smn+@andrew.cmu.edu (Sherri Menees Nichols) (06/21/89)
The responses have slowed to a trickle now, so I'm posting the summary
of my query about Quicken and other check-writing programs. The quick
summary is that Quicken is easy to learn and easy to use, and tough to
beat for the price. On this advice, I purchased a copy of Quicken, and
from what I've seen so far, it handles everything I was doing with
Managing Your Money, but in a simpler fashion. It doesn't force
archival of transactions at reconciliation time (my complaint with MYM,
though I was told the latest version of MYM doesn't either). It's much
easier to use than MYM for dealing with my checking account. All in
all, I'm pleased with it.
The actual responses follow, for those who are interested.
Sherri Nichols
smn+@andrew.cmu.edu
From: rsiatl!jgd@uunet.uu.net (John G. De Armond)
My wife has been using quicken for several years. She does not write
checks with it but instead uses it to balance the checkbook and reconcile
the bank statements. Unless you have a *LOT* of bills to pay by check,
you will probably find checkwriting with the computer to not be worth it
from both a cost and time standpoint. Checks that work with quicken
are fairly expensive. By the time you load the checks, print an
alignmnet pattern and then enter the bills, you can do it by hand
about as well. My wife runs the program once a month at statement time.
As to the program itself, it uses a visual metaphor of the check
register.
It is written in compiled basic and has all the negative baggage that
comes with it including resetting all ports and refusing to run under
Novell. It also is accompanied with (IMHO) too many beeps and boops with
almost every operation.
My wife is happy with it so I'd have to recommend it on that basis.
From: Miriam Clifford <dmimi@uncecs.edu>
We've been using Quicken for a month or so and are very happy with it.
So
far we've not used it for check writing but are pleased with it's
ability to
track money and keep an accounting for us.
From: BURKHOLD%DAL1@AC.DAL.CA
I switched from MYM to Quicken about a year ago and have found this very
worthwhile. The only criticisms are that Quicken does not link different
bank accounts to facilitate transfers and does not handle Credit Card
balances.
Otherwise it is several times faster, everything is online, reporting is
flexibl
e
and easy. Deleting unwanted transactions is simple, it does not require
period
ending closing of the books, the period is whatever you choose at any
time. A
great little program.
From: royster@unccvax.uncc.edu (David Royster)
I have used Quicken for over 3 years now. I am quite pleased with it for
it has
been able to do all that I have needed. It is easy to use and easy to
learn.
What more can I say? I like it, as does my wife.
dcroyster
royster@unccvax.UUCP
fma00dcr@unccvm.BITNET
From: walters@thor.acc.stolaf.edu (John P. Walters)
About last January my local pharmacist, and a professional
friend, told me in casual conversation that he had bought a Tandy
computer (3000 I think) and was going to write it off as a loss
because it would do his books - mainly writing checks and paying
invoices. I told him to hang on while I looked around for a simpler
accounting program than he was using. I picked up Quicken 2.0 for $45,
and installed it for him. Last week he informed me that he is now just
about running his whole store with it, and that it is the best thing
he has found since he started the store! I think it shows how easy it
was for him to use it within his experience of "tagboard" accounting
compared to other bigger programs. He didn't scrap the computer.
From: ihlpa!smann@att.att.com
I use Quicken and am very happy with it. It allows me to enter
groups of transactions at one time, or individual transactions
one at a time. I'm not sure what you mean by forcing you to
archive once you have reconciled your balance, but I don't think
Quicken does this. The only real problem that I know of with
Quicken is you cannot customize your check writing, which evidently
means that you must use Quicken's checks if you want to use it to
print your checks.
There are several different types of reports you can print with it,
and you can have more than one account. However, you cannot
automatically
move money from one account to another.
This was the third checking account software I tried, and the best.
I feel no need to look for anything better.
From: joe@pnet51.cts.com (Jim Henderson)
Of the ones we sell, Quicken is the most popular, but I personally own
Bank
Mate, and think it's a somewhat better program. It's a lot easier to
use, and
it has a "parent" program called Money Mate. Both are published by
Mindscape.
Prices are between $50 and $60.
Jim Henderson, Part-Time Sales Associate, Software Etc...Store 968
(Brookdale Shopping Center, Brooklyn Center, MN)
From: Norman Joseph <rt1!ditka!oglvee!norm@hc.dspo.gov>
I use Quicken and, for the most part, have no big complaints with it.
