Good (personal) finance software?

[Anonymous]

I used to use Quicken before I met DH. We'd like to manage our budget better, simplify our bill paying, and track our spending.

Which is better, Quicken or Microsoft Money?

Has anyone used any free software that they've downloaded? I've heard that there are a number of free, good programs out there but am not familiar with them.

Thanks!

FYI, we have a Mac not a PC, if that makes a difference.

[Anonymous]

Try www.mint.com. We love it. You can't pay bills on it, but otherwise, it's great at tracking your spending - and it will automatically update all your accounts for you. We used to use Quicken, but the inputting was too onerous, so it fell out of use.

[Anonymous]

Your choice of computer does make a bit of difference. From what I've read Quicken for Macs is not as good. I just use a basic spreadsheet program but you might want to check out the post below (and comments) for some other options (skip the first couple of paragraphs):

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fasterforward/2009/01/tech-related_resolutions_for_2.html?wprss=fasterforward

[Anonymous]

I have Quickbooks pro for business uses, and just created another file for personal. Works great. I can run reports on what I pay each vendor (water co, electric co, daycare), what falls into different categories - car related, house related, utilities, etc.

Chevy Chase allows one to download transactions directly from their site into QB. Don't know about other banks.

[Anonymous]

Mint.com. It is free and much easier to use than Quicken or Money.

[Anonymous]

a third vote for mint. you don't download anything either.

[Anonymous]

I am resurrecting this thread, because we just started using Mint. I love it, but my husband is still concerned about security.

We would appreciate any feedback from folks using mint.com. Your general thoughts, strategies, etc. with this site. (We find this easier than Quicken, just as an fyi)
Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Mint's compatibility with different Bank systems is spotty. Mine worked for a couple months and then hasn't been able to update for several months. Mint has next to no support being a free site and all. It is great software, but definitely reliability issues to be aware of.

[Anonymous]

I've been wanting to try Mint for months but I'm also worried about the security.

[Anonymous]

Use Quicken and love it. Unlike past years, for years now, you've been able to download all of your transactions (credit card, banks, investment accounts) with one click and then just verify them before you 'approve' their entry in your ledger or adjust the naming and categorize them. If you really want a tool that can do everything, Quicken is it. It's great, and pretty cheap.

[Anonymous]

We use excel. We hated quicken.