- Intimidated by bloated features in financial software.
- Never tried personal finance software.
- Think using financial software would be a time-consuming hassle.
Basic personal finance software offers a smaller set of features to make getting started with personal finance software easy. Set aside the idea that using software to manage your personal finances is more confusing than not really knowing why you are surprised by quarterly bills, holiday shopping expenses or living paycheck to paycheck.
Essential Features in Basic Personal Finance Software
- Track and reconcile financial account balances.
- Keep a simple budget with categories all set up.
- Bill payment reminders.
- Track cash flow.
- No-hassle online features that automatically update accounts and make online bill payments a snap.
Best Selections for Basic Personal Finance Software
You can't buy any of the best basic financial software in a store since all the titles are either online software or need to be downloaded. And, you can't buy some of the best software listed here at all - because it is free.
- Mint.com. Online software, free. Nightly automated account updates, personalized money-saving ideas without ads.
- [Fortora Fresh Finance. Mac and Windows, free trial, $44.99 for up to three computers. Data file can be shared, strong customer service.
- ClearCheckbook. Online software, free. No automated transaction downloads in exchange for not needing to provide account numbers. Reduce data entry by importing transactions you first download from financial institutions.
- SplashMoney Desktop. Windows and Mac, $19.99. $10 more buys SplashMoney for Palm, Pocket PC or Smartphone to track finances on the go and synchronize accounts later with the desktop software.
- Microsoft Money Essentials. Windows desktop software, $19.99 per year subscription, 60 day free trial.
- Quicken Online. Online software, $2.99 per month subscription, 30 day free trial.
- Moneydance. Windows, Mac, Linux, Unix and OS/2 desktop software. $39.99, free trial. Has more advanced features (thus the price) but keeps them hidden so you are not overwhelmed if you just use the basics. Moneydance is a great way to get started if you are the type who likes to tinker with more advanced features after learning your way around the software.
