Financial software advice
 

We're trying to get our finances slightly better organized. After a long period of what could best be described as, slackness, we'd like to have everything actually put down on paper.

So, what software might we use? The 800-pound gorilla in this case is Quicken. In fact I have an old copy of Quicken 2003 lying around. Using this I can export and import transactions from my banks and credit cards--a process that takes a very small amount of time.

But there are a couple things missing that I can't answer. Maybe other people have some experience or some suggestions?

First, categories. The only problem with the manual import (other than that it's manual) is that the transactions come in with no categories. Is it possible that if I upgraded to a newer version of Quicken I could have categories automatically applied? Other programs? If we have to assign categories manually after the download anyway, there's little reason to upgrade.

Second, access. Mrs. Dallas and I each have our own computers. Ideally we would set things up so each of us could have access--I can check whether we've paid the electric bill without bothering her, and vice versa. Does any program support this kind of arrangment? An obvious answer is a web-based service but a) the ones I've looked at seem lame and b) there are the privacy implications of throwing all our financial info on somebody's web server. (Yeah, I know the banks have it already.)

Call me a Luddite, paranoid, or old fashioned, but I won't put my financial (bank account) information on any computer connected to the internet. I simply don't trust Windows or my anti virus software to protect my nest egg.

I use Quickbooks for various non-profits and have use Quicken in the past. I find they work best if you don't use them properly! :lol: I set up all my budget lines as customer/jobs. Works a treat and I can produce all the reports I need very easily. I don't import data, though, but my point is if you dick about with the way you organize your data, you will probably be able to find a way to make stuff work.

I like Quickbooks better than Quicken. I inherited both so I have no idea of the cost comparison. I have only used the old version of Quicken, so I can't help you with that specifically.

Really I'm not much use at all, but I would help if I could.

I think beest uses excel to manage our personal finances. :lol:

I don't use financial software, but for those using Linux, *BSD, Solaris, or OS X, there's GnuCash.