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| February 18 - February 25 |
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 by Alessandro CancianI always had some trouble in keeping my financial data in some order. No, its not that Im too rich; its simply that my accounts payable seem to grow by the day. I knew my headaches were going to end when I saw the latest version of Quicken Deluxe 2000, produced by Intuit. I had already tested some previous releases, and I noticed the improvements to the interface, now much more intuitive. The 2000 release offers toolbars that are very easy to use and fully user customizable. For those who would use the program for the first time, a thorough on-line guide will help in the various set-up operations. Its a pity that theres no hard copy of the manual, but this is the current trend with all software producers. Helping you manage bank accounts, investments, mortgages and the like, theres Quicken Insights, a window for summarized information, and the ability to download historical security prices. First of all make sure your bank offers an on-line service (it must be one of Intuits partners, in any case), then youll simply need to request a username and a password. With them, youll be ready to download on your computer all your transactions, cheques, credit cards, mortgages, investments and so on. Quicken can also create graphics and tables showing intuitively how your situation is moving. When youll have everything under control, youll also be able to pay your bills on-line or print your own cheques. One of the programs features that attracted my attention is the degree of control you have on your stocks and bonds portfolio. With an Internet connection, the program will supply you in a matter of moments with all the information you need, keeping you updated on the daily movement of your investments. Comparison tables are available, as well as the info from analysts on the stocks youre interested in. Among Quicken Deluxe 2000s features theres a whole chapter devoted to mortgages. Calculations of monthly payments, variations on interest rates, information about variable-rate or closed-rate loans, and more. In my case, since I just bought a house, a lot of information was very interesting, while some was trivial. Quicken Deluxe 2000 is available both for Mac and for PC, although for the latter the software offers some additional features, which is something I find unacceptable since the price is also lower. In the version for PC, Quicken is supplied in different packages, Basic, Suite, Home & Business and of course Deluxe, while for Mac the only available package is Deluxe (the one I tested). At a price of $65 ($10 rebate for the PC version), Quicken Deluxe 2000 represents a very good product, which will enable you to check your personal finances when you want to, planning new investments and more. Lets hope at least that next time, both versions will bear the same price tag. For more information, please visit www.intuit.com/canada or www.quicken.ca |
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