It is easy to use and intuitive, so much so that I hardly read the
manual for it anymore. At ~$30 mail order its not a bad deal.
Here at work, I can't tell you much more than you could probably get
from a magazine ad. If you have any specific questions about what it
can or cannot do, drop me a line. I'll dust off my manual and try to
answer your questions.
From: rgough@netxdev.DHL.COM
The new version of MYM (i.e, 5.0) doesn't require you to archive
reconciled transactions. The upgrade is $49.95. I've been using it
for 6 months or so, though, and have included that it's a piece of
trash. I simply don't like the contortions one has to go through to do
the simplest of things. Also, incomplete integration among several
components. I could go on, but I won't.
So what I've switched to CheckFree for my checkbook maintenance and I'm
going to use Paradox 3.0 for maintaining and manipulating other stuff.
CheckFree is a timesharing service that will actually write your checks
for you (or send them electronically through the banking system).
You're provided with software that lets you maintain your check
register and instruct CheckFree to make payments for you. You set
everything up off-line, then dial in to transmit your instructions. I
think it's a great idea, and hope to save at least a couple hours a
month writing checks and addressing and stamping envelopes. In that
time I save, I'll write the perfect money management package in Paradox
:-).
CheckFree costs $49.95 to get started plus $9/month for the first 20
transactions plus $3 per 10 transactions after that. It's also got
rudimentary budgeting facilities and, most importantly, will export its
data to a variety of formats. You can then use a spreadsheet or database
manager if you need more.
Since I've only been doing this for a short time, I can't say how it's
all
going to work out. They don't call it the bleeding edge for nothing, you
know; I've already had the #$@!&% thing trash my files. But the good
news
is that CheckFree's Customer Service department was able to repair them.
And since I'd scheduled payments for the next couple weeks or so, there
was
no emergency. Caveat emptor!
From: draut@oliven.ATC.Olivetti.Com (John Draut)
I just recently purchased Quicken and I am pleased with it. It's fast,
report generation is a snap, and there are no arbitrary bounds on files
except for disk size. Tax categories are easy to set up, and they can
be changed after the initial entry, even after reconciliation. There is
no
need to archive transactions. This program is not a full-fledged
double-entry
accounting system, thank god, but if you have the time and inclination
it will support non-cash transactions and assets & liabilities.
For the price ($35 at my local dealer) I don't think you can beat it.
By the way, it supports laserjet and deskjet printers as well as the
typical
tractor-feed dot matrix printers. I find it quite easy to simply feed a
sheet of three checks into my deskjet, and print out the checks without
having to go through the hassles of removing the text paper, setting up
and
aligning the tractor-feed checks, and then returning to the text paper.
My recommendation is to have a dedicated check printer if you really
want to
save time with automated checking and you use a tractor-feed printer.
From: Carl Riehm <maccs!riehm@uunet.UU.NET>
I have no experience writing checks with Quicken, but I have been
using it for sometime now to keep track of all my accounts, and to
balance them. It is a terrific program and I recommend it highly!
Carl Riehm. riehm@maccs.mcmaster.ca
From: loral!hlb@crash.cts.com (Howard Brandell)
I looked at Quicken for the PC but it was not double-entry accounting
system. It was simple an income/expense type system. That is, it
does not maintain assets and liabilities and effect changes in them
through transactions.
I currently use Dollars and Sense for the Apple //e and it works quite
well. I especially like the speed with which transactions can be
entered. Take a look at it before you buy anyting else.
Managing Your Money was too cumbersome for me to get used to, D & $
seems
the best for my needs. Good luck.hari@soleil.UUCP (Srihari Kotcherlakota) (06/23/89)
Quicken Vs ECM:
Quicken:
Cost ~ $30
Advantages:
Easy to use. Excellent to categorize expenses, Excellent reporting.
Easy to modify data, easy to prepare budget.
Disadvantages:
Will handle only one account at a time:-
no transfers between accounts are supported,
Net worth (sum of assets of all accounts -
sum of all liabilities of all accounts) is not reported,
categories have to be defined for each account separately (although
you can get around this by copying files in DOS)
budget has no meaning unless a separate budget is made for each account.
ECM:
Advantages:
Easy to use. All accounts are linked which means none of the disadvantages
described above for Quicken exist.
Disadvantages:
Very poor in categorizing expenses. Poor reporting. Very slow since all
accounts are handled simultaneously as data is entered. Bugs in deleting
accounts cause erroneus reports and some arithmetic errors.