Features

• Choose from 40,000 legal documents; protect family and assets
• Create a legal will, living trust, financial power of attorney, and more
• Comprehensive and easy to use with step-by-step interviews
• Automatically reflects specific state laws; cuts legal fees
• Comprehensive onscreen legal manual; expert tech support available

Features

• Financial management system for businesses
• Import data from popular office software
• Easily manage accounts payable and receivable
• Customize reports, prices and more
• Automatically track information for taxes and reporting

Reviews (36)

The Good and the Bad
I have been using quickbooks since 1996. If you are a small business and do all of your accounting on one specific computer, then this is most likely the best of the lot. The alternative is to go to a much higher accounting software cost bracket.
I find many of its functions intuitive. The principal draw for upgrading (from version 2002) is the better invoice design facilities, which previously have been a bit archaic in their limitations.
Before critising too much, users must realize that this is a complex product, which has a lot of ins and outs, which is why no one else has created anything better yet. It takes experiece. The bad is the style that inuit has adopted for their uninvited advertising and sales gimicks.
Intuits greed factor is rampant, which does nothing to kinder customer loyalty. When the day comes when a software company has the skill to put together something better, which can also imports quickbook file formats and can effectively market it in a way that respects business professionals, their customer base will rapidly dwindle.
Being a professional software developer, i can only say that they need to clean up their code base. The program is slow to load, and does not look like it would handle a business that grosses over a million per year on moderate ticket size sales.
To bypass their email servers, simply print your invoices or receipts as pdf files, and email the pdf files.
Hopefully someone from intuit will read these reviews and do a rescue for their company. In the software business, you can never rest on your laurals, and in this case those laurals are withering.

My personal wish list: the ability to have transactions move across companies. For example if you set up your personal finances as one company, and your business as another, and you give your self a pay check, or move money from one business to the other, then it would be nice if an easy to use pop up box, could record the transaction for you in both companies.

Intuit does it again with a great accounting software packag
Other than a few accounting classes in college, I'm no accounting expert. Intuit has always helped me feel like a CPA and this new release makes it even easier.

This is great for a small business as both myself and my partner can look "at the books" at the same time and make changes without any problems.

The biggest thing I like about this new edition is the Loan Manager. I like seeing all the loan information in one place and doing a payment from the loan manager is quick and easy. I like how it instantly shows you how the loan payment effects the entire loan. This is a great addition to this version of Quickbooks.

With all of the business related travelling, the Vehicle Milage Tracker is also a great addition. And the Cash Flow Projector was a nice feature to play around with as well.... very nice!!

Also, one of my favorite improvements is how well it intereacts with Microsoft Office. The ability to turn an invoice into a .pdf and instantly mail it off has been a huge time saver. I read it also works great with importing and exporting to Excel. I haven't played with it, but it is nice to know that is there when I need it (I'm sure I will some day).

If you already have Quickbooks, you should most definately go with this product. If you are starting a business, I would suggest this product over any other small business accounting software.

QuickBooks Pro 2004 brings "slop-ware" to the forefront.
My company was "sunsetted" by Quickbooks so we had to upgrade. Pretty much everything went wrong. The install loaded spyware on our computer and overwrote many of our security settings. You have to have Internet Explorer set to "medium security" even if you don't use QB 2004 on the internet. Riddled with internal "adware" and "buy-me" where you think help menus might be. Don't use this version if you have a choice. Take a look at PeachTree.

The good news is that the very basic functions still work and that most of the useless and annoying "enchancements" can be turned off or gotten around.

send a big pile of money to intuit
i am sorry to say i have used quickbooks pro for 6 years
the interface is good, software is great, BUT the never ending
FOR A FEE gets overwhelming, i own a small business and did my own books with QB pro, enough was never enough, got a question, better have $70.00 in one of their approved bank accounts or just get in line again, and hope you can understand the person on the phone ,,,,, LOOK carefully before you bind yourself to any accounting software, intuit will bind you and never let loose.. until you buy your way out
tomh

Not perfect, but still better than keeping books by hand
Yes, this product has hidden costs like tech support, yearly tax tables, and upgrades, but it is still better than doing bookkeeping for a small business by hand.

