Microsoft Money Deluxe and Business 2002

One gripe I always had about Quicken/Quickbooks, is that the 2 pieces of software couldn't talk to each other (has this changed in recent years?). Being a sole proprietor, sometimes you need to talk to your personal banking accounts from your business ones, like when you're taking personal draws from the owner's capital account (i.e. living off the money you make from your business). Now that I can buy a package that combines home and business finances, life will be a little easier. Transactions will be fewer in number, and the process of backing up and keeping track of the underlying data files will be simplified.

If you own a business larger than a sole proprietorship, you definitely want a more robust package like Quickbooks on a basic level, and something more professional on a more complicated level. MS Money isn't designed for or marketed towards full-fledged businesses.

If you're looking for a home or home/business finance package, you can't go wrong with either MS Money or the Quicken/Quickbooks offerings. They are both done extremely well. I wouldn't rule out Money, based on the negative slamming reviews you see here. I assure you that it's every bit as good (better?) as the Quicken software package. And when you consider that the Microsoft package costs ... less than buying Quicken + Quickbooks, it seems like a no-brainer.

I don't usually give 5-star reviews, but the Money suite seems to do everything I need it to, and very well. There's extensive customization potential, and the interface is very easy to understand, as well as attractive. I'm pretty impressed with it overall.

-And watch out for the anti-Microsoft reviews you read around here. They are usually written by people whose only experiences with Microsoft is Windows 95.... Things have changed, my friends. OK, enough preaching.


avoid like the plauge   January 16, 2002
 2 out of 9 found this review helpful

Recntly, I made the mistake of buying Money 2002. The problems started just after I installed it. When my computer booted from that point on, my anti virus software would not work at all, or, my boot would take literally 10 minutes.

One good thing I do have to give microsoft credit for though is system restore on Win xp. Once I used that to remove Money, my problems starting up were solved.


An upgrade to avoid   January 15, 2002
 7 out of 9 found this review helpful

I've used Money since 1993, and have upgraded almost every year. This is the worst incarnation. My primary complaint is Money 2002's insistence that you secure the file with a Microsoft Passport in order to have the program automatically update your online transactions. In Money 2001, the update occurred each time you started the program, unless the feature was disabled. You can, of course, secure the file with your own choice of passwords, as before, but you must then request a download manually.

In addition, unless you disable another "feature" don't be surprised when you're admiring a new gadget on Amazon and the MoneyPane opens on the left side of your browser to tell you that--after Money has peered into your financial situation, he's decided that you can't afford what you're looking at. While this is a mild exaggeration, I don't care for ANY computer software I own to open itself up without my permission while I'm browsing the web. Microsoft claims that there's no security issues involved in this process......and if you believe that....

Pass this version by. If I could downgrade, I would.