So tell me! What software have you tried and what did you like? I've started dabbling with MS money 2004. It seems capable but I wonder what else I may not know about. My goals for using the software are in order of importance:

1. Plan and execute a budget
2. Track cashflow
3. Reduce Debt
4. Track savings
5. Manage investments

<span style="color: lightblue">Not sure if it's quite what you mean, but my mother swears by Quicken Quickbooks. Although she uses it for managing a business budget, so it probably won't do exactly what you want.

I do plan to require small business managment software in the near future. I'm working on personal first, but your post made me think that using similiar (or the same) software for both business and personal would have advantages. The version of MS money I have doesn't have business extras, but it might have an upgrade that does.

I have heard of Quicken but have not used it. I wonder how it compares?

I just bought Quicken (XG) 2005 a few weeks ago. My wife has been using it and finds it very cool! I picked it up for $30cdn, during one of our employee discount days.

I use Quicken, Quicken Deluxe to be specific. It covers everything I need for basic cash management and investment management (stocks, retirement plans, special funds, and so on).

If you want to pick it up, get the last year's version. It's usually a bit cheaper, and they come out with a new version every year. Heck, you can usually get Quicken Basic for close to free if you buy TurboTax (which I also use).

I haven't used MS Money in the past, but I've used other things (MoneyCounts, now deceased; and MyCheckbook (or something silly like that)). Pay the small amount of money for either Quicken or MS Money; don't go with a discount alternative, because it will be worth every penny you paid for it.

If you need something for business, you can go to QuickBooks or Peachtree accounting, or something else that's entry- to mid-level. Anything beyond that, and you're asking in the wrong place [img]smile.gif[/img]

True story to wrap things up: When I first purchased MoneyCounts, it literally paid for itself within two months.

How? By finding a deposit that the bank *missed*. Yeppers... I had a deposit on record that didn't clear on one statement.

When it showed up as not cleared on the second statement, I was able to go back to the bank and get them to give me the money. It had apparently fallen through the cracks, and they were waiting for someone to claim it.

It was only $180, but it was far more than what I had paid for the software. Heck, it's more than I've paid for Quicken replacements since then!

I've also heard that MYOB (Mind your own business) is good for small business as well.

Hey Thanks!

I'm gonna check out Quicken if I can find it as cheap as I found MS Money, which I pulled from the Target clearance shelf for $4.99.

The feedback and reviews I have found seem to average out between the two as equally being the most capable, easy to use, and expandable.

At $4.99, you probably got a version from a couple of years ago. This being 2004, Quicken 2005 is out and sells for US$29 or so. Watch for specials at the computer and office stores, and you can probably pick it up for $19 or so. There's probably an upgrade available for MS Money users as well... something worth considering.

I wouldn't go with less than one year back (so Quicken 2004 in this case). I use my versions for several years (my prior version was Quicken 2000), but I wouldn't start with a version that old now.

You might also look on eBay to see what they're selling for. It might surprise you... [img]smile.gif[/img]