Features

• Tax software for self-employed guides users through IRS returns
• Interview-based wizard system
• Up-to-date with latest federal tax law
• Checks math and audit flags
• Easily print W-2 and 1099 forms

Reviews (12)

Came out same as tax accountant last 2 years
I have had trouble trusting the program entirely with tax preperation, so I did this comparison.First, I figured up my taxes for my personal/sole proprieter cabinetry business taxes on TurboTax and then went to my regular tax accountant who used to be an IRS auditor, and he is very thorough.Both times my taxes came out almost exactly the same.I'm impressed, and intend to do all my own taxes this year.

Beware E-Filing With TurboTax
I'm a sole proprietor who has used this version of TurboTax for a few years and liked it immensely in the past. This year though, I got caught by a software glitch that made an unauthorized $2,300 direct debit for this year's first estimated tax payment from my bank account. I'm in graduate school and working less this year, so this hurt. Luckily my bank stuck with me to get the claim processed, but my initial customer service from TurboTax was horrible. They've finally realized their snafu and sent me an email with an actual customer service number to call that doesn't have a $20 fee attached to the call. I called and they promised to refund any overdraft charges and give me a free version of the product for 2004. They say they're fixing the problem, that only .25 percent of their customers had the problem, but I will never e-file through them again. Not sure yet about using TurboTax again.

complicated returns? this is your best choice
PC version on Win XP. I only used for my personal return and this is my 3rd year with turbotax product. It is the only one that has any chance of handling more complicated returns with business income- none of the others even listed the forms I need. This year there was a glitch with form 6252- it imported data from last year but did not prompt me in the interview. I called support on tax day and had a live person within a few minutes. Later I used the chat for a follow up question.
service- 5 stars
software- 4 stars
overall value- 5 stars
I completed a complex return and 2 others a little less complex in less than a day. The help window on the side and other pop-ups (on request) answered every question I had (other than software issue) I also recommend "It's deductible" which integrates wonderfully with turbo and pays for itself many times over.

opaque and useless
If you need to file a schedule C, or live in New York State, I would suggest spending your money on the services of a tax professional rather than this cripplingly flawed piece of software. (Based on my past years' experiences and several comparative reviews I've seen of the 2003 software packages, TaxCut is even worse!)The interview questions are confusingly worded for Federal, but are completely opaque for State, as if the questions were pulled directly off the state IT-201 form.I thought these programs were supposed to explain things.The help links skip definitions of many key terms, and are almost wholly absent from the State questionnaire, where examples and explanations are most needed, especially when tax is computed differently from the federal rates.What's worse, the State program asks for data that was already entered in the Federal questionnaire without even giving a worksheet or line number to refer to!If you go back to Federal and look it up, watch out: you'll have to answer every State question again to get back to the screen you had reached.There is absolutely no point to using this program.Go see an accountant -- you will thank yourself.

Get the regular turbotax, not this
The name "Home and Business" is misleading. This product will *not* help you do any taxes for your business. It will help you print out W2s and other forms for any employees, but it won't help you complete a business tax return if you have a partnership, LLC or corporation. For that, you need the similarly-named TurboTax For Business.

If you have a sole proprietorship, this product might be useful if you have lots of depreciation. However, all it will do is a 1040 for individuals. It does a good job of this, and it is more helpful than regular Turbotax in calculating depreciation et al. for Schedule C. But again, I stress: if you are not a sole proprietor, you likely will not need this.

The remainder of the product is the same as TurboTax Deluxe for individuals. ... Read more

Features

• Tax software guides users through IRS returns
• Interview-based wizard system
• Up-to-date with latest federal tax law
• Checks math and audit flags
• Includes tax publications and expert advice

Reviews (164)

Stunning drop in quality
There are serious problems with EasyStep, the way TurboTax takes you through filling in the information for the return.It is only because I'm knowledgeable about taxes and a software developer that i managed to get my return correct.And deviation from simply stepping through, one item after another, leads to trouble.Simply going back, using to back button, to change something can cause important screens to be skipped.

It is a real disappointment.Intuit used to be one of the very best software companies.

I certainly don't want to recommend that people by the Microsoft product.I'm sure one reason Intuit is letting quality drop is the price competition from the convicted monopolist.

My suggestion is to use a tax preparer.

Computes Passive Loss Limitations incorrectly
In computing the passive loss accumulation for rental property, it adds in all other passive losses, not just those in the same category.

