Microsoft
Money 2004 Deluxe
Microsoft
Money 2004 Deluxe
 By Dale Farris,
SecretaryGolden Triangle PC Club October 2003 General Overview Microsoft Money 2004 Deluxe provides a quick and easy way to organize and manage your personal finances. Powerful, yet easy-to-use tools for financial planning, balancing your checkbook, managing credit and debt, simplifying taxes, and more. Money 2004 is an easily navigable, exceptionally competent tool for keeping track of your money. A comprehensive, customizable home page pulls together data from all of the program's major elements, and you can toggle over to the related task page at any time. Alternate views focus primarily on content areas (accounts and bills; investing; taxes; and planning). A new customizable pull-down task list lets you jump quickly to specific activities. Also new on the program's main page is breaking news from CNBC, Kiplinger's, and Reuters. Where appropriate, Money 2004 shifts you over to the MSN Money Web site seamlessly, providing additional integration, information, and tools. Money 2004 covers all the personal-finance bases. You can set up accounts and pay bills manually or electronically, and you can create and track detailed, customizable portfolios. The enhanced Alert Center delivers breaking news and other user-defined financial information to your e-mail inbox, cell phone, or desktop. You can also synchronize accounts and investment data with the MSN Money Web site. Money 2004 provides additional tools to analyze and maximize your investments, like a capital gains estimator and 401(k) manager. A comprehensive planning module helps you create a lifetime financial plan, and you can manage smaller elements with tools like a debt-reduction planner and new-purchase wizard. Your income tax information also has a home in Money 2004, which includes a tax estimator and a deduction finder. You can create numerous flexible reports and get assistance from an exceptional help system. The Advisor FYI feature sprinkles personalized advice through the program and lets you set alerts for specific events and changes, such as an account balance getting too high or low, or spending hitting specified limits. Another nice touch: Both the Premium and Deluxe versions offer Credit Center, a centralized guide to your debt accounts and credit management. The feature displays a mini debt-reduction planner and table of your debt accounts along with additional resources for handling your outstanding debt. Beyond the program itself, the free services Microsoft has included with the Premium and Deluxe versions might win over fence-sitters wondering whether or not to upgrade. Add-ins include online tax filing through H&R Block, credit report monitoring from Experian, and consulting advice from an American Express financial planner. If you decide on the Premium edition, you will also get 24 months of MSN Bill Pay (up to 15 payments per month), and a one-year subscription (125 transactions) to GainsKeeper (www.gainskeeper.com), a highly respected portfolio-management site that provides analysis tools to help you optimize after-tax returns. Simply import your portfolio into GainsKeeper and it provides you with an actual Schedule D. Benefits Save Time Organizing and Managing Your Finances - Download checking, credit card and other transactions from your bank automatically for up-to-date information Consolidated View of Financial Information - View and access information from multiple financial institutions in one place so you always know your overall financial health. Achieve Financial Goals - Whether your goal is to get out of debt, save for retirement, or for a major purchase, Money provides easy-to-use tools to help you achieve your financial goals. Money Deluxe comes with everything in Money Standard, plus Money Deluxe can help you manage credit and reduce debt. Money Deluxe can help make tax time easier. Money Deluxe provides easy-to-use tools for financial planning. Money Deluxe provides easy-to-use tools for managing investments. New Features Money 2004 Deluxe includes over $170 in Complimentary Financial Services, FREE! - Pay Bills online with one year of Bill Pay from MSNŽ Bill Pay. - File taxes online through H&R Block. - Receive credit report and ongoing monitoring from Experian. - Personal financial consultation with an American Express financial planner. Manage credit and reduce debt. Visit the Credit Center to review a summary of debt accounts, learn about credit management, try what-if scenarios, and help protect your credit. Personalized money management. You can customize your account register, budgets, bills and deposits list, portfolios, reports, home page and more. Achieve Financial Goals. Whether your goal is to get out of debt, save for retirement, or for a major purchase. Money provides easy-to-use tools to help you achieve your financial goals. Manage Your Investments: Use the Portfolio in Money to track your investments, create a target asset allocation and more. Reports help provide even better understanding of your financial health. The Alerts Center helps you quickly see information about stock prices, account balances, and more in one convenient location. Improved Features Money can help make tax time easier. Use Money all year-round to estimate taxes, find hidden deductions, and estimate capital gains. A few clicks is all it takes to export to tax preparation software. Balancing accounts is easy! Save time by
automatically downloading banking, credit card, and other information from
your financial institution instead of entering it manually. |