged accounting package, I was looking for something more sophisticated. It includes a lot of features not found in competing products like exporting (it does HTML, PDF, Excel and Word), e-mail support, data backup and advanced reporting.

Setup was very easy, and I found the software to be very intuitive and MUCH more easier to learn than my previous software.

I've had no problems with it so far and i'm using it on a Pentium II 400mhz with 64mb of RAM.

Just the included extras (500 letters, 8000 graphics and 300 fonts) are worth the price they're asking for the package. For me, it was an incredible bargain. ... Read more

Features

• Free e-file and free TaxCut State after mail-in rebate
• Access IRS publications and the H&R Block interactive video library
• New convenient paperless payment options for taxes due and e-filing fees
• New tax-saving tips on saver¿s credit, overlooked deductions, and more
• Updated Tax Law Assistants help get the most from tax breaks

Reviews (77)

Disappointment after TurboTax
After having to put up with all kinds of TurboTax registration B.S. last year I read the reviews of TaxCut purchasers who said it was a 4-star product with less hassles. This made me swear off ever using TurboTax again (couldn't use on more than one computer and I originally installed the software at work on a laptop that was leased etc. long story).

This year I made certain to buy TaxCut and avoid any registration hassles at all. What I received was a half-rate basic version of a tax program. This review wouldn't be that bad if I had purchased TaxCut Standard, but for the extra $20 I bought Deluxe. TaxCut Deluxe was a waste of money. No deduction help was included and the "extra features" were merely tax advice sections that mostly talked about preparing for next year.

As much as I hate to say it, I will be returning to TurboTax deluxe next year. It's ease of use, more intelligent screens and comprehensive deluxe version are all worth paying the extra $5 and dealing with the registration issues.

I recommend TaxAct for anyone who recently purchased this product. TaxAct is free and has 100% the functionality of this program.

Not as polished at Turbotax, but better value!
I have been a loyal Turbotax user for years and decided to tryout TaxCut this year. I was EXTREMELY unhappy after last year's fiasco where Intuit installed Spyware without users knowledge in order to cutdown on copyright infringement of their product. Unfortunately, they ticked off the loyal users like myself. I believe they have lost/will lose more sales based on that fiasco than they could've possibly saved by catching a few people trying to copyright infringe!

Anyway, I was impressed with TaxCut especially for the price. I paid about 40% less for TaxCut Deluxe & TaxCut State than I would have paid for Turbotax Deluxe & Turbotax State.

For the most part, the programs are very similar. TaxCut does the usual interview process just like Turbotax and it makes it very easy to work with. Where TaxCut needs a bit more polish is in the fine details. Missing was the ability to save your tax returns into Adobe Acrobat format. I love that feature in Turbotax and really missed it.

In addition, I had a little trouble with form 4767 because I claim deductions for a home office and sold my house/moved this year. It worked out after some reading of the help file and IRS.gov site, but it could've been more intuitive.

Other than those couple of items, I was very happy with the program(s). I ran my return through Turbotax's website (without purchasing or filing it) and the numbers came out the same so I am satisfied with the accuracy of the software as well. Overall I'm glad I switched to TaxCut this year. I doubt I'll look at Turbotax in the future.

TaxCut Deluxe and DeductionPro
I had none of the problems that several have complained about using TaxCut Deluxe 2003. I have used TurboTax before. I switched to TaxCut last year because of the many complaints TurboTax was getting about their registration program, spyware, etc. I had no problems completing my taxes, no duplications of W-2's, no problems getting updates. I found my experience with using this tax program not much different from TurboTax. I do have a problem with H&R Block though. TaxCut Deluxe offers a rebate for DeductionPro. The tax program will even take you to the H&R Block website to give you an opportunity to download the product to help with non-cash charity donations to calculate what should be claimed. The problem with downloading DeductionPro is that the rebate for the product is not honored if it is downloaded. It has to be purchased at a retail store to get the rebate. No where on the website, on the rebate coupon, or in the program does it state that the rebate is not good if the program is downloaded directly. It does indicate to send in the UPC code from the box of the product, but if I downloaded it directly from their website, they should have a record that it was purchased legally. They gave me some bogus excuse "that due to customer buying habits, we have elected not to honor rebates unless purchased from a retail store", or something to that effect. I think the product is good, but I don't like their business practices. I may well go back to TurboTax next year. I am giving the product two stars because of their business practices. Overall, I thought the way it handled my taxes was acceptable.

