I’ve been using Quicken for years. Now through 3/18/13 – it’s HALF-PRICE on Quicken Deluxe, Quicken Premier, and Quicken Home & Business. They even have Quicken Essentials for Mac users. You get a 60-day money back guarantee. You might give it a whirl for a couple months.
One of the greatest things about Quicken is that with one click, it will go out to all of your financial accounts and bring in all of your new transactions. It goes to your checking, savings, CDs, credit cards, stock, retirement and brokerage accounts – and scrapes in the new info. You can see your empire in one place!
It makes tax time quick and painless – especially if you itemize deductions. You might even be able to use it to organize your 2012 taxes.
Another great feature is that Quicken 2013 comes with a free Quicken App that syncs your desktop and your iPhone, iPad, and Android phones and tablets. Now you will know exactly where your finances stand, even if you are out of town. No need to check into several bank websites. It’s all in the free Quicken app. I whipped up a li’l Chip’s Money Tips example of a Quicken account for you screen cap lovers:
Every morning, I click on the blue circular arrow in my actual file to send Quicken on its errands to all my accounts. A minute later, any new transactions show up with a red flag next to the account. I click on the file and make sure the new transaction is kosher. I accept it and the red flag goes away. You will also be alerted for bills and income reminders.
Quicken alerts me to any Shenanigans
As you may know, I’m a sucker for sweet credit card promotions that give me free stuff. So, I have a couple dozen credit cards. Quicken keeps track of ALL those for me. If a charge shows up that I didn’t make, I know about it. I charge everything possible on a credit card to maximize rewards (before paying it off in full). To improve my credit score, I pay the bill a couple days before the statement drops. Quicken alerts me when to do that. If a non-credit card bill is due, I know about that too.
Reports
I can tell you to the penny how much I spent “Dining Out” or at “Amazon” or even how much I made pre and post-tax on Curb Your Enthusiasm. If you are struggling to save any money, Quicken can create a budget for you. You can do a lot more stuff with Quicken, than you can with free personal software like Mint. I even made reports that show how much I made in SAG & AFTRA actor unions. I also broke it down to show me how much I made from each payroll company – which can be very handy.
As they say at Faber College “Knowledge is Good”. Check out the Quicken videos below. Their YouTube channel also has a slew of great tutorials in case you have any questions after downloading your Quicken.
Now through March 18th, get your copy for HALF-PRICE on Quicken Deluxe, Quicken Premier, and Quicken Home & Business. Remember, you have a 60-day money back guarantee.
How Quicken Syncs with the App:
At 1:06 – “Splitting transactions is easy” – That feature does not work on the app as of March 14, 2013. No biggie. Just making you aware.
The folks at Intuit suckered me into buying Quicken 2013 by sending a message that the online services on my existing version of Quicken (2010) will be discontinued in April 2013. I know that it is powerful software, but I only use it for one purpose: tracking my investments. In this area, the changes between 2010 and 2013 are minimal. So, that’s $50 down the tubes.
I’m glad you posted this, since I’ve been considering upgrading to the latest version. I’ve been trying out Mint for personal budgeting and what-not, but found it’s not as easy to use as quicken. The only thing it has going for it is easy of access via apps, but now Quicken has mobile apps which is huge for me. I’ve read some bad reviews of them, however. What are your thoughts on the mobile app? You mentioned that you can’t split a transaction, but their video on http://quicken.intuit.com/personal-finance-software/quicken-mobile-app.jsp shows that you can. Are you using iOS? If so, perhaps the android version doesn’t have that yet.
I am using Android. Quicken Support said that function is not yet working in the App. Otherwise, the app works well. It synced test entries I made in my phone, as well as ones made on my desktop.
I did end up buying Quicken through your link, and the iOS apps both support transaction splitting which was good to see. I can do without Android having it for now, but it would be nice if they go that in there soon. I was pleased to see that the app will show you up-to-date transactions without requiring you to sync with your desktop software first.
@CF – I agree. I always felt unsettled when away from my home desktop where I have my Quicken. The App gives me inner peace. Sad but true 🙂