个人财务软件选择

1、个人财务软件选择 how to choose and use personal-finance software. by: mann, richard o., compute!, 0194357x, apr93, vol. 15, issue 4 database: mas ultra - school edition html full text how to choose and use personal-finance software contents 1. basic checkbook functions 2. bank reconciliation 3. check writin

2、g 4. electronic bill-paying 5. reporting and budgeting 6. tax summaries 7. advanced functions 8. quicken 6.0 and quicken for windows 2.0 9. andrew tobias managing your money 9.0 10. moneycounts 7.0 personal edition 11. microsoft money 2.0 listenpausestopselect: american accentsettingsdownload mp3?cl

3、osesection: computes getting started with personal money management when it comes to dollars and cents, some of us are fairly talented operators. however, many more of us find ourselves at sea when it comes to things financial. our skills and understanding vary from the what-do-you-mean-im-overdrawn

4、-i-still-have-checks crowd to the wall-street-journal-reading, cd-rate-watching gang. you might be surprised to find all kinds of professionals and business people in the checkbook-as-a-mystic-experience group. wherever you fall on the scale, your pc can be a financial lifesaver. todays personal-fin

5、ance software practically runs itself. if you can fill out a check and a deposit slip properly, you can use these programs. in fact, with your basic skills and the computers advanced skills, you can accomplish financial miracles. what can personal-finance programs do for you? their feature lists get

6、 longer each year and include some impressive-sounding functions. basic features offered by all the programs include checkbook functions, writing checks, budgeting, bank reconciliation, tax information summarization, and electronic bill paying. the moreambitious programs add investment management, p

7、ayables and receivables tracking, and dozens of other snazzy functions. one program even offers its own visa card with electronic statements. in a nutshell, they can free you from worry about your financial situation-at least the worries that come from not knowing where you stand. they can convert c

8、onfusion to control, mystery to management, and aimless wandering to unerring progress. you invest time and the software provides financial expertise. even those with no math or money skills can find substantial help here. basic checkbook functions begin by automating the checkbook itself. as you wr

9、ite checks and make deposits, you record them in your check register. every few days, enter the checks and deposits into the computers check register. the program draws a virtual check on the screen-fill it out just like writing a check. or you can use the check register screen, which looks just lik

10、e your paper check register. either way, the computer handles all the arithmetic with its usual flawless accuracy. if you take a few minutes every few days, youll always be accurately up-to-date. then, when the bank statement comes, youll be ready for a new and marvelous experience. bank reconciliat

11、ion once a month, you get a bark statement. your job is to reconcile it with your checkbook to ensure that what youve recorded in your checkbook matches what the bank processed. this is how you find errors in your checkbook and the less frequent but very real bank errors. most bankstatements have a

12、printed form on the back that attempts to walk you through the reconciliation process. its not fun, and its not easy. if, however, youve been entering your checkbook in the computer, the process is simplicity itself. it takes about ten minutes and involves merely following the on-, screen instructio

13、ns. youll love it; i promise. check writing next comes writing your checks on the computer. enter the information on the screen for a batch of checks, then send them to the printer. of course, youll need to buy pre-printed checks, which are more expensive than hand-written checks. if your bill-payin

14、g sessions involve a dozen or more checks at a sitting, the time and effort saved can justify the extra cost. electronic bill-paying if you have a modem, you can pay bills through an electronic service. authorize the payments on your computer, then send the information via the modem. the bill-paying

15、 service electronically transfers funds from your account to the payees account (if the payee is set up for such payments) or prints and mails a paper check to the payee. this service isnt free. the leading service, checkfree, charges $9.95 per month for the first 20 payments and $3.50 for each addi

16、tional block of ten payments. many people love it, however, for its paperless, effortless ease. reporting and budgeting as you enter each transaction, you assign it to a category or account. (income categories could include salary, while expense categories could include groceries, rent, utilities, a

17、nd entertainment.) with this information in the computer, you can run reports at any time showing totals by month or year in each category. these reports can provide an informal budget review as you see the totals for entertainment or christmas gifts, for example, you may strike your forehead and sa

18、y, weve got to cut back! formal budgeting is also easy. decide what your monthly income and expenses will be (or should be) and enter it by category into the computer at the beginning of the year. every report from then on can show actual results compared to budget, revealing how well youre doing at

19、 living within your plan. many who would like to keep a budget havent because the record keeping is so painful. with the computer, its a snap. tax summaries if you design your categories properly, at the end of the year most of the information needed for your tax return will be at your fingertips. r

20、un your income and expense report and pick out the deductible totals. (some programs offer a report listing only tax return items.) many of these programs also perform tax estimates during the year. if you tell the program which categories are deductible, the program can perform a rough estimate of

21、your eventual liability. advanced functions many of these programs meet the needs of casual investors; one (managing your money) is suitable for professional home investors. some let you record unpaid bills outside your checkbook, then write checks to pay them later. some will track sums owed to you

22、. they all have some degree of export to spreadsheet programs, where you can massage your data to your hearts content. if you have a specific need beyond the normal, check out several programs; chances are that one of them has the feature you need. each of the programs well examine has its own perso

23、nality, its own targeted users, and its own abilities. quicken 6.0 and quicken for windows 2.0 quicken (intuit, 155 linfield drive, p.o. box 3014, menlo park, california 94026; 800-624-8742; $69.95 for either dos or windows version) is the perennial best-selling personal-finance program-in fact, its

24、 usually the top-selling of all programs for home use. theres good reason for this success. from the beginning, intuits single-minded mission has been simplicity and ease of use, resulting in a product legendary for its friendliness. over the years, it has been a challenge to continue to add advance

25、d features to quicken without compromising its essential simplicity. you get to the advanced features through inconspicuous menu choices; users interested only in the basic features may never see the advanced items. thus, the basic functions remain extremely easy to learn and use, but the more exoti

26、c features can be hard to find and less than easy to use. quicken shines in the details of daily use. for example, the plus and minus keys change dates one day at a time. the m key moves you to the first day of the month. (m is the first letter in the word month. y does similar things for the year.)

27、 throughout the program, if theres a way to make entry easier or faster, quicken provides it. the competition tries to match this philosophy; even though each program has valuable unique features, none can match quickens overall feeling of speed and ease. the dos and windows versions of quicken have

28、 almost identical feature sets, although the details of using each interface differs. the new windows version 2.0 displays the quicken magic in abundance. innovative touches include grayed-out labels in blank check register fields. quicken uses the windows interface in the most innovative yet comfor

29、tably natural way ive seen. the newest feature in quicken is intellicharge: quickensown visa card. with theintellicharge card, you get your monthly credit card statements either on disk ($4.50 per month) or by modem ($3.00 per month). quicken reads in all your credit card transactions without any da

30、ta entry on your part. another outstanding feature is quickzoom. click on any report total or graph item, and quicken shows you a list of the underlying transactions. click on a transaction to go to its check register entry. its unbeatable for digging into the details supporting your reports. quicke

31、n offers an adequate investment tracking system, an awkward way to track payables and receivables, an excellent automatic tutorial and practice data set, and a canned set of categories for both home and business use. the dos version of quicken is outstanding; the windows version is even better. andr

32、ew tobias managing your money 9.0 managing your money (meca software, 55 walls drive fairfield, connecticut 06430; 800-288-6322; $79.95) is the most complete product in the field. lt provides tools for the serious investor, including general advice on when to buy and sell, as well as optional real-t

33、ime stock quotes and online stock market trading . in its effort to cover every nook and cranny of your financial situation, it gives advice on your insurance coverage, estimates your life expectancy, and helps you plan your retirement savings program. mym is a showcase for the andrew tobias persona

34、lity. tobias, the author of best-selling personal-finance books, writes with a common-sense, down-to-earth style full of humor. mym is comfortable, chatty, and friendly. version 9.0 updates the interface to a standard top-menu-bar mouse interface that is decidedly easier to work with than the quirky

35、 function-key-based system of the earlier versions. the basic tools for writing checks and recording deposits are top-notch. mym includes a way to record bills in a list of payables. until you mark them for payment and generate the checks, the expenses associated with these bills do not show in your

36、 reports. (with quicken and moneycounts, such future payments appear in your check register without check numbers, muddying the picture of your status.) theres a similar accounts receivable function, which can be used to print invoices and track monies owed to you. while its not quite as easy to use

37、 as quicken, the many additional features and full-line investment features make mym better for investors. with its new pricing (reduced from $220 to $80) and new interface, mym is now in a better position to compete head-to-head with quicken for users who arent sophisticated investors. moneycounts

38、7.0 personal edition moneycounts (parsons technology, one parsons drive, p.o. box 1 00, hiawatha, iowa 52233; 800 2236925; $49) has long been the low-cost best buy in the field. the new 7.0 version represents a major shift in philosophy and interface for the product. in version 7.0, moneycounts adop

39、ts a mouse-based interface similar to its competition. you now enter checks in a screen that looks like a paper check and have a check register that mimics its paper counterpart. an importantaddition is the standard chart of accounts (list of categories); older versions required you to build your ca

40、tegory list from scratch. the new version removes certain features that parsons has moved to a forthcoming business edition. one such item is the ability to list future bills in a payables list, a standard feature of previous versions that set moneycounts apart from the competition. despite the chan

41、ges, you can still tell that moneycountswas written by an accountant; the accounting jargon and the essential double-entry nature of the accounting system are not as well disguised here as they are in quicken. moneycounts feels like home to anyone with a bookkeepingbackground, but is still appropria

42、te for those without accounting training. the programs selection of 25 reports as well as pie charts and other graphs is unusually rich, but its investment tracking tools are only adequate. ive been a happy moneycounts user for several years, but the new version confuses me. its no longer fast and e

43、fficient (data converted from the old version now takes over 4 times as much disk space) and several important features have been dropped. now it feels like a weak imitation of quicken. nevertheless, its still a solid program at an excellent price-if you havent been spoiled by its earlier versions.

44、microsoft money 2.0 although new to the field, microsoft money (microsoft, one microsoft way, redmond, washington 98052; 800 426-9400; $79.95) is a pleasant, easy-to-use windows application. getting into the program is easy; a coach gives onscreen instructions on setting things up and entering trans

45、actions. the coachs comments appear at the bottom of the screen until you feel confident enough to turn them off. the basic checkbook functions are a snap to learn and use, but the program begins to show its weaknesses when you move to advanced features. it doesnt track investments except as individ

46、ual asset accounts and wont help much with financial planning. the program links to billpay usa, the prodigy networks electronic bill paying function, but doesnt support checkfree.money isnt trying to be all things to all users. lt does an excellent job of providing basic checkbook management servic

47、es and is a good choice for a beginner who wants only basic functions in the windows environment. photo: computer screen with microsoft money operating photo: computer screen with meca softwares managing your money by richard o. mann 如何选择和使用个人理财软件作者：曼，理查德澳如何选择和使用个人财务软件内容1 ，基本的支票簿功能2 ，银行对帐3，检查写作4，电子账

48、单支付5，报告和预算6，税务摘要7 。高级功能8，加快6.0和加快为windows 2.09 。安德鲁拜厄斯的管理你的钱9.010 。moneycounts 7.0个人版11， microsoft资金2.0段：compute s入门与理财当谈到金钱，我们中的一些人是相当有才华的运营商。然而，当它涉及到财务方面的事情时，更多的人觉得我们在海上，。我们的技能和理解发生变化从什么待办事项 - 你均值 - 我 - 透支 - 我 - 还 - 有 - 检查人群到华尔街杂志阅读， cd利率观赏团伙。你可能会惊讶地发现各类专业人才和商务人士将支票簿作为一种神秘的体验组。无论你属于上规模，你的电脑可以是一个金融

49、救星。今天的个人理财软件几乎运行本身。如果你可以正确填写一张支票和一张存款单，您可以使用这些程序。事实上，你的基本技能和计算机的高级技能，你就可以完成金融奇迹。有什么可以个人理财计划为你做点什么？他们的功能清单越来越长，每年包括一些令人印象深刻的冠冕堂皇的功能。提供所有的基本功能，这些程序包括支票簿函数，写检查，预算编制、银行和解，税务信息、汇总和电子账单支付。更雄心勃勃的计划新增投资管理，应付款及应收账款的跟踪，和几十个其他时髦功能。一个程序甚至提供了自己的visa卡用电子报表。概括地说，他们可以免费从担心你财务状况 - 至少是来自没有后顾之忧知道你的立场。他们可以将混乱控制，神秘的管理“，

50、并漫无目的的游荡到无误的进步。你投入时间和软件提供财务专业知识。甚至包括那些没有数学或金钱技能可以在这里找到实质性的帮助。基本功能支票簿通过自动化支票簿本身开始。当你写检查和进行存款，您在您的支票记录他们登记。每隔几天，输入支票及存款成计算机的检查登记。该方案利用虚拟检查屏幕上，填写就像写一张支票。或者你可以使用支票登记簿的屏幕，看起来就像你的纸检查登记。无论哪种方式，在电脑处理所有算术以其一贯的完美无瑕的准确性。如果您花几分钟的时间，每隔几天，你永远是准确了最新的。然后，当银行对账单来的时候，你会准备一个新的和奇妙的体验。银行对帐每月一次，你就会得到一个树皮声明。你的工作是与你的支票簿调和它

51、，以确保你做了什么记录在你的支票簿匹配什么样的银行处理。这是你如何找到你的支票簿的错误和不频繁，但很真实银行的错误。大多数银行报表上，试图背面有印刷形式走过的和解进程。这不好玩，这并不容易。但是，如果你已经进入你的支票簿在计算机，这个过程本身很简单。它需要大约10分钟，仅仅涉及以下上，屏幕说明。你一定会喜欢它;我保证。检查写作接下来是写你检查电脑上。输入屏幕为一个批的检查信息，然后发送到打印机。当然，你需要购买预印检查，这是比手写的检查更加昂贵。如果你的账单支付会话涉及十几个或更多的检查在坐姿，节省了时间和精力能证明额外的成本。电子账单支付如果你有一个调制解调器，您可以通过支付账单电子服务。授

52、权您的付款计算机，然后通过调制解调器发送的信息。该账单支付服务，从电子转移你的资金账户到收款人的帐户（如果收款人是设立这种付款）或打印和邮寄纸质支票的收款人。这项服务是不是免费的。领先的服务，checkfree公司，收费每月9.95美元的第20款和3.50美元10款，每增加块。许多人们喜欢它，但是，对于它的无纸化，轻松自如。报告和预算当你进入每一笔交易，将其分配到某个类别或帐户。（收入类别可能包括工资，而费用类别可能包括杂货，房租，水电，和娱乐。）随着计算机信息，您可以在任何时候显示总计按月运行报告或今年在每个类别。这些报告可以提供一个非正式的预算审查正如你看到的总数为娱乐或圣诞礼物，例如，您

53、可能打击你的额头，说：“我们已经得到了削减回来了！ ”正式的预算也很容易。决定你每月收入和支出将是（或应该是），并通过它进入类别插入电脑在今年年初。从那时起，每一份报告相比，可以显示实际结果预算，露出你做得怎样在生活中你的计划。许多谁想要保持预算有没有因为记录保存是如此痛苦。随着计算机，这是一个管理单元。税务摘要如果你设计你的类正确，在今年年底大部分的需要为您的纳税申报信息将在您的指尖。运行你的收入和开支报告和挑选出的可抵扣总额。（有些程序提供了一个报告上市仅纳税申报的项目。）许多这些项目的过程中也进行税务估计年份。如果您知道哪些类别是程序扣税，该程序可以执行的粗略估计你的最终责任。高级功能许

54、多这些方案满足休闲的投资者的需要;一（管理你的钱）是适合专业家庭投资者。一些让你记录外未付账单你的支票簿，然后写支票后向他们支付。一些将跟踪欠你的款项。它们都具有某种程度的导出到电子表格程序，在那里你可以按摩您的数据到你的心脏的内容。如果你有特殊的需要超出正常，检查出几个方案;机会是他们中的一个有你需要的功能。每次我们将研究方案都有自己的个性，自己的目标用户，和自己的能力。加快6.0和加快为windows 2.0加快（忒， 155林菲尔德驱动，邮政信箱3014 ，门洛帕克公园，加州94026 ; 800-624-8742 ; 69.95美元要么dos或windows版本）是多年生最畅销的个人理

55、财计划 - 事实上，它通常是最畅销适合于家庭使用的所有程序。有很好的理由成功。从一开始， intuit的一心一意的x已经简单性和易用性，从而导致产品传说中的友善。多年来，它一直是一个挑战，继续增加先进的功能，而不会影响到其加快必要的简单性。你到了高级功能通过不显眼的菜单选项;感兴趣的用户只在基本功能可能永远也看不到的先进的项目。因此，基本功能仍然非常容易学习并使用，但更奇特的功能，可很难找到和小于使用方便。加快闪耀在日常使用中的细节。例如，本加号和减号键更改一次日期一天。在m键移动你这个月的第一天。（m为所述第一字母在单词一个月。?做类似的事情的一年。）在整个方案中，如果有一种方法，使进入更容易或更快，加快其提供。比赛尝试符合这一理念;即使每个程序都有珍贵独特的功能，没有可以匹配的quicken的整体感觉速度和易用性。加快的dos和windows版本几乎相同的功能集，但使用的每个细节接口不同。新的windows版本2.0的显示加快魔法丰富。创新包括触摸在空白支票登记信息显示为灰色标签。加速使用中最具创新性的windows界面还我见过的舒适自然的方式。quicken中的最新功能是intellicharge：加快的自己的visa卡。随着intellicharge卡，你会