It is clearly the personal and small business budgeting competitor to Microsoft's MS Money 2000, a program also highly regarded by this reviewer. Quicken Suite 99, however, comes bundled with a lot of great additions that put it a cut above the competition. The enclosed CD contains: - Quicken Deluxe 99, which manages money and tracks investments. - Quicken Financial Planner, which charts your financial future and allows for a variety of variable assumptions, and - Quicken Family Lawyer for Canada, which provides an array of legal documents, cutting costs on law fees when handling minor legal and contractual issues. For life planning software, this is simply one of the best values on the market. In terms of sheer budgeting power, Quicken has all of the appropriate bells and whistles, allowing Internet access to bank accounts for updating purposes and online investment tracking. One nifty option allows users to set up a Web site, featuring updated investments and account information so that traveling users can log on remotely to track their finances. The engine is very clean and intuitive and is laid out in an efficient manner that challenges other programs. The reporting function is a real treat, allowing users to calculate net worth and other financial benchmarks in the present and at any time in the future. One find, not even listed on the program jacket or in promotion material, is a program that maps household inventory, price and resale value. Its purpose, aside from accurately calculating net worth, is to keep a running tab on assets in case it's needed for an insurance claim for a robbery or fire. The program's heavy use of the World Wide Web provides a mechanism for research into insurance and mortgage rates. It also provides users an opportunity to check on their credit rating. An in-program debt reduction wizard gives much-needed assistance to those of us climbing out of the credit hole. The wealth-planning component is great, allowing users to enter living expenses and expectations in order to map out a strategy to financial prosperity. This module alone merits the price of the program: the many strategies to garner and protect wealth are a real eye-opener. This reviewer can't find any drawbacks or make any recommendations for improvement in the next incarnation. There is no bug that might lead some small business people to stay away from this program. Quicken Suite 99 is the real deal. And, since it incorporates three very useful programs into one, this program is also a real steal. Reviewer's rating: 5 / 5 Comments: This program is good. It is powerful. It is easy to use. A strong "buy" recommendation. Price $99.95 US / $130 Canadian ![]()
| |
|||||||||||||||||||||||