Some of the other fees one doesn't think about are:

1. Printer checks, invoices (if you choose to use perforated forms or letterhead), and envelopes for both. No bank will supply QB checks for free...and they aren't cheap either.
2. To email your invoices you have to subscribe to "online billing" for a fee...However, I found that one can simply print the invoice, scan it and email it as an attachment.
3. To do direct deposit for payroll, one must subscribe to "payroll direct deposit" for a fee. (I haven't figured out a way around this one yet.)

Yes, there were some unpleasant tech support people--like there are everywhere, but I found the option of buying a year of tech support (appx. $350.00 ) to be very helpful for the first year I used this product. Support is available via phone, IM, and email. I found IM to be the best method. By the end of that year of support I was asking questions that stumped tech. support, or I was able to think of a better solution myself, so this product is not hard to figure out...but it does take some figuring out. And it is nice to have the cushion of support while you learn. (The manual is valueless-use the help button or better: buy "Quickbooks for Dummies".)

With all those costs, you can expect to drop about $1000.00 up front just to get this program up and running.

Hints:
DO NOT EVER load any balances in QB for payroll or customers. You should go back and do every single transaction individually and backdate it the original date of the invoice or payment or whatever. Run your old payrolls one pay period at a time-print them on blank paper with the old check number. You MUST use the payroll liabilities feature to pay all payroll taxes--you can adjust the amounts to match what you have already paid before using QB, otherwise your balances and calculations in QB will be messed up all year like mine were. Even if you have to load a YEAR'S worth of transactions, it is better to do them one item at a time rather than load balances. Start at or as close to your fiscal year as possible for conversion to QB.

DO buy tech support for six months or a year: it was well worth it, especially for 1099s and other headaches that one doesn't do everyday.

SURPRISE: 1099s will print for only ONE accounting code--I found that out the hard way. So for 1099s, USE ONE MASTER ACCOUNT, if you need several 1099 codes, list them as subaccounts of the master account. I.E.: 1099 Contractors, and have 1099 drafting, 1099 engineering, 1099 transporting as subaccounts.

You HAVE TO have internet access to use this product. Try to have a highspeed connection to the internet, it takes up to 30 minutes to d/l the updates and tax tables via 56K dialup.

DO NOT USE the "enter bills" and "pay bills" portion of the program. Just write the checks manually to vendors-that way you only have to do the work once.

Make no mistake, if you buy this or any other accounting program for that matter, you will cease to be a bookkeeper and become a baby sitter for a computer! ... Read more

Features

• Powerful tool for managing business and personal finances
• Create customizable estimates and invoices
• Generate business reports and graphs, including Schedule C
• Track accounts receivable and payable
• Includes all features in Quicken 2005 Premier

Features

• Save, invest, and track profits in minutes
• Download banking, credit card, and brokerage transactions
• Track spending; manage investments; prepare for tax time
• Track portfolio performance; read news stories related to holdings
• Track home inventory and value; convenient iCal calendar

Features

• Over 100 feature improvements on popular tools
• Connect instantly to bank, credit card sites, and 401(k) providers
• Manage finances by setting up automatic transactions
• Quickly and easily track investment holdings
• Plan for financial goals by viewing net worth over time

Features

• Powerful, easy-to-use tools for managing personal finances
• Track checking, savings, and credit-card transactions in one place
• Reconcile bank statements and balance checkbook in minutes
• Write and print checks or pay bills online
• Quickly and easily create a personalized budget

Features

• Write like a professional with Word 2002
• Get up and go with Streets & Trips 2005
• Edit and organize your photos with Picture It! Premium 10
• Explore the world with Encarta Encyclopedia Standard 2005
• Get those finances in order with Money Standard 2005

Features

• Personal finance software with award-winning Portfolio Manager
• Automatically consolidates online financial information
• Provides essential tools for planning financial future
• Integrated GainsKeeper for tax-smart investment choices
• Simplify taxes, maximize savings; achieve financial goals

Features

• Comprehensive finance solution for small companies
• Categorize income and expenses; handle billing effortlessly
• Get expert advice from current news and useful articles
• Keep up with taxable expenses automatically
• Free financial services, including 1 year online payroll from PayCycle

Features

• Easy-to-use personal finance software
• Automatically consolidates online financial information
• Works with bank Web site to access account info
• Create budgets; track expenses; pay bills online
• View the big picture or quickly drill down to details

Features

• Personal finance software with award-winning Portfolio Manager
• Automatically consolidates online financial information
• Essential tools for improving credit and organizing taxes
• Stay up-to-date on accounts and transactions
• Get help with credit and debt; simplify taxes

Features

• Optimize investments, monitor worth, and view complete financial picture
• Instantly connect to bank and credit card sites with a push of a button
• Easy-to-use investment area looks just like a broker statement
• Track investment holdings; intelligent and tax-smart investing insights
• View average annual return for entire portfolio and individual accounts

Reviews (14)

Do it Microsofts way or else!
I've been using MS Money products for about a year now after switching from Quicken. I was tempted by the lower costs and on-line freebies. While the product overall works ok, I believe that the reviewer that made this comment

>>>2. It's a typical Microsoft product. That means the software tries to outsmart you rather than letting you work the way you want to. <<<<

makes a very good point. This is very frustrating to me because we don't all think alike. I've always been able to set up Quicken exactly the way I wanted and it was always very intuitive. I've never felt that way with Money. Just this week I was trying to get Money to set up my budget the way I wanted it. Paychecks can be entered in several different ways. I told Money that I was paid every other week. After entering the bi-weekly amount it then proceeded to calculate a yearly total and then avereaged it over 12 months. This then is the budgeted income amount that shows up on budget reports. Being that there are some months with 3 pay periods instead of 2, this averaged amount is never what I am actually paid. It's just one of the frustrating little ways that Money trys to outsmart you. I'm going back to Quicken.

Not worth even trying
I've been using Quicken for years, but I like to check out alternatives. So, since there were many positive reviews, here and in the PC mags, I thought I'd give Money a try.

Forget it! Here's why:

1. A pain in the neck to set up.
2. It wouldn't import my Quicken data.
3. Couldn't review and modify what was being set up.
4. Documentation inadequate.

Need I go on? I'm not a novice, so if I had trouble, I expect that so will most others.

Quicken is far from perfect, but on the whole it has been solid, powerful, and fairly easy to use. The latest versions have annoying ads, but I find that easier to live with than the Money interface.

Serious flaw in reporting
I've been a Money user for many years. I love the design and find it easy to work with.

Imagine my horror, then, when doing my tax reports this year I discovered that Money failed to list all my tax expenses. I noticed this only because a major expense was missing from the report, so the error was glaring.

When I then went to check, I found Money failed to list around 20% of my expenses. If I had not discovered this error, I would have ended up paying $5000 more tax than necessary. I haven't checked past years' returns, yet, but if this flaw has existed in previous versions, then I've been overpaying my taxes for years thanks to Money.

I have checked and rechecked over a dozen times to ensure the error is not my own. It's not. The missing expenses are correctly categorize as tax expenses, they are in accounts which are included in my tax reports, and they are for the correct reporting period. Strangely, Money will report a similar expense and then skip the next, similarly categorized expense.

If you're going to use this product, treble check your reports at tax time.

If Only I Had a Chance to Use It
I got a copy of MS Money 2004 for Christmas as requested. I've used MS Money 98 for a long long time, and I figured it was time for an upgrade.

I installed the program, and installation went perfectly; no problems. However, as soon as I tried to launch the program I got an error message, and the program wouldn't even run. I tried a few things (I consider myself quite computer savvy), but none of my solutions worked. I still got the error message.