Surprised at all the negative reviews
I am so surprised to see all the negative reviews.My turbotax worked fine.I usually do my taxes by hand, but I have used turbotax in the past.I did download any updates that became available.I also got the state version and e-filed for both.All of it went incredibly smoothly.If you just have to fill out 1040EZ it isn't worthwhile, but the auto fill in is a big time saver for 1040 filers, especially if you have to do the capital gains calculations.

Turbo Tax 2003 was a COMPLETE RIP OFF!!!
I have used TT for the past 5 years with no problems.This year, however, due to it's software glitch, I received a message on April 18 that the IRS had not accepted my return because it didn't match the info from my 2002 return (which was also filed using TT) and my PIN was incorrect.I had already gone through the update procedures, received verification of my PIN and no changes had been made to my 2002 return.I ended up filing by snail mail and included a letter to the IRS listing all the problems I'd had with TT.I don't even know to this day what is happening with my Fed return.Fortunately, I'm supposed to get a refund (although that may now be eaten up by penalties for late filing).

I also had trouble with the 2003 State version of TT and ended up filing that by snail mail, as well.I just received my State refund so guess that went okay (so far, anyway).

I will be demanding a refund from Intuit for the Fed and State versions of 2003 TT as soon as I find out what happened with my Fed return.I will also demand a refund of the charge they applied to my credit card for e-filing, which never happened.I know others who have had the same problems with the 2003 TT.If Intuit doesn't refund our monies, perhaps a class action lawsuit will persuade them otherwise.

Incredible waste of money
I bought this product after using Taxcut for years.Taxcut has gone rebate crazy and I thought I'd give Turbo Tax a try. Bought the product in December of 2003 for some tax planning.It would not read Tax cut files - how incredible. The update to read Taxcut files wasn't available until Jan 2004 and then it would not read state files from Taxcut. Then there was a printing problem where the solution was to manually search font files and manually delete them and reinstall the program.I wound up buying Taxcut to do my taxes.Just for comparison I entered the same data into both programs - TurboTax came up with different results- owed more taxes.Now I remember why I stopped using Quicken and anything else to do with Intuit.How this company stays in business with putting out this kind of software is hard to explain.Stay away. ... Read more

Product Description

Kiplinger TaxCut Complete Home & Business 2004.TaxCut Complete HomeBusiness includes two software programs with everything you need to file your personal and business tax returns. With customized tools and advice specifically designed for the small business owner and an improved Schedule C interview, TaxCut Complete HomeBusiness offers a comprehensive tax solution. FEATURES Includes everything from TaxCut Premium plus: ⢠All the Federal Forms You Need Two full programs with forms to prepare Self Employment, Corporate, Partnership, Estate, Payroll, and Non-Profit returns.⢠Extra Depreciation Assistance Tools for depreciating assets and maximizing your business tax savings.⢠Home Office Advisor Get advice on the pros and cons of each potential home office deduction.⢠Business Expense Assistant Explains how to categorize and claim all your business expense deductions.⢠New Industry-Specific Business Tax Tips Advice tailored to your business.⢠Business Tax Interview Additional help and guidance to make preparing your business return easier.⢠Accounting Method Assistant Helps you sel the best accounting method for your new business. ... Read more

Features

• Free TaxCut State, DeductionPro, e-filing, and Microsoft Money Standard 2005 after mail-in rebates
• Quickly and easily complete business and personal tax returns
• Advice on depreciation, expense deductions, and other business considerations
• Pros and cons of potential home-office deductions; industry-specific business tax tips
• Improved Schedule C interview; all forms needed to complete Federal tax return

Reviews (13)

Execrable
When I installed and ran this software, I was told the "Interview was missing" for my 1120S. That's nice. It immediately reminded me of when I installed Doom 3 and was told "3D Rendering Engine Missing," or when I bought Microsoft Word and got the message "Fonts and Printer Drivers Missing."

I did what Tax Cut told me to do to connect and update my forms and the stupid thing kept hanging at 4% of download. Maybe they were having server trouble, but I'm not a patient man, especially when I have all my forms and files laid out and I'm ready to do my taxes NOW.

So I went and got TurboTax. The difference was night and day. TurboTax is a well-designed, highly polished and refined product. It updated to the current version with no problems. By contrast, from the moment that first install dialog popped up, Tax Cut for business reeked of shoddiness, as if it were rushed out the door. (Even the dialog boxes looked unprofessional and strangely misaligned.)

I used Tax Cut in 2002 and 2003 but after this experience I never will again. Maybe the guts--the tax code itself--are a bit more robust than TurboTax, but if I can't get the thing to work at all then what difference does it make? The finer points of deductions are not a great concern to me. If they were, I'd have an accountant. Come tax time, I just want a program that works. TurboTax worked. Tax Cut didn't.

