Quicken 2001 Deluxe

Quicken 2001 Deluxe has a transparent installation, and setting up your accounts is very quick and simple; even accessing your bank's information online (if available) takes only a few minutes. Though it's a little less helpful than Microsoft Money in offering advice to financial novices and its Web integration isn't perfect, Quicken makes up for these minor problems with its simplicity and powerful planning features.

New features are plentiful, as Intuit takes great pains to listen to its customers: Palm integration, easy updates, tax withholding help, and car and home value estimators are all tremendous advantages over old versions. The tax help in particular is nice, acknowledging the stress involved for most people and making it simple and easy to make the right decision without resorting to cartoon characters or cheesy humor. Each planning tool (reducing debt, buying a house, retirement, etc.) is excellent on its own, but unfortunately is just that--on its own.

The tools are not as well integrated as Money's, and while each individual Quicken program is generally better, those with a lot on their financial plates may find Money's synthesis more helpful. Those who know a bit about their money and want a simple, less flashy toolbox for keeping track of all their investments will find much to love about Quicken 2001 Deluxe. --Rob Lightner

Pros:

• Streamlined financial information
• Easy online access
• Covers nearly every variety of financial information

• Some prior knowledge required
• Planners good but not well integrated

Easier Smart Reconcile helps you find and fix common mistakes. More powerful portfolio analysis tools give you greater insight into how your investments are really doing. And better ways to track and optimize your 401(k) help insure you're on the right path to retirement.

Write checks, print checks, or even send payments online. Schedule payments and receive proactive reminders for when they're due. Bank online conveniently, downloading your data from the Web. Access your account balances, transfer funds, and pay bills. Quicken works with over 1,200 banks, credit card, and brokerage companies.

See where it all goes with reports and graphs--get quick and easy answers to questions about your spending, budget, net worth, and more, and then create a budget you can realistically follow. Track your investments and then compare them, downloading prices on stocks and mutual funds right from the Web.

Note: Online features require Internet access and are subject to change. Additional fees may apply for online banking and bill payment. Services vary among financial institutions and are subject to their terms and conditions. $20 mail-in rebate for upgrade customers only.

Quicken 2001 Deluxe is extremely versatile. You can track dozens of checking accounts and credits cards, pay bills electronically, track your stock portfolio's current value online and have it update your net worth. It keeps track of your deductible tax expenses and has numerous pre formatted reports you can use to manipulate the data. Also, all the reports can be customized to include or exclude certain accounts, payees, dates, etc. You can also save customized reports that you use repeatedly.

The feature I like is the snapshot, which gives you updated graphs and lists, customized by the user, of all the relevant financial information you want to see at a glance, like net worth, budget performance, credit outstanding, etc. The online support site can be directly accessed from within Quicken, you don't have to open a seperate browser. I've also had very good luck ordering my checks from Intuit.

Quicken 2001 continues Intuit's progress on improving the software. The interface is more versatile, giving the user more options as to how to set it up. The financial reports are good and continue to improve. Quickens portfolio tracker is astounding allowing you to download tons of information on stocks in your portfolio or others you just want to watch. If you aren't sure whether to upgrade, I strongly recommend it.

Overall, I would highly recommend Quicken to any experienced user. For new or technophobic users with needs for a lot of these features, I recommend you gut it out and spend some time with Quicken to learn how much it can do for you.

If your fiancial needs are very simple and you buy a lot of the "XXXXX for Dummies" books, Quicken might be more than you need or want to take on. Still, it might be worth it to try the program. You may find it has uses you didn't anticipate when you were trying to balance your checkbook with pen, paper and a calculator.


No problems   January 9, 2007
Scott M. Craner (St. George, Utah)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Great service. Took longer than expected for product to arrive. Was in good condition and well packaged. Would use this seller again.


The software is wonderful   October 11, 2009
emely (california)
I add and subtract my income and expense often. And if I use the pencil and paper it will take forever. If I compare the old way of using the pencil and paper to calculate my financial transaction with this software, the quicken 2001 is light years away.God bless the genius who invented this product.


There's no other way to manage your finances.   September 29, 2000
Michael D. Waters (Franklin, TN)
22 out of 46 found this review helpful

I've been using Quicken since the first DOS versions. It only gets better and better. I can't imagine managing my finances any other way. This software is very easy to use and will definitely help you get your financial life in order. I haven't used a paper check register in over 6 years. Your financial institutions (banks, credit cards) can send your transactions directly into Quicken. No need to visit the individual sites and "bank via the web". Quicken does it all. Order it now. Just do it.