Tax Cut Doesn't Cut it
Tax Cut imported an 1099 DIV form that wasn't mine. It doubled my Schedule C income by including last year's 1099 MISC income when I ran Error Check (This generates errors rather than fixing them). The 2-year comparison sheet wasn't even close on last year's numbers. To get a useful return, I had to delete all previous depreciation expense and then enter it by hand. Depreciation shows up on the worksheets but not on my tax form. This product increases your taxes, makes all kinds of errors and doesn't explain anything so it hard to tell if something that doesn't look right is another Tax Cut goof or really should be there. Give yourself a break (tax and otherwise), don't buy this product.

buggy
I used TaxCut last year, and had no problems, though it was a bit more difficult to use than TurboTax. This year the interface is much slicker, but bugs prevented me from efiling.

I'd started doing my taxes a few weeks ago, and gave up when I got to the State section and was told to enter the information directly into the forms. Tomorrow is the deadline, though, so I went back, worked through the forms, and ran the error check - all was fine. Then when I went to efile I was told I couldn't because I hadn't entered information about investment income from a dependant. There was nothing in my return about dependants, so I don't know where that came from, and I can't turn it off.

There was also a problem with a 1099-MISC. It passes the initial check, but not the efile check. There isn't enough information to help me decide if there's a mistake in the return or whether the efile option just isn't available for me. If I "fix" the problem, I'm pretty sure I'm classifying the income in the wrong way. So now I'll just have to print everything out and go stand in line at the post office. ... Read more

Features

• Advanced, multi-user ready, accounting solution for accountants
• Effectively serve clients; review client entries via journal reports
• Create and modify files in any Peachtree 2005 format
• Easily handle company consolidation and file restoration from backups

Reviews (4)

As bad as it sounds
I wish that I had paid more attention to the critical reviews above. Instead, I thought a Mac product had to be good. Unfortunately, though it advertises great things, one can't even save changed versions of the forms it provides. There is no call in number for initial free tech support. The email advice their tech support people sent me failed to solve the problem. I am sorely disappointed and ready to return the product to Amazon, which sold it to me.

Oh what a dissapointment!
I purchased First edge last year right after I bought my new I Mac. Love my Mac hate this software program! I agree with the other reviewers, no tech support whatsoever! I had use Quickbboks on my old PC but never could figure this thing out so I returned it! I wonder how much business MYOB has lost due to the no tech support rule. They could use a crash course in customer service. Will never purchase any products from this company again unless they change their policies!
Marcus Allison

A Good Product that Could be Better, but POOR SUPPORT
This product is probably OK for its target market, but could stand some improvements. I use it almost every day for bookkeeping purposes for both my small businesses (web design and book publishing).

HOWEVER, I was infuriated that there was NO tech support for this program. Instead I was told I had to PURCHASE tech support, and this would have cost me half as much again as I had paid for the program.

MYOB should charge a higher price for the product, instead of deceiving people into buying something that definitely needs tech support--at least for the first couple of weeks--and then trying to force them to pay extra for support.

I didn't pay for the support, and have made it thus far (about six months). I am planning to upgrade to either QuickBooks or MYOB AccountEdge at the end of this year.

Mixed Reviews
I was excited to install First Edge on my MAC and get busy setting up the accounting for my small graphic design business. The install went without a hitch. MYOB includes a lot of information about accounting in the box and after reading it all, I think I finally understand what double-entry bookkeeping is all about. Definately a plus.

The program provides most everything you need for a small business if you can figure out the somewhat weird interface you are presented with. Could stand improvement.

The biggest drawback to this product is the complete lack of tech support that ships with it. You get NO!!! support without paying [money]. I could not get it to link with my mail program to send email invoices and when I called, I was told I would have to spend [money] to sign up for 90 days of tech support. That [essentially raises] the cost of the program.

I am sorry I bought it. I have never purchased a piece of software where the manufacturer provided no help initially. ... Read more

Features

• Save calculations for later review; print calculations for your own or your client's files.
• Carry a single computer for all your needs without losing your calculator's functionality.
• Calculate the way you prefer: RPN, order and chain input modes; quick access to routine functions.
• Templates appear like mini-spreadsheets, making it easy to verify your information, show clients, and work with colleagues.
• Add on or create your own templates to match the way you work.

Amazon.com Product Description

Manage both your home and business finances in one place. Quicken 2001 Home and Business includes the complete Quicken Deluxe for your personal finances, plus tools for your business. Quicken Home and Business will also track accounts payable and receivable, create estimates and invoices, track jobs, and more.

Quicken 2001 Deluxe helps you better manage the seven key areas of your finances: banking, investing, taxes, planning, spending and saving, loans, and insurance. It’s packed with powerful features and enhancements across the seven areas to help you see the complete picture of your finances.

Easier Smart Reconcile helps you find and fix common mistakes. More powerful portfolio analysis tools give you greater insight into how your investments are really doing. And better ways to track and optimize your 401(k) help insure you’re on the right path to retirement.