Possibly the worst business tax software ever written
This is the second year I have used TaxCut for both my personal and small business returns. I switched from TurboTax when they started using their copy protection stuff that seemed to give every user a nightmare. Well, all I can say is, there must be two totally different software development teams working on TaxCut programs, because, while TaxCut personal is a fine program, TaxCut for business is ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE!

Where do I start? First, it cannot even import data from files the 2003 version created. When I tried, it hung every time, eventually forcing me to re-install the entire software package. The error log it generated showed dozens of import errors. Apparently they changed number formats (floating point etc.) and the 2004 version can't handle it. The error log also says to contact the development team but gives no way to do that. And yes, I did update the program from the web before I started.

Ok, so now I'm entering everything by hand. Like Turbo Tax, it has an interview feature, but unlike TurboTax, the interview interface is dreadfully inconsistent. Sometimes you enter info in the interview feature and hit return on your keyboard and the cursor moves to the next field, and sometimes it moves the cursor to the form! Sometimes you can enter data in interview format, sometimes you have to enter it onto the form itself. Were the programmers simply too lazy to write that feature for each page? There is simply no logical reason to make me bounce back and forth between methods!

Next, as expected, the interview has many questions where you answer yes or no if you are elegible or required to fill out certain info. However, even if you answer NO, it still takes you to those pages! Oh but of course, that only happens sometimes, other times it DOES skip the pages!

I also purchased the state business componenet for TaxCut. Despite reporting that it loaded successfully, TaxCut professional didn't seem to know the state version was there! Of course, it was more than happy to display (right next to the "help" button)a link to BUY the state version!

Oh but wait, if you exit the interview mode, and click on "go", (not the logical tab in my opinion, which would be "FORMS"), you see a list (under "my forms") of all your forms, and golly, if the state forms aren't there! Of course, you can also add forms to your return under the forms tab. Careful, as you poke around trying to find the form you thought you added to your return, you may add the form again from the "forms" tab. The program, instead of taking you to the form you added, will instead add another copy of the same form, which you can later NOT delete from your return. I know there may be circumstances where you DO want a second copy of the form, but mostly you don't. Would it be too much for the "forms" section to ask if you want a new copy or to go to the one you already added?

Now, you'd expect, since the main program doesn't appear to know the state forms are there (or maybe it does ?!?!) you would have to enter data into the state forms by hand, but it's not that simple! SOME forms have SOME data automatically transferred in them, SOME forms have NONE!

And what if you need help? The help link has a simple FAQ that has a very minimal few lines then refers you to the IRS instructions. Well if the IRS instructions made any sense, I wouldn't be using a help section of a tax program. Especially one written by TAX EXPERTS!

I could go on and on, but since I've just spent an ENTIRE DAY doing these taxes, I'm burned out. FYI, I run a SIMPLE small business, I can't imagine what kind of nightmare this would be for a business with inventory, and employees etc.

Please, please, please, stay as far away from this program as possible. I'm saying this for your own good.

I would give this 0 stars if Amazon would let me.

Bug in the IRA/Pensions withdraw Area:
If you take IRA withdraws and have a pension just stay away from this program.If you already have it and can't get hold of tech support, email me and I'll tell you the work around they came up with.The sad thing is we could not have been the first to encounter this, (the tech people acted like it), so who knows how many retired people overpaid.

Should have bought Turbo Tax for Business
I've been using Tax Cut for years and this year I had bought a business.The business program does NOT import in your Quickbooks data into the program.I have to key everything in and figure out what goes where.The business side is not as developed as the personal side.It looks like a different company created it and H&R Block just put the two different programs in the same box.

I would buy this product again
I have used both TurboTax and TaxCut.I found both very similar (you can even upload your prior year's taxes done with TurboTax to this year's TaxCut program). I like TaxCut better mainly because I completed both my business and personal taxes with one program. I saved over $70.

