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I really miss Parson's MoneyCounts from back in the pre-Windows days.
Wish I could find something that does today all that it did back then.
(Not to mention that it did all of that in only 16 bits, less than 640k, speeds under 12MHz, the list goes on.)
For the moment, I now need to start keeping up with expenses.
Opinions are welcome and requested.
Is a simple expense tracker superior to a full-fledged personal finance package ?
Opinions on specific apps are also welcome.
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Quicken
If it's not broken, fix it until it is
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Isn't that a full on accounting package needing 3 days training and a pilots licence to run it?
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity
RAH
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Well, you might be referring to Quick Books. To track personal expenses, I use Quicken - the check book interface program. It's okay, but ever since they outsourced their development, voodoo doll sales are way up  .
There are three major issues to keep in mind when thinking of Quicken:
1) They have a revenue model where they obsolete transaction downloads from your banks.
It's on a 3 year cycle, and it's annoying as hell. They justify this by saying the
protocols are changing all of the time, but what's wrong with adding a filter to convert?
Further, I find it incredible that banks change their api's on a 3 year schedule, but
what do I know?
This means every 3 years, they stop updating your accounts, and you have to buy the next
release.
2) When updates stop working, debugging the issue is sheer voodoo. They will immediately
blame your bank. When you go online in the discussion forums, you will meet similarly
enraged quicken users.
3) Last I checked, they were the only game in town. When MS Money passed on, they no longer
had any competition. I've tried some of the other packages, and though they might be
free, they don't match quicken. And it's a serious pain in the arse to change.
With that said, most of the time Quicken just runs. I only use it for day to day personal finances and limited business items. It does come in handy for reports when it's time for the corporate tax return.
Charlie Gilley
<italic>Stuck in a dysfunctional matrix from which I must escape...
"Where liberty dwells, there is my country." B. Franklin, 1783
“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759
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Might try GnuCash[^], it's free!
New version: WinHeist Version 2.1.1 new web site.
I know the voices in my head are not real but damn they come up with some good ideas!
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I use Microsoft Money Sunset Edition, which (as of 2012) was available free from Microsoft. It can handle multiple accounts, multiple currencies (you have to enter the conversion factors manually), and multiple investment portfolios.
The banks in Israel never interfaced with MS Money, so I don't know how good it is at downloading your bank accounts. It does not do proper journaling, so it probably won't meet any statutory requirements for bookkeeping. Other than that - it does anything your typical household would need.
EDIT: The download is still available. Google "Microsoft Money Sunset Edition"
If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time - a tremendous whack.
--Winston Churchill
modified 27-Jul-15 3:26am.
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Downloaded it.
Will examine it.
Thanks; never knew it existed.
Microsoft Freeware, who'da'thunk'it ?
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I have used Microsoft Money for the past 7 years.
It does everything I need in order to track my expenses, income and investments. The reports are as good as I need them to be.
Why oh why oh why did Microsoft stop releasing new versions?
“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
― Christopher Hitchens
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Thanks
I downloaded it this morning and will run it in parallel for a while to make sure it does not corrupt 7 years worth of data 
“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
― Christopher Hitchens
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My financial 'planner' and expense tracker are by e-statements and online banking.
No object is so beautiful that, under certain conditions, it will not look ugly. - Oscar Wilde
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YNAB[^]
Bastard Programmer from Hell 
If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^]
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I'm still using MS Money 2002, one of the best products ever from Microsoft. Unfortunately since they canned the project it's no longer available to buy. You could try eBay to see if anyone has a CD/DVD for sale.
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Watch your words. I just had to pull you out of the Filter 
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I guess the expression, "one of the best products ever from Microsoft", is only allowed in SoapBox 1.0. 
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Regarding MoneyDance, their website looks good, but their free trial is too feeble.
I don't feel that 100 transactions is enough to gage the product.
I'm after one month, three month, six month, and annual trends in expenditures.
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I can't disagree that their free trial is limited. I still went with it (partly because of recommendation from a friend I trust and being able to look at his copy).
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I used MS Money[^] as well. Not sure why they stopped releasing it, but it worked.
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Okay, here's what I downloaded today....
Looks like two paid and three free. Duh, maybe I should be a software reviewer. The world really needs more of those; especially on the internet where software reviews are so rare. (yach-ah-ahhhh, I will accept bribes and no one will be able to tell.)
Thanks for the advice and direction
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I wrote some specialised marine navigation software for the PC a few years ago, the sales are not mind blowing but are respectable and helped pay the way when the kids were younger.
I use Hydrographic data under licence and legally I am bound by certain conditions of use of the data, so as a "back to back" condition with the program's user the opening screen of the program says:
"Unauthorised copying or distribution of this program or any parts thereof or any data produced by or produced from its use or ownership is strictly prohibited under U.K.and international law and WILL result in criminal proceedings to the maximum permitted under such law. This program is for single user only."
The user has to "Agree" to continue or "Disagree" and the program closes.
Suddenly I have an issue, I find that my software has been used by a very large energy company as a part of their justification process and they have quoted my software's output with a dozen references and screen grabs in a report that has now been posted on a UK Government planning portal. The authors of the report have totally disregarded the conditions of use and even more importantly have not addressed some very important issues which my software does take into account, their report is just plain inadequate (almost laughable) but it drags my software into an argument which I don't want to be a part of.
My problem is that they have blatantly broken the conditions of use of the software but what should I do about it? I have already sent a letter to them and they replied saying they had hired a consultant and gave me their name possibly with the intention of pushing the responsibility onto them.
Should I ignore the situation knowing that it will eventually get buried in the mists of time or should I take some form of action?
The broader and more important issue that this highlights being is it only the likes of Microsoft, Google, Apple etc who can enforce their conditions of use and when the rest of us put in our conditions how can we enforce them?
I think the lawyers will get rich if I pursue this and I am the one who will lose his shirt.
What would you guys do or what have you done in similar situations?
Les
Victory for the little man- but how?
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As I understand it, going to Law in the UK is very expensive, so before doing so I would ask the following questions:
- What is your legal liability for their misuse of the program?
Are you liable for damages to the providers of the data that you use?
Is it likely that you will be held liable for the laughable results presented in their report? - Will their misuse of your program harm your reputation?
- Are there any copyright issues in their use of your software's output?
You may find it easier to sue them for copyright violation than for breaking the licensing terms. - How deep are the pockets involved?
Yours, and theirs (don't neglect the consultant)
And last, but far from least:
5. What does your solicitor think of this?
If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time - a tremendous whack.
--Winston Churchill
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I ain't no lawyer, nor do I play one on TV...
It sounds to me like your "conditions of use" is simply there to cover your ass if the data provider tries to come after you for violation of their license. I don't see any benefit in raising a stink.
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