My only choice was to beg for the mercy of Microsoft. Since I wasn't about to pay for the expensive phone call to talk to a live person, I decided to use their online assistance. So far I've dealt with two different technical assistants, and neither one of them seem competent. The second individual is actually quite condescending. Hopefully I'll get a third helper that's nicer.

I'm still receiving "help" from Microsoft, but none of it is working. I've NEVER had any problems with ANY other software working on my PC, so I know it's MS Money 2004.

Until Microsoft can fix their faulty program, I rate MS Money 2004 1 star. The only reason I'm even giving that one star instead of none is because I really liked MS Money 98, and I figure it couldn't have gotten any worse (If it worked).

Microsoft Money isn't worth it!
I bought Microsoft Money Premium because of the reviews listed here, was a former Quicken user. Sorry, but I had nothing but problems with it. Couldn't get it to connect to my E*Trade account or my Fleet bank account, only Fidelity. Their solution was to have me talk to E*Trade, yah right! Problem is on Microsoft Money's side as my Fidelity account has no problem interacting with Fleet and E*Trade. Also documentation was terrible and I'm an IT person that writes software for a living.

Bought Quicken 2004 online and had it running and connected to all accounts in less than an hour, no problems. Save yourself the headache and get Quicken 2004. Have had no problems whatever running it on Windows XP SP1. ... Read more

Features

• Easy-to-use software for managing your finances
• Track spending, manage investments, plan for the future, and more
• Easily download financial data directly into Quicken
• Works with 2,000+ banks, credit card, brokerage, and 401(k) companies
• View net worth by cash, property, or stocks; revealing charts and graphs

Reviews (170)

Makes a pen and notebook seem like a great idea
Like others, I was also asked to upgrade (from 2002) and I did. What a mistake. Random bits of my brokerage data was lost and it has taken many months to get it back in order. Reconcilation is a pain with lots of screen delays on my PIII 500. The bugs keep popping up. For example, my security list can not remember the Vanguard S&P500 Index (VFINX). I have to enter it as a new security each time I want to use it. Do I sound frustrated? You bet I am. Watching this once great program turn into what is today will do that.

It's terrible
So Intuit sent me friendly mail saying they were going to stop stock updates in the Quicken I use, Q2000. In a wildly self-serving manner they suggested I upgrade. I did. And this version is simply horrific - the UI is a mash of popup windows, the account list is gone (or maybe not, but I can't find it) - and I used that list to navigate my accounts - and everything is hard to understand and use. It's terrible. Stay away. Now all I need is something to track my investments...

Can't add - hate the GUI
Like many of you I was forced out of Quicken 98 and into 2004. What a lot of useless junk on the screen and "support" tells me there's no way to trim down the display. Furthermore the system crashes and can't add during reconciles (!).
But here's my question: is there another forum for discussion besides Amazon? A place where we can share usage secrets and compare Quicken with Money or Quickbooks?

Hope you don't need support & you will!!!
I just bought this program because I have been a Quicken user for several years and lost my old disk and just decided to buy the new version. First of all when you make a payment/ transfer from your Checking to a credit card it will count the payment as income on your income statement. Also the print option on this program doesn't work at all. It won't even let me into the setup or options or anything. I've tried & tried to get ahold of support and they charge $1.95 per min to help you fix a problem with they're program. I'm sorry but thats not how I do business. Personally I think I'm going to take it back and look for another option.

Bugs Bugs Bugs
Can you say broken?

I've been a religious user of Quicken since Quicken 98 and am seriously disappointed with this version. Support is useless for anything advanced. Some specific gripes:

1. When you change your pin with online bank, it'll never save your new pin, despite what it tells you.

2. File "backup" fails every time with a semi complex datafile. There's an "unreferenced memory error." Sloppy programmers leaving dangling pointers.

3. The file "validation" utility corrupts your data file removing references when the references existed in the account before.

4. Frequently is not able to record split transactions between multiple accounts (not categories). It'll record the split in one account, not others. Result, you'll have missing references.