The "Ask a Tax Advisor" option (money-back rebate included) is helpful, especially if you want to do your taxes yourself, but think you may have a few questions. ... Read more

Product Description

Microsoft Money 2004 Premium.Microsoft Money 2004 Premium is our most complete financial packaging helping consumers manage their complete financial picture from tracking accounts and paying bills, to 0ptimizing investments and tax-savings opportunities. ... Read more

Reviews (19)

The Utlimate Spyware/Adware Combo
This is the worst software purchase I have made in the past 2 years!The password protection -- Passport vs. standard -- is extremely confusing.The fact that the software talks with Microsoft gives me the creepy feeling that it's collecting data on me.I do not like the idea of an institution like Microsoft having complete access to my monetary data.This idea of remote access is rubbish.In my entire life I have never ever needed to check how my investments were doing while in the middle of a busy day.Not only does it have all my information, it also has a nice little banner that cheerfully asks me to Upgrade Today to Microsoft Money 2005.I paid for this software, and I'd appreciate that, if Microsoft wants real estate on my desktop it should pay for it!!The amazing thing is that, while it uploads my most materially important information to MSN.com and forces an advertisement in my face, the anti-adware/spyware softwares do not even detect this hellish piece of trash.I'm seriously considering going back to Money 99.

having problems converting Quicken files
I'm a longtime Quicken user, but because of the sunset on Quicken 2001 I decided to take a look at Money 2004.Money converted my Quicken files, but ALL of my accounts (bank, IRA, mutual fund, brokerage) had errors.

Money outputs a word file saying there were problems, but gives no details. The file only says "Your Quicken file contained invalid transaction types".It does not list out what transactions had problems.Other accounts have the wrong balances and no explanation at all.Some transactions are missing for no apparent reason.

OK, so I resigned myself to stepping through each account to try and find the problem transactions.I found the problem in one of my mutual fund accounts:Money defaults to average cost basis for mutual funds, and I had used FIFO in Quicken.It was a challenge to find a way to correct this.Just reentering the transaction doesn't work. Even though the program allows you to select the lots to be sold, it still calculates the account basis using average costs.After much searching, I found that going into the security detail page and changing the tax lot accounting there would correct the problem.Not an obvious place to find a solution to a transaction problem.

Now, when I change my "home view" to "Investing", the program crashes.There's probably some way to tiptoe around to make the program happy, but I don't really want to invest the time.Luckily I had a backup I could restore.

Money 2004 has many nice features, but I need a stable product.


Note that Money 2004 Deluxe has a sunset inSept 2007.Money 2004 Standard has a sunset in Sept 2006.

it won't run on xp
I installed the product.and it won't run on my XP professional!!!
don't waste your money.

better than the Money/Quicken 2005 crop
Been using since 2003 because it has better customized graphing/reports than Quicken.

MS Money 2004, despite its major and minor quirks, is at least still usable everyday without much fuss.

The debt planner is fairly useless except to schedule payments, and to "guess" when you'll be out of debt, unlike Quicken 2003.Mortgage accounts don't allow you to switch between arbitrary frequency of payments per month, as well as always predicting the WRONG interest/principal payment split.

However, I still like the fair ability to customize; from page displays toreports although I prefer Quicken's more modal interface over Money's free flowing "browser" interface.

Looking forward, Money 2005 is a horrible new product that doesn't carry over any of the "it just works" philosophy of 2004 especially with the even more "browser" interface that leaves huge tracts of white screen space (in advanced mode) compared to 2004.Combined with the huge amount of complaints about Quicken 2005's new 'forced' "upgrade" features, Money looks golden.

Stay with 2004.. it's the lesser of many evils.Until maybe 2006.

Glad it's not just me....
Microsoft just continues to top itself year after year with the continual poor quality of it's software. In that one regard, Money 2004 does not disappoint.

As other reviewers have noted, many previously functional parts of the (mostly well-designed) program have been crippled, or do not work at all. A prime example that I can site is the Debt Reduction Planner... the whole point of the tool is to allow the user to create a program to automatically pay-off the highest interest debt first. It no longer does this--- or much of anything else! When you set up a debt program, the tool used to schedule all of your payments in your Bills and Deposits listing to present an accurate cash-flow forecast. Now it only presents the most immediate payments... USELESS!!!

Add to this sporadic unexplainable data corruption and a complete absence of I/O load balancing in the "background banking" sub-app and you get a software tool that destabilizes and imperils your critical financial data. Oh yeah, and you're paying out the nose for that privilege!

MS Money used to be the only reason I stopped thinking about switcing to the Mac. At this point, Quicken is beginning to sound appealing.

