About Financial Software

First Impression of Quicken 2010

2009-11-25T09:02:19Z

I haven't had a chance to really take Quicken 2010 for a test drive, but I like its less cluttered appearance and pop up window option. I'll report more later after I familiarize myself with the latest Quicken tweaks and features. Until then, I've published my annual Quicken Features, Versions and Prices info.

Two versions, Quicken Online and Quicken Starter Edition, won't import data from other Quicken versions.
Intuit has come up with a better Microsoft Money to Quicken conversion tool, which is good news now that Money has been discontinued.

More about Quicken 2010

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First Impression of Quicken 2010 originally appeared on About.com Financial Software on Wednesday, November 25th, 2009 at 09:02:19.

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Microsoft Office Accounting Discontinued

2009-11-23T14:05:55Z

As of November 16, 2009, Microsoft Office Accounting Express will no longer be distributed in North America or the UK.� Microsoft announced the discontinuation of the simple accounting software for small business and home business with the reason, "we have determined that existing free templates within Office used with Excel was a better option for small businesses...". Hmmmmm, it doesn't say much for accounting software when it can be replaced by spreadsheet templates.

So, what's an Office Accounting Express user to do? You're going to have to switch to another accounting software, eventually. Microsoft will support the software for 5 more years, and customer invoices can still be paid through PayPal. eBay and Equifax features are gone as of December 15, 2009.

Intuit is offering a free tool to convert data for use with QuickBooks software and QuickBooks Simple Start 2010.� If you want to make the move to the convenience of online accounting software,� NolaPro has documentation showing how to convert and import Office Accounting data into NolaPro.

Bnet Business Hacks has some good suggestions for replacing Microsoft Office Accounting, and one of the choices from this list of small business accounting software would work as a replacement as well.

Read the Microsoft Accounting Discontinuation FAQ's for more details.
6 Tips for Choosing Small Business Accounting Software

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Microsoft Office Accounting Discontinued originally appeared on About.com Financial Software on Monday, November 23rd, 2009 at 14:05:55.

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Updated: GnuCash Free Financial Software

2009-11-20T01:17:25Z

Specs and information have been updated for my GnuCash profile.� GnuCash - which is free -� looks like a decent alternative for small business accounting software, and works well for a dedicated group of users who manage personal finances with the software.� GnuCash is being actively developed and tested, so it keeps improving, and supports many languages, multiple currencies and has good how-to documentation.

GnuCash is worth a try-- after all it is free.� The download site lists unstable test versions before the stable version which is confusing, so pay attention to what you download.

Learn more about GnuCash

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Updated: GnuCash Free Financial Software originally appeared on About.com Financial Software on Friday, November 20th, 2009 at 01:17:25.

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Passwords Are Essential for Financial Software

2009-11-18T09:37:08Z

I was just reading about some desktop financial software I've never heard about before, and was surprised to see that it does not offer password protection.� I'm not going to mention the name of the software right now because I have not yet tried it myself, but want to warn you that� when it comes to personal financial data, be sure your software has the option to set a password when you open it.

Online financial software always requires a password, and to verify that your desktop financial software has an option for password protection, click on Help in the software and enter 'password' to search for information.

How to Choose a Password to Protect Financial Data

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Passwords Are Essential for Financial Software originally appeared on About.com Financial Software on Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 at 09:37:08.

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Teach Kids About Money with Software

2009-11-16T13:25:30Z

One of the things we are reminded in when going through tough economic times is the importance of teaching kids how to manage money so they spend and save wisely sooner rather than later. Software that teaches kids about money makes learning fun, and kids are more likely to remember money facts if they learn them in an interactive, engaging way. Whether you are a parent, guardian or teacher, you need to check out my list of free or low-cost money education software for kids. Each has a unique feature that may be especially appealing to your child.

Have you used software to teach kids about money? Share your experience.

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Teach Kids About Money with Software originally appeared on About.com Financial Software on Monday, November 16th, 2009 at 13:25:30.

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Moving from Quicken Online to Mint

2009-11-13T12:31:58Z

Last week, it was announced that Intuit would be closing down Quicken Online and moving users over to Mint.com (Intuit recently acquired Mint). This is reasonable given that Mint.com trumps Quicken Online in many ways. Still, quite a few Quicken Online users are happy with the features they have now and haven't been entirely comfortable with this turn of events.

Wondering what to expect from Mint.com? Josh Smith covers this issue well in his WalletPop interview with Aaron Patzer of Intuit. If you're using Quicken Online, your biggest concern should be whether you will lose your data when you're migrated over to Mint.com. Patzer says data loss will not be an issue, and you can take his word on this thanks to Intuit's strong data security infrastructure.

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Moving from Quicken Online to Mint originally appeared on About.com Financial Software on Friday, November 13th, 2009 at 12:31:58.

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Updated Personal Finance iPod Apps

2009-11-11T13:46:49Z

I just updated my list of favorite money management apps for iPhone or iPod Touch, and found lower prices for most of the apps that aren't free. One app, Gift List Budget Shopper, went up in price, but also added a ton of really great features for keeping gift lists, card lists and gift budgets in order. You won't find the Abucus app in my selection of money management apps because it has been removed from the iTunes App Store.

Personal Finance Apps for iPhone or iPod Touch

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Updated Personal Finance iPod Apps originally appeared on About.com Financial Software on Wednesday, November 11th, 2009 at 13:46:49.

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Quicken Update Patching Engine Error

2009-11-09T14:08:20Z

A lot of Quicken 2009 users are getting an error when attempting to install the latest update. If Quicken prompts you to update and the update starts to install but then you get the error message that a "patching engine error has occurred", you can just cancel the update and get back into Quicken to work without the update.

You will need to apply an update eventually to avoid being prompted to update every time you open Quicken, and it is better to apply updates sooner rather than later. To get Quicken 2009 updated to release R7, download the patch from Quicken Support and save it to your computer desktop or another convenient location. Then, be sure Quicken 2009 is closed down and double click on the downloaded patch file QW09R7MPatch.exe. The next time you run Quicken, you will be able to work as usual.

Quicken Update Patching Engine Error originally appeared on About.com Financial Software on Monday, November 9th, 2009 at 14:08:20.

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Find Free Shipping or Cheap Shipping

2009-11-06T14:15:49Z

BigStockPhoto.com / lisafx

Thinking about getting started on holiday shopping? Me, too. To save time, you can do holiday shopping online and you'll probably find a lot of good deals with the weak economy. Just be sure that shipping costs don't negate the savings you find on holiday gifts.

I did some research and found some online tools you can use to find free shipping and discounted shipping for online holiday purchases. Check out 5 Online Tools for Free Shipping and Discount Delivery before you do your holiday shopping online.

Find Free Shipping or Cheap Shipping originally appeared on About.com Financial Software on Friday, November 6th, 2009 at 14:15:49.

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Taking Your Personal Inventory

2009-11-04T08:47:04Z

It's so important to have an inventory of household items, from clothes to gemstones to furniture and - well, all your stuff. Without documentation of these items, you may will a hard time getting reimbursed by home owner's or renter's insurance.

Home inventory software helps with this documentation by keeping serial numbers, replacement cost and other information organized.� The best of this type of software generates some very useful reports for insurance claims or to determine your net worth as well.� Learn more about the features in home inventory software, and check out the online home inventory software , or if you prefer desktop computing, home inventory software for your computer desktop.

Taking Your Personal Inventory originally appeared on About.com Financial Software on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 08:47:04.

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