Write checks, print checks, or even send payments online. Schedule payments and receive proactive reminders for when they’re due. Bank online conveniently, downloading your data from the Web. Access your account balances, transfer funds, and pay bills. Quicken works with over 1,200 banks, credit card, and brokerage companies.

See where it all goes with reports and graphs--get quick and easy answers to questions about your spending, budget, net worth, and more, and then create a budget you can realistically follow. Track your investments and then compare them, downloading prices on stocks and mutual funds right from the Web.

Additional tools for your business:
• Prepare estimates (new): Prepare an estimate or bid for clients without altering your financials. Easily convert it to an invoice when you’re ready, or save it as a template for future bids.
• Create customizable invoices (improved): Create and print professional invoices with your logo or on your letterhead. Even e-mail them as HTML files.
• Track jobs (new): Track more than one project for each customer. Create a job list with all the estimates, invoices, and customer payments for each project.
• Know where your business stands at a glance: Create business reports and customer statements, including cash flow forecasts, unpaid invoices, and payment reminders.
• Simplify taxes and payroll: Automatically track expenses and assign categories like Schedule C. Handle your payroll needs with an integrated payroll service, and even download updated tax tables and federal forms (paid subscription required).
• Manage accounts payable: Easily set up accounts payable on either a cash or accrual basis. Prepare reports, pay bills, even set up reminders to let you know when bills are due.
• Access integrated services easily: Access valuable services for your business. Print postage from within Quicken, or securely back up your Quicken data over the Internet.

  Note: Online features require Internet access and are subject to change. Additional fees may apply for online banking and bill payment. Services vary among financial institutions and are subject to their terms and conditions. $20 mail-in rebate for upgrade customers only. ... Read more

  Reviews (9)

  I threw it away and reinstalled my old version from 1994
  The title basically says it. I experienced major hiccups in this program, some that I couldn't fix (like trying to reconcile my statements but finding automatic enteries like my paycheck showed up in my register but not in the reconcile deposits list...that one can't be solved...) I didn't want to integrate everything.. i just wanted to keep accurate track of a few accounts. I REALLY dislike the ads that solicit me at the bottom of the screeen...."No I don't want to find out how to save more money on my mortgage by clicking there... I'll turn on my tv if i want commercials... and you want to charge me 70$ for the viewing rights?" save yourself the hassle and stress and stick with your old program... at least you know already how to handle it when it goes haywire. I even got a manual with the old 1994 program. Something I learned I'd have to purchase seperately for this new quicken 2001. I bought this to get me away from my computer. Having been a personal computer user since 1982 I am not impressed that this is what we've progressed to 20 years later. If however you love spending hours monkeying with poorly designed computer software you'll love this!

  buggy
  Lost my data a few times with this one. Since I know my way around a hard drive, I've been able to recover. Wouldn't buy this one but what choices do you have....MS Money. Same ballgame.

  Nice program, but...
  This is a wonderful program which performs MOST everything I require...BUT, there are (as is usual) occasional bugs or problems (like all software) and Customer Service at Intuit is probably one of the least responsive I have ever seen. Usually this isn't a problem (as I said, it's a very good program), but even a small bug in your accounting program can have severe consequences, and without a decent Customer Service Dept. you can end up with a financial disaster unless you pay close attention.

  Disappointed
  I have used quicen deluxe and Quick books products since 95 and have loved them. I made the horible mistake of upgrading to Home and Business. After a week I have not had any success integrating my online bank accounts or brokerage accounts. Intuit has cluttered the interface with pay for services that you do not need. This software seems to be driven from the marketing department and not the engineering department. I am dissatisfied.

  Unpleasantness
  1. The manual is a shill for spending more money on web services you don't need. It is among the most vague things I've ever tried to use.

  2. There are obvious glitches in the file management tools. This frightens me -- this is my livelihood, after all, and not some game. The IRS will not let me blame Quicken if I make a major mistake.

  3. Very disappointing, grinding experience on the learning curve. Extremely un-inutive, Intuit. ... Read more

Features

• An easy-to-use, complete accounting solution for small businesses
• Get up and running in minutes using wizards
• Over 100 industry-specific templates to choose from
• Handle payroll in-house; prepare invoices; write checks
• Track projects; manage inventory; build a Web store; and more

Reviews (3)

Back it goes!
I bought this software because it's cheaper than Quickbooks, and actually rated better (or so it says on the box). Although I hate several things about Quickbooks, I will be returning this and shelling out for it. The description you read here, and on the box, makes it sound like converting from Quickbooks is a breeze. Not so! I was under the impression that you would back up your QB info and then transfer it to SA. Nope...you actually "export" every little file from QB onto a disk, then "import" it to SA...and that just includes lists and your chart of accounts, that doesn't mean that it loads an up-to-date Accounts Receivable or Payroll ledger. That's all stuff you get to do by hand! Sorry, but I just don't have that kind of time, and to be honest with you, this software doesn't even seem worth it. Now, if I was just starting up a business and had never used a higher-end software like QB, or if I had a few weeks to do nothing but enter info from QB to SA, that would be one thing, but please! Consider this more of a low-budget accounting software...and remember, you get what you pay for!

