The Best Personal Finance Program Available Today

You have finally decided to sit down and work out your personal finances so you can better plan for the future. Chances are you are not an economic expert who can figure all of the complicated data out on your own, so you have narrowed down your decision to either hiring a financial advisor or heading to the nearest office supply store to pick up a personal finance program.

Financial advisors can charge a lot if you want quality, so you’ve decided to opt for the software approach but finding the best program to suit your needs can seem like a near impossible undertaking with so many different brands on the market. Although there are hundreds of different companies with their own products, the two most powerful and popular programs remain Microsoft Money and Quicken.

Microsoft Money is solely a Windows based personal finance software solution which comes in three different forms: Standard, Deluxe and Premium. If you have purchased a Windows based system recently, you probably already have a copy of Microsoft Money Standard Edition installed on it.

The Standard Edition allows you to monitor only one financial account from one easy to use source. Deluxe sets the bar higher by giving you the power to manage any and all accounts you may have, as well as your credits, debts and taxes. Finally, Microsoft Money Premium personal finance software lets you set financial goals and get the most out of your investments.

The alternative to Microsoft Money is the Quicken brand of personal finance software. As with Money, there are three different versions of Quicken: Basic, Deluxe and Premier.  The Basic software allows you to track all of your accounts from one place as well as print checks, prepare your taxes and set financial goals.

Deluxe kicks up the power to let you view graphs of your finances and pay your bills online with one click. The Premier package will do everything that Deluxe and Basic did as well as give you advice and up to date news on your investments and compile all of the data you need for you taxes. Apple users can take heart in knowing that Quicken is available for both Windows and Mac operating systems.