5. Investment transactions will reset values under certain circumstances when you revisit recorded transactions.

6. Still doesn't allow you to have post-tax/non-taxable income in your paycheck (like for expense report payments).

Data integrity problems.

If you're using older version -- DONT UPGRADE, unless you like corrupted data. I would advise, version 2003.

Unfortunately, MS Money isn't much better from a feature set standpoint. Despite that, I'm considering switching just outta spite. ... Read more

Features

• Financial management system for businesses
• Import data from popular office software
• Tools for invoicing, paying bills and tracking expenses
• Easily create forms and reports
• Simple guides for most common business procedures

Reviews (5)

sad
Poor support. No support, even the free stuff without handing over your credit card first. Updates are just charges for new version numbers. You can't use the payroll system without paying for their monthly service. Irritating pop-ups trying to sell you more stuff while you are trying to do book work. And yes I still own it and have for a few years. It has its good points. Pretty easy to set up and use. Kinda stuck at the moment. Believe it or not I switched to this from a worse program, Peachtree. My only salvation is I only need it for two more years then it goes in the trash.

QuickBooks - 2004 release is just a waste of money
It's amazing that a company can sit for 3 years and add SO little innovation.

Having used quickbooks for over 5 years i am really dissapointed with the the 2004 release. It's basically a re-wrap of a product from over 4 years ago. Definately NOT worth the value. Consider other options unless you are absolutely stuck.

Nothing to look forward to in this version.

A RIP-OFF!
I will be sooooo glad when some other company besides Intuit comes up with a quality accounting program. Intuit's greed is really getting out of hand. I was basically *forced* to buy this new 2004 version due the "sunsetting" (their own stupid term) on Business Services for the 2001 version. Business Services is crucial to my job, because I'm constantly e-mailing invoices, which, of course (!) has to be done through Quickbooks Business Services. I was totally happy with my 2001 version and did not have any other need to upgrade! This should be against the law. I used to just enter paycheck amounts by hand (I did not want to shell out for tax tables, because we only have 2 employees, and let's face it it's not that hard to do yourself for just 2 employees), but not anymore! Now I'm being *forced* to subscribe to a payroll service! And I can only presume that this is the way it's going to be every few years...shell out a few hundred bucks for this garbage even when you don't need it, otherwise they won't provide Business Services to you...like I said, a RIP OFF!!

Overpriced and underperforming.
Buyers beware! QuickBooks will not even allow you to write a simple paycheck! Intuit makes you sign up for their "Do-It-Yourself Payroll" and charges you an additional $169. That's what Intuit calls a "Great Value".
If you run a really small company, look somewhere else for your accounting software. You'll be purchasing a new version of Quick Books every year as well as their "great" overpriced services.

Prospective Purchaser Alert
Prospective purchasers of this product would do well to read the customer reviews of Quickbooks Pro 2004 before making their purchase, as many of the same issues should apply. ... Read more

Features

• This stand-alone version of Lotus Organizer has all the tools you need to control your schedule
• Use it to set up appointments, track your business and personal contacts, and create to-do lists
• Autodial phone numbers, make notes, and sort your information with just a mouse click
• Share calendars online to set up meetings and trade schedules through the Internet
• Area Code Changer helps find all contacts within a particular area code

Features

• Financial management system for businesses
• Import data from popular office software
• Easily manage accounts payable and receivable
• Create business plans using existing data
• Advanced accounting, inventory and asset tools

Amazon.com Review

For most small business owners, keeping up with the accounting is the worst part of the job. A small investment of effort--installing QuickBooks Pro 2002 or a similar accounting package--will almost always save time and hassle in the long run.

QuickBooks is best for those with fairly simple needs--while it's comparatively inexpensive and easy to install, its breadth of features and technical support don't quite stack up against Peachtree or MYOB. That said, there are still plenty of businesses that can make good use of QuickBooks; consultants and others with little or no inventory, for example.

The 2002 version doesn't bring a brand-new paradigm, but does offer some new and helpful features: improved form customization, better report functions, and customer tracking, to name a few. Easy integration with Microsoft Office, Act!, and other key software packages makes QuickBooks attractive to many users; data transfer is especially straightforward. Invoicing, cutting checks, projecting next year's revenue, and just keeping the books in order is much easier with a computer doing the drudge work.

QuickBooks Pro 2002 is the best bet for budget-minded sole proprietors and microbusiness owners. --Rob Lightner ... Read more

Reviews (25)

Don't waste your money
There are reasons to buy Quickbooks. For instance it's a lot cheaper than accounting software for professionals. But why not buy it on Ebay for a fraction of the price from one of the many dissatisfied users trying to get rid of it ?

I recently upgraded my business from Quicken home & business 98 to Quickbooks. I've always hated Quicken for it's array of annoying idiosyncrasies but I'm now locked in with years of transactions. I've spent several days worth of time on Quickbooks, so I'm no expert. However I've run into problem after problem trying to get my accounting practices set up. For instance it simply won't let me enter transactions directly into my foreign account register, despite the help file telling me that I can. And my invoices come out with missing lines and text.

The real problem though, is that these bugs aren't Intuit's problem. They're Intuit's profit. Tech support is not available without paying. Strangely, searching the online help gave me no hits for my problems.

I cannot compare this product with Microsoft Money since I haven't tried that one. Perhaps Quickbooks Pro is still your best bet, but don't pay full price !

I purchased A Product From Inuit Software and Scanning
I purchased the software at Stapples (Hamilton Ontario) the software with the cashbox and scanning software for barcodes came to $4,000.00 now I did not know that the suport was for 30 days and that after that I would have to pay over $130.00 per moth (yes I did get a credit for $800.00 not in cheque) but for technical support and after those $800.00 are over my staff told me that we have to pay for it (I was amazed) that a product that cost over $4,000.00 does not even have more extended technical support, correct me if I am wrong but when you purchase a computer and some computers are dirt cheap lets say $1,500.00 you would get technical support for a year or sometimes more. I am not impressed at all with there so called "customer service" I am in the process of opening more stores and I will go look at other providers for software and scanning bar code mechanism.

Probably very powerful but needs some simplifying
This may be the best small business accounting software available, but it could still use some streamlining. I started a small corporation on a limited investment. I am not an accountant, so I didn't expect to ace the software on the first day. That said, this version of QuickBooks probably only has about 18 features that I have any use for out of hundreds of available features. The screen is not laid out in a way that is self-explanatory, so finding those features is not automatic. Even those who have used Quicken (Intuit's home finance software) in the past are unlikely to find the interface self-evident. Efficiency is also a concern. QuickBooks opens too many internal "windows" without closing the source window, thus the software eats up memory very quickly. It would be as if every last time you click on a hyperlink while surfing the internet, a new browser window opens automatically. Not good.

How much does QB intimidate? Well, it is April 14th, and I've been putting off doing my taxes because I don't want to have to find and decipher all of QuickBooks' tax related features, side notes, suggestions, and other fringe information.

All of this said, it is fairly powerful software, and I am probably remiss for purchasing one of the more advanced versions of QuickBooks for such a small business. If you have tens of thousands of dollars in extra cash and can afford to automate your accounting processes (such as payroll) through QB's add-on-for-an-additional-investment options, this is probably the software to buy. It is established, it is advanced in its abilities, and it is the industry standard. However, if you're small potatoes, (even if it's hard to admit it), then you might want to consider something a little less involved, like a "dumbed down" version of QuickBooks or maybe MYOB.

Horible Support, Even Worse product
Do not buy this software unless you have deep pockets and don't mind spending lots of money on support. I don't want to sound paranoid but this software has bugs built into it to force you to call support. (did I mention the software come with 0 support) not 60 days not 30 days not even 1 day of support is included with the purchase.
And all the great services that the product tells you about cost additional with monthly fees.

