Do you use Quicken?

[American]

How long have you used it? How do you like it? What would like to fix? What feature would you add? Thoughts?

 

[roughdraft274]

How long have you used it? How do you like it? What would like to fix? What feature would you add? Thoughts?

I use it, I really like it. It sucks in my 401k, savings account, my checking account, and tells me exactly what each of them are at, and the feature I like the best is that every check I write or deposit and every time I use my debit card, that transaction shows up as it's own entity and you can file your spending under categories. If it was at McDonalds, it will put it under "fast food" and it will put my grocery store under "household/groceries" category. The only problem I have with it is that there are a few places, more than a few really, that it doesn't automatically categorize, so every time I bring in transactions I have to manually assign my mortgage payment to it's section, my utilities to that section, my local guitar shop doesn't get recognized so I have to file that etc... they need a way to where once you file a place once, it will follow your actions on future transactions. There might be a way to do that and I just haven't figured it out. But I've been using it since right before my wife and I got married (little over two years now) just so that I could see how much money we have coming in and what it's being spent on. It's cool to be able to pull it up and say (you know we spend blank on gas last month?" or whatever else. It also helps you understand that eating out once a week or more doesn't sound like a big deal but if you go to a restaurant, grab some drinks etc, it adds up over a month. One time we spent 400$ in a month on eating out (didn't do it that often, just happened to have a few drinks every time and ordered expensive ****, lol) and with that information I change accordingly.


Not sure what you want to use it for, but as a tool to just figure out how much money you have, how much you are spending every month and what you are spending it on, I really like it.

 

[tessaesque]

My stepmom's stepmother uses it and thinks she's got to upgrade it every single time a new release comes out, even though all she uses it for is tracking her bank account activity. Every single time she upgrades she loses her data because she never backs up and never converts the previous version's data...

I'M the one who is called out to help her because somebody told her I'm a computer guru (jokes on them...). I hate Quicken. Use excel. Or log into your bank's online system and cross reference your receipt/check logs to the displayed purchases.

 

[roughdraft274]

My stepmom's stepmother uses it and thinks she's got to upgrade it every single time a new release comes out, even though all she uses it for is tracking her bank account activity. Every single time she upgrades she loses her data because she never backs up and never converts the previous version's data...

I'M the one who is called out to help her because somebody told her I'm a computer guru (jokes on them...). I hate Quicken. Use excel. Or log into your bank's online system and cross reference your receipt/check logs to the displayed purchases.

I'm still using quicken 2010.... not sure why she feels the need to update.

Also, I have updated before and didn't lose any information.

 

[tessaesque]

I'm still using quicken 2010.... not sure why she feels the need to update.

Also, I have updated before and didn't lose any information.

She's been using Quicken since the early 2000s, and literally only uses it to track her checking account balance day-to-day. She upgrades because somebody sold her a bill of goods when she made the initial purchase and believes that she "has to". And I have no idea WHAT she's doing, but EVERY SINGLE TIME she upgrades I have to move the goddamned Coliseum to get all of her data back.

 

[LowDown]

How long have you used it? How do you like it? What would like to fix? What feature would you add? Thoughts?

I have used Quicken since it was a DOS program. In those days everything was entered manually and the main reason for having it was to print checks with your computer printer. Now days it will get bank, broker, fund, 401K and other information online and enter it all automatically. You can use it to pay bills with your bank or with a third party service. It will tell you your investment performance, net worth, etc., and trends over time. It links with financial information for funds, stocks and bonds. Everything is kept together where you can watch it. I can't imagine life without it.

 

[MaggieD]

How long have you used it? How do you like it? What would like to fix? What feature would you add? Thoughts?

I love Quicken. Been using it since it "began," I'd guess. I don't pay bills out of it anymore -- though it is super-convenient to do so -- because when I've been really sick? I can't stand getting on the computer. And then my bills don't get paid. So everything I have is on Quicken except my checking account. I do that manually. I know it's a supreme waste of time, but because of my aversion to the computer when I'm good a sick -- and Tom's inability to pay my bills if they're paid out of Quicken, I don't use it for that.

It's awesome for tracking stocks, pulling a daily/weekly/whatever update...Great for a quick look at monthly income, etc.

You can't go wrong, in my opinion. Cheap. And damned-near idiot proof.

 

[Fisher]

If I were using it just to keep track of my checking accounts, I would probably use Peachtree. I would think there would be shareware programs for something that simple. I use Quickbooks for most of my business stuff, but I have played around with Peachtree. It is a hell of a lot cheaper than QB which does some strange things splitting transactions apart in the audit trail for no discernible reason. As for Quicken, no clue.

 

[American]

I've been using Quicken for well over ten years. I started using a product called CheckFree back in 1995 to pay bills electronically and balance my bank accounts. A couple years later I changed to Quicken have used it every since. I pay all my bills electronically and love it. I track my investments with it too. I backup religiously, so I don't have the problems that grannie has. I remember when you had to use dial-up to upload your transaction, then Quicken Billpay came along through the Web.

@Tessie - You need to upgrade her data file yourself so you don't have to put up with that anymore.

 

[Gipper]

I hate Quicken. Use excel.

This.

I used to have Quicken. I've used Quicken. I hate Quicken.

I will, however, use and have used QuickBooks for a long time, although lately I've been using more PeachTree.

Having said that, as an accountant, I still backup EVERYTHING I have (at work) on Excel files so that I can add my own personal touch to them, and organized based on my own system once y/e comes around.

 

[radcen]

I have used Quicken since 1998. I don't use it to it's full potential, more as a glorified high-tech balance sheet, but for me and my lack of overall organization just that has been a Godsend.

Since my needs are simple I do not feel the need to upgrade every year. I bought 1998, and have upgraded once, in 2006. I guess my 8 year upgrade cycle is coming up in 2014. :2razz:

I think it's pretty simple to use, though I wish the generating and printing of reports was better. I do back-up fairly regularly, about 8-10 times a year.