Be Ware
After purchaing this software to change from Quickbooks, I learned the information in Quickbooks is not as easy to convert, and only converts names, etc. Also the customer service is also non-existant. After sitting on hold forever. I could get the software to work, kept giving me errors, keeping me in a continual look to keep entering information and than giving me an error. I sent the software back since I was unable to use and was unable to get the software update and tax update refunded. Be careful

Better than Quick Books
Beats Quick Books hands down at a much lower cost. ... Read more

Features

• Customer information system for small businesses
• 1-click access to customer data and project management tools
• Respond quickly and accurately to customer needs
• Integrates with QuickBooks and Microsoft Outlook
• Easy to set up, learn, and use; FAQs on every screen

Reviews (7)

It worked for us
We are using Customer Manager, to build out customer database. We all submit customer contacts names, titles, phone numbers, and e-mail address. We have not experienced any of the bugs the other have mentioned. One thing is Intuit provides automatic update to the software in the same fashion as it does for Quickbooks. Meaning, as corrections are made you get them uploaded.

I periodically take my copy of the database file, and update our Quickbooks file.

Like Quickbooks only 5 users can share one database "file". But Unlike Quicbooks, the database file called the "depot.file" is a community file which each user syncs and updates to in order to get the other community memember additions; one at a time.

You can also use Customer Manager to set-up To-do's and set assignments and for other users. It track of open and closed jobs, set deadlines, provide alerts etc.

You can customize the data your keep by adding fields to track customer by.

You can also group what you are managing, just not customers. You can group by customer, vendor, supplier, employee, etc.

For the price it worth exploring.

Just awful...
The feature which allows one to sync between different running versions of Customer Manager is cumbersome and full of bugs. The software uses a 'sync depot' to share information. Each copy of Customer Manager shares any changes it made with the 'sync depot.' Each other version then receives any changes from the sync depot and sends its own changes back to the sync depot. Each sync must be initated manually, and it is a bit slow. Customer contact information often get corrupted via this sync depot, usually resulting in Customer Manager crashing. According to Intuit Customer Service, they are still working out the bugs in the sync system, and a new release won't be out until next year.

Customer Manager also allows you to keep track of 'projects.' However, it would be nice if these projects were imported from Quickbooks' Jobs list. Instead, one is left with double the work of typing project information.

There are many other quirks with this particular software, but they are too many to list here.

The idea behind this software has a lot of potential (i.e. sharing information with Quicbooks). However, it seems more like a beta release, and the programmers at Intuit have a lot more work ahead of them. I would steer clear of this one for now.

Skip It
This product has great potential but nothing more.

It's basic to say the least and while the project management and notes-keeping capabilities are useful if you don't want something at the other end of the scale like Act! or Maximizer, it's probably going to serve your needs if you're running an even moderately busy business.

I bought Customer Manager because I found everything else I tried (see above) to be overkill and frankly cumbersome. Customer Manager seemed to be (from the product information on Intuit's site) exactly what I was looking for, a lightweight contacts database with the awesome bonus of synchronising with Quickbooks.

The reality is that the database leaves much to be desired as far as organising contacts and my version of Quickbooks Pro 2003 does NOT synchronise with it because it's the Canadian version. Intuit's Web Site still does not specify that only the US versions of Quickbooks are compatible and I have never even had the courtesy of a reply from Intuit about it, despite three very polite requests for an update.

LOL ...it doesn't do anything!
I have used ACT! and Qbooks for years. I needed an upgrade to ACT! but received very poor reviews for ACT! 6.0. Intuit always gives a quality product so I bought This Customer Manager.

The advertising makes it sound so powerful but I cannot find much to do with it. It is like Intuit sold a shell they were developing to recapture development costs.

Its kind of funny in a sick sort of way .. but I can't find much functionality in this product at all. It really doesn't do anything except list your customers and... nothing!

QuickBooks Customer Manager
The product is available with a coupon for $20 off from Office Depot, but they don't see since it says discontinued. Could that be because it is filled with problems that need to be worked out including that it didn't work past 12/31/20043??? Sounds like the old y2k problems except it isn't 2000 anymore! ... Read more