Average Rating: 
Rating:  - OK only.
This program has been useful for tracking my day to day expenses and income. However, with my skills I could write a better and easier to use program if that was all I needed. As far as what I actually bought the program for, cash flow analysis and investment and retirement tracking, it is third rate. The pre-tax deductions from my paycheck do not translate directly into the retirement contributions. Also, I have to do an individual purchase of stocks in my 401k each paycheck. In reality the contribution is by percentage into each mutual fund. Money 2003 will not allow you to select percentages and automatically purchase mutual fund shares. Also, the portfolio analysis is the usual "don't sue us" pap. In order to track my total net worth in any kind of intelligent way I had to buy the cheesy investment tracking version. This should be standard as it is below par and not worth the extra money. In addition, the cash flow analysis is primitive and not flexible enough for my purposes. Finally, I have had a total failure of the program in which I had to reinstall all the software. No data was lost, but I have more inportant ways to spend my valuable time. Quite frankly, I believe financial software is overdue for some competition.
Rating:  - Bit of a learning curve, but ultimately great software suite
I'm a regular user of Pocket Money for my Palm Vx and I've used versions of Quicken Mac in the past but never really used the more advanced features due to lack of time and lack of interest in learning the ins and outs of the Quicken suite.I had heard great things about MS Money and decided to give this a shot since my finances have gotten a little more complex lately due to a better job, etc. I bought it and installed it. Installation is simple and setting up your initial accounts is WAY more easier than in Quicken. Quicken is OK, but tends to be on the ambiguous side at times. Not so with MS Money...there are tons of movie clips and spoken advice bits when you do something for the first time. The online help is pretty good as well. Plus, I LOVE the integration of your MSN Passport with this suite...to truly get the most out of Money 2003, you'll want to have a good internet connection and an MS Passport. You'll be able to upload your data to your My Money page on www.msn.com for the ability to access your financial data when you're not at your normal PC! There is a bit of a learning curve when it comes to classing and setting up your investment data, but to its credit, MS Money does a pretty good job clarifying things and making it as simple as possible for most novice users. While I am not a novice user by any stretch, it took me a few tries to get the web services working with some of my bank accounts. Many banks are supported, but some (like Chase Manhattan credit cards for some reason) are not. Overall, MS Money 2003 Deluxe has enabled me to set up my finances in a way in which I maintain them religiously and always know what my cash flow and bills are at a glance. Investments are now automatically tracked which helps in my analysis. You may want to invest in a dedicated book on Money 2003 if you're new to this sort of stuff, but old Quicken users will feel right at home. You have nothing to lose...spend the (money)and see how much easier your financial life becomes!!
Rating:  - You'll be glad you paid for it;-)
I used Quicken extensively for years and loved it a lot. Few years back, when my portfolio started to melt like ice on salt, I quit using Quicken as I was scared to see my stock losses grow each day. Recently, a very good deal on Money 2003 Delux at CompUSA prompted me to get back to the habit of tracking my financial life. It's just been 2-weeks and I already like it a lot. I don't know how well it compares to Quicken 2003 but I sure am happy for getting it. The best thing about Money 2003 is the interface. I like the web look and feel. You can customize the views and display the features you want on home page. With some credit cards and banks, you can setup automatic downloads that will sync your account with the bank. Saves you from a lot of data entry. You can display your budget views on the home page. At times, I can just get all the info. I need on the home page and not worry about running reports. You can setup a passport account at MSN's Money website and you will be able to entry your expenses online when you don't have your PC with you. When you get back to the PC, your Money syncs with the new entries you made online. You can also use the Car View to track info about your cars. On the downside, there sure are few annoying bugs but they didn't bother me much as most of them have work around. This is my advise to anyone who runs into minor problems using money. Delete the transaction and re-enter it and all related problems may be solved. Finally, the microsoft support is excellent. Also, you can use the message boards at http://support.microsoft.com/newsgroups/default.aspx. Just make sure you select Desktop Applications and then Money to view the Money board.
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