If you like fustration you'll love this
Quickbooks 2002 is a halfway decent accounting program for small business. Unfortunetly Intuits ridiculus company policy of releasing buggy software and then charging you for them to fix it is most fustrating. Then there are the yearly upgrades that you have to pay for. No , you don't HAVE to pay for a new version each year... it's just that your old version stops working if you have to reinstall it. It will then ask to for a special activation key that you can only get if you ring them up and then fill in a 10 page document( and get it signed by a j.p!!!).
When you vent your fustration and anger, the ever so helpful phone support person will suggest that it would just be easier to upgrade to the latest version for a large sum of money. Yeah, thanks... ... Read more

Reviews (13)

needs a little help
I've been using MS Money for my personal accounts for years. I like it, and now after starting my own business, I especially like the price of Money Small Business compared to alternatives.

The user from Western North Carolina (mmj...) pointed out correctly that the except for printing, the Invoices are not very professionally looking. He's absolutely correct unless you have the FREE PrimoPDF (from download.com) utility installed.

This extremly handy utility (did I mention it is free!) allows you to save your invoice as a PDF file, that looks just the way you layed it out!

Just select PrimoPDF as your printer, select the name and location of your desired output file, screen or file quality option and you're ready to rock and roll!

This just made my day!!!

MS Money Small Business 2004 -
Was I excited that "MONEY" was finally going to make the transition to the Small Business Community?

Absolutely! I have been too busy to want to learn a REAL Accounting program. And I have been using "Money" since the early 90's to balance my checkbook and surely one of the first to use online banking; so the idea that I could integrate invoicing was icing on my cake.

Now for the disappointing reality. While you can make and email invoices and they will be tracked in a receivables account, you will need to create a cash account to receive the money into and then transfer that amount into the account that you download your banking transactions into if you deposit more than one check at a time. Otherwise, you will have double entries in your account. This makes for many extra steps, shuffeling payments here and there.

I would have appreciated this information prior to purchasing yet another version of Money, I could have done this without the Small Business edition. (I think this puts me in the position of Beta testor, and I had to pay for the job.)

Also, I was very disappointed not to find ANY information in either the help files or online. That search in itself was exhaustive.

The help from Microsoft was indeed good. But, I was required to sign up for a "PassPort Account" to communicate with them (not opting for the toll call).

They indicated that it was indeed a problem, and they are working hard to fix it. My wish is that the repair is not a "version upgrade" as this is a definite flaw to a Business package.

Effectively, the only thing that was added to the previous version of Money (I was using Deluxe) was an invoice template, and the ability to change your fiscal year end. (This is something I complained about in Money in the 2002 version.)

I will, of course, continue to use it and I am quite sure that eventually it will be a great ENTIRE solution for a small business, since it already integrates with Excell and TaxCut.

It just needs to do it sooner...

"Report" functionality sucks
The reporting feature does not always reflect accurate information. Say, I selected ALL categories to be reported on my Monthly Income and Expense Report, the report came out missing including several categories, and so the total on the report were all screwed-up. If I were not paying attention to that details, I would have been sued by clients for inaccurate billing.

Get Quicken Home & Business 2002 or 2003 instead
I tried this software for the first time after getting tired of Quicken's quirks. But after four months of infuriation, frustration, and wasted time, Quicken seems like heaven to me. If this is common for Money, I'll never use it again.
As other reviews have stated, there is no customization at all. If it isn't a selection, you don't get it. Just trying to set up a simple home budget is infuriating enough. You cannot select your catagories if they do not appear in their selection. Instead of being able to make layers of catagories like in Quicken (for detailed budget breakdowns), you are stuck with only one. As for downloading account information, it decides what account and where the download should go and refuses to let you change it--even though it is very wrong. You have to search out where it went and remove every single incorrect transaction one at a time. In sum, I hate this software and it has cost me more lost time than it was ever worth.

Business functionality lacking
I run a small consulting company from my home. (Small meaning, just me.) I purchased the Small Business version of this software to help with my business as well as manage my personal finances.