I recently was subjected to inane blather from a financial number-cruncher about how MS is going to eventally conquer everything and everyone in the distributed computing arena.... I say it won't happen. They are committing the one sin that all companies have paid for eventually... arrogance and distain for the needs of their customers. Yeah, Windows will still be around in 30 years. But not much else... and who knows if MS will still be the owners. ... Read more

Product Description

Quicken Premier 2005 Home Business helps you easily manage both your business and personal finances. Thanks to more than 100 feature improvements to the most-used features, Quicken Premier Home Business makes it easier to run business reports, manage your payables and receivables, customize estimates and invoices, and more. Track accounts payable and receivable, vehicle mileage, jobs, projects and taxes. It also includes all of the features in Quicken Premier 2005 to help you to manage and optimize your personal finances. Instantly connect to your bank and credit card Web sites with a push of a button. You will have complete, up-to-date records without manually entering your data. Quicken provides a connection to more than 1800 financial institutions.* Stay on top of your investments more easily than ever with an investment area that looks just like a broker statement. Track your investment holdings without taking the time to enter every historical transaction. Its easy to add in transaction details later for tax purposes or performance analysis. See the average annual return for your entire portfolio and individual accounts compared to selected benchmarks for key periods (1 year, 3 year, 5 year). Maximize your net worth over time with the Net Worth Monitor where you ca view the breakdown of your net worth by cash, property or stocks.* Online features require Internet access and are subject to change. ... Read more

Product Description

Track bank accounts and more in one place! Reports show you where your money goes. Makes tax time easier with these easy to use tools. Also connects Quicken to your bank, brokerage and 401k accounts! ... Read more

Features

• Easy-to-use software for managing your finances
• Track spending, manage investments, plan for the future, and more
• Easily download financial data directly into Quicken
• Works with 2,000+ banks, credit card, brokerage, and 401(k) companies
• View net worth by cash, property, or stocks; revealing charts and graphs

Reviews (182)

Save your money and data and computer
As with other users I have been a quicken user for years.The 2004 and 2005 are in shortest phrase; worse ever, bugges loaded with, and if use with xp media edition make sure you save all data, or when closing quickensome times you will lost you drive drivers.

Be afraid, be very afriad!
I've been using Intuit products over 10 years, both at home and work.I was recently forced to upgrade Quicken because my bank no longer supported imports into my existing version.Ever since I have had nothing but trouble.I have lost hours, even days of my time working with customer support, I even spent $30 to pay for support for a "fix" that lasted all of 2 days.I am so frustrated with the software and support that I have sworn off purchasing an Inuit product again, ever.

Save yourself some time, money and frustration by staying away from this product!

Quicken 2005 is the WORST yet
After being forced to upgrade to 2005, I'm feeling lucky that I haven't completed lost all my data.This is the buggiest software I've ever encountered.I can't seem to use it without my system hanging up about 90% of the time.Their customer support is a joke too.Last year, Turbo Tax incorrectly included a deduction on my taxes twice, and after hours with their phone support folks and no help, I refused to pay for the software, and re-filed on another (practically free) site in less than 1 hour.Needless to say, I haven't even bothered to go that route with this product.I'm just going to find a replacement for it.

This company doesn't have a clue.Stay away from their products.If you think Quicken 2004 is bad, 2005 will make you wish you were still on 2004.It has gotten worse with every upgrade -- I believe I've been using it since 1999.

Makes me wonder about the VERY FEW users here that don't seem to be having problems.Maybe they work on Quicken's "Help Desk."

LOST 4 YEARS OF FINANCIAL DATA
I have been using quicken since 1995. Never had any problems with the 2001 edition. But watchout for the 2004 version. It is by far the worst software I have ever purchased. Do not upgrade if you have older versions of quicken.

Don't upgrade!
There are a lot of negative reviews here about Quicken 2004, and they're all true. I despise Microsoft for it's arrogant behavior, and it pains me greatly to thrash a product like Quicken knowing that the only alternative is Microsoft Money (which I have never used). But Quicken 2005 is a horrid piece of software. I have used and loved Quicken since 1995 and I would hope that Intuit could fix this. But Quicken 2004 and 2005 are wretched, dangerous programs that can lose all of your fiancial data and Intuit doesn't seem to care one cent.

First, Quicken - which never used to have any problems whatsover - is now unstable. Numerous users report errors, crashes, and the like. Mine hasn't been able to backup the data file since a month after installing. I have reinstalled Quicken several times, copied my data files, etc... I have twice reformatted my HDD and started from scratch and this problem still reappears. Quicken tech support is no help at all. Not being able to trust your financial software and not being able to autoamtically make backups disqualifies this software from consideration by anyone but fools.

On top of all this, every corner of this application seems to be a come-on for an Intuit service. I don't buy software to be barraged with ads or sales portending to be features.

Finally, Quciken kept crashing every time I tried to exit the program. Scary. After tech support was no help, I figured out that it was conflicting with MS Office 2003's