bit-tech Shopping: Intuit Quicken Deluxe 2008 (Full Product)

Rating: 4

Time with product: 2 Months

Strengths: good personal finance program, looks nice, does everything I need

Weaknesses: forced upgrades

Summary: First off, I've been using Quicken for 18 years since it was a DOS program. I have never used Microsoft Money so I can't compare it to that or other personal finance software. In general, I think Quicken is a great personal finance software program (hence why I have used it for so long). It can do most anything you want - keep track of checking accounts, investment accounts, credit cards, mortagages (automatically figuring out principal versus interest if you give the loan details), stock options, etc. But the incremental benefits from upgrading from version to version aren't all that great. Just when you get everything the way you like it (especially the look and feel of the screens), the new versions seem to change everything. So once I get comfortable with a version, I tend to keep it for a while. I had Quicken 2005 but was notified that certain online features would no longer be supported in that version - Stock quote downloads, financial institution download information like credit card transactions) - and that I would have to upgrade. I hate being forced to spend more money to maintain features that I thought I had already purchased. They did this to me before when they forced me to upgrade to Quicken 2005 to maintain my features. It annoys me and makes me feel like Intuit is trying to milk money from me. But I upgraded. The screens look prettier (I'm on Vista now and Quicken works fine on it.) They have added a "Tag" field for each transaction. I haven't really tried to find out what it's supposed to be used for (I used the category and memos fields.) so I can't really comment on whether it's useful. I wasn't looking for new features so I didn't go looking for what they did. I was happy with Quicken 2005 and with Quicken 2002 before that... the only reason I upgraded was to maintain my online features. Since this forced upgrade seems to be Intuit policy now, I am reluctant to recommend Quicken to new purchasers. If being forced to upgrade every 3 years doesn't bother you, then Quicken is a great personal finance software and I would say buy it. If you are the type of person who wants to get a good program and stick with it for a long time and not be forced to upgrade then I would stay away from Quicken.

Rating: 8

Time with product: 2

Strengths: - More complete than Money Deluxe- Integrates with TurboTax- Great price, after rebate

Weaknesses: - Not known at this time

Summary: Being a new Quicken user (I have been a Money user these past years), it was refreshing to see the stability of the product and the wide set of features Quicken Deluxe provided. The Bill Pay support, to the TurboTax integration made synchronizing between different financial transactions very easy.The installation went seamlessly, and downloading information from financial institutions was easy. All in all, seems to do everything that I intended for it to do.

Rating: 8

Time with product: 1 Month

Strengths: very efficient

Weaknesses: none

Summary: This software is perfect for you if you are looking for a program that can combine all your bank information in one place with just one single password. It also help you manage your savings by keeping track expenses and setting up frequent saving schedule as well as manage you bill pays. This is absolutely perfect for any personal use.

Rating: 8

Time with product: 2 Months

Strengths: all basic features included

Weaknesses: none

Summary: This is an excellent financial program for any individual use. It helps you keep track all your bank accounts with just one single password. In addition, you can keep track your expenses and plan on new ones thanks to "My Savings Plan" feature. I strongly recommend this software.

Rating: 8

Time with product: 3 Days

Strengths: Nice, user-friendly interface

Weaknesses: Fee charged to download transactions

Summary: I had used Quicken in the past and decided to go back to it this year. I particularly like the user-friendly interface, appealing and functional. The main drawback for me is the fact that my bank (Chase) now charges $10/month to be able to download transactions automatically. It is not a problem with Quicken per se, but it much less useful to me now (as I am not going to pay this absurd fee). Some other banks do not charge for this service, so one should check before deciding to buy this software.