No More MS Money (Now I Can Say ‘I told you so!’)

OK, not to gloat….well, what the hey, why not gloat: I was so sure that Microsoft would abandon MS Money back in August of 2008. Microsoft just confirmed my suspicions, Microsoft Money has come to an end. If you’re a Microsoft Money customer, check out what Microsoft’s info about phasing out MS Money. And, while some features will continue to work in Money once it’s kaput, don’t believe Microsoft’s indication that MS Money will be usable. Microsoft Money software is so dependent on online services that it will be a useless shell of its former self. That is, unless you’re just looking for check register software where you do all the manual data entry like you did 15 years ago.

Can Quicken Replace Microsoft Money?
Should Microsoft Money users turn to Quicken? I’m not so sure about that. While Quicken and Money have close to the same feature set, the way the user interacts with the software is different enough to cause a lot of frustration to those who are used to MS Money. And, a lot of Microsoft Money data does not convert or import into Quicken. However, if Quicken developers are on their toes and they can come out with a high-quality, easy to use converter or import tool for Money to Quicken data, Quicken could run away with the desktop personal finance software market. However, in my opinion, Quicken has to also work on more consistent quality and lose the attempt at generating online revenue with Quicken Picks, which is only very weakly connected to managing money. Again, this is my opinion. Quicken PR folks need not respond with a match and lighter fluid.

Desktop Personal Finance Software Options

If you want to stick with desktop personal finance software, You Need A Budget Pro is the best for the seriously budget-focused, or check out Fortora Fresh Finance,which offers one license that can be shared between Mac and Windows. Also, SplashMoney might do the trick for you especially if you used the more basic features in Microsoft Money – and SplashMoney has apps for Smartphones, Windows Mobile, Palm and Blackberry devices. Moneydance is another strong contender that works on multiple Windows, Mac, Linux and more. You can read more about this in the list of Windows personal finance software I put together while working at About.com.

Online Personal Finance Software Options
Of course, you could always choose to go online with your personal finances. I also wrote up a list of online personal finance software at About.com. While Mint.com is pretty slick, ClearCheckbook may be more of what some are looking for, and PearBudget is a good choice, too.
Direct Site Links to Personal Finance Software mentioned in this post: