Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Bit of a learning curve, but ultimately great software suite
I'm a regular user of Pocket Money for my Palm Vx and I've used versions of Quicken Mac in the past but never really used the more advanced features due to lack of time and lack of interest in learning the ins and outs of the Quicken suite.I had heard great things about MS Money and decided to give this a shot since my finances have gotten a little more complex lately due to a better job, etc. I bought it and installed it. Installation is simple and setting up your initial accounts is WAY more easier than in Quicken. Quicken is OK, but tends to be on the ambiguous side at times. Not so with MS Money...there are tons of movie clips and spoken advice bits when you do something for the first time. The online help is pretty good as well. Plus, I LOVE the integration of your MSN Passport with this suite...to truly get the most out of Money 2003, you'll want to have a good internet connection and an MS Passport. You'll be able to upload your data to your My Money page on www.msn.com for the ability to access your financial data when you're not at your normal PC! There is a bit of a learning curve when it comes to classing and setting up your investment data, but to its credit, MS Money does a pretty good job clarifying things and making it as simple as possible for most novice users. While I am not a novice user by any stretch, it took me a few tries to get the web services working with some of my bank accounts. Many banks are supported, but some (like Chase Manhattan credit cards for some reason) are not. Overall, MS Money 2003 Deluxe has enabled me to set up my finances in a way in which I maintain them religiously and always know what my cash flow and bills are at a glance. Investments are now automatically tracked which helps in my analysis. You may want to invest in a dedicated book on Money 2003 if you're new to this sort of stuff, but old Quicken users will feel right at home. You have nothing to lose...spend the (money)and see how much easier your financial life becomes!!
Rating:  - Great Product!
This has been my first venture into the world of computer finance software and so far I am very favorably impressed.Microsoft Money 2003 is easy to use, is able to connect with every one of my financial institutions, and makes it simple to use only the features you are interested in and to ignore the rest. The menus are intuitive and the presentation is slick. I have encountered NO BUGS and everything has worked absolutely perfectly. This program might be useful for the person with so much money they can't keep track of it all, but I think this program is most useful to the person who lives paycheck to paycheck because after you enter in all of your salary information and recurring bills, you can forecast what your bank account balance will be every day for say the next 90 days and you can easily see what monthly car payments you can afford to make, or you can play around to see just how much more money you will have if only you stopped paying [X] a month for cable just to see Wolf Blitzer reporting, who really isn't all that interesting anyway, or how you would be able to afford that new computer you wanted next year if only you canceled that anoying call-waiting. Bottom line, if you like being able to see the big picture, and you hate call waiting, get this program, or at least download the free trial version and play around with it. It's that good!
Rating: - Amazing, so glad I switched from Quicken Deluxe 2002
I have to admit, I was definitely reluctant to switch to MS Money. I love Quicken and have used it since it first came out. I switched to the deluxe version around 1995 and have bought the upgrade pretty much every year.I was about to buy my 2003 update when I was encouraged to try MS Money. Since I do always search for the best product, I hesistantly placed my order. I got it and can just say WOW. No regrets here on switching. I was really expecting to junk it and stick either get Quicken 2003 or stay with Quicken 2002. It does take a little getting used to MS Money. But, after a day or two, you are rockin' and rollin' as you would be on Quicken. Does this program do much that Quicken doesn't? Well, no. BUT, when you factor in the integration with MS Money Online, then you have a clear winner. Quicken.com is no where near as good as Money Buy it, try it, and you'll be a convert too. Admittedly, I haven't used Quicken Deluxe 2003, but the demo I downloaded didn't offer much more. All the reviews I've read really think both programs are about on par. Like the reviewers, I too believe the big advantage with MS Money is all the great things it does on the web. Free tax filing by H&R Block is an added bonus as is free first year of MSN online banking. Though I doubt I'll switch from my free internet bank.
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