My business is consulting, I sell my time to customers. Although the software supports creating time items for customers, there is no reporting for time items other than create an invoice to print out the current uninvoiced time activity for a customer. This is unacceptable to me. I need to provide detailed time reporting to my customers, as well as a summarized invoice for payment. I'll have to continue to track my time in a spreadsheet.

Regarding invoices, although the software offers "emailing invoices" as a feature, what it emails is a text invoice, and there is no way to print the invoice to a file or word document to email something a bit more professional. Being in the computer consulting business, text invoices would appear a bit tacky.

So, for me, the two main things I do, track my time on consulting projects and invoice my customers via email, are not possible in this software. I have to continue to use spreadsheets to track my time, and word processing to create the invoices to email to my customers.

The personal finances functionality seems to be the same as previous versions of this software, but be very wary about paying the extra $ for the small business feature set. It seems quite lacking to me. ... Read more

Reviews (20)

Worst Version of Quicken ...........EVER!!!!!!!
I have used Quicken since the DOS versions, this one is the worst! You cannot change any colors, period, end of discussion! You cannot remove unused, useless toolbars/frames, period, end of discussion! You will have to call tech support! You will have to endure repeated uninstalls/reinstalls! Download a trial version before you upgrade, if you can't configure it the way you want, delete it and move on!

Displeased with discontinuation of support
I have a very minor problem with Quicken 2000. It is very functional for all my needs and I am quite perturbed that to get technical support, I am forced to update. I don't need an update. I do need a very minor fix to my present system. Quite simply, the system somehow changed the opening screen and I can find no way of putting it back where it is when you first start using Quicken. I reloaded with the old disc and got the screen I want, but I have to the accounts list under the old load to find prior transactions. As for help, even the 900 number has been changed, so I can't even pay to get this rectified. What a rip-off.

What a Piece of Garbage
I have been using Quicken since "Quicken 4" on my Mac. It WAS a great program. This version is okay except for the investment portfolio. It is full of bugs, and is not at all intuitive (ironic, eh?). Further, you cannot simply "fudge" and enter your historical transactions ... so my cash balance is wrong, and impossible to correct. After researching online, it is clearly a bug that Inuit will not even acknowledge.

Hopefully they will get their act together for 2005, otherwise, I'm out of there!!

Patch this
I am done with Intuit. Every time I upgrade to a newer version it is full of bugs. Then, when I call Intuit customer support to discuss THEIR bugs, they want a credit card number before giving out any information. HOW ABOUT ENSURING THE PRODUCT WORKS CORRECTLY BEFORE SELLING IT TO THE PUBLIC. I don't care if they EVENTUALLY offer a patch that can be downloaded. I have more important things to do with my time.

I was a loyal Quicken user for more than 8 years; BUT NO LONGER ... their idea of customer service is PATHETIC. I am going to give Microsodt Money a try

Stick with Quicken 2002 (maybe from Ebay?)
I was warned!! Instead I thought I could put up with all the small inconveniences of 2004. Every one of the negative reviews is correct and then some. I've been using (and promoting) Quicken since 1996 and updating every other year. 2004 regularly crashes on Windows XP. The investment register is useless for record reviews. The help topics are not useful. I was excited the first time it took me directly to Intuit's knowledge base, until I found nothing in the knowledge base that applied. Their Indian customer service can barely speak English. Not that it matters much since they haven't a clue how solve problems other than uninstall and re-install. The final straw however came today when, during an online update, Quicken corrupted my data files. The only fix for this is to uninstall the program. My fix is to reinstall Quicken 2002 and wait until I see some positive reviews on a new version before buying another Intuit product, even though I'm in for a couple days re-entering data that won't transfer from version 2004.

Laughably, a couple years ago Intuit was used in marketing case studies as a better way to treat customers than Microsoft. Where did those managers go? They now make Microsoft look positively brilliant. Since I have loved Quicken for so long, I really hope Intuit is monitoring these site reviews and will Quickly correct these myriad problems. I'm just glad I didn't post a high recommendation on this product and have to eat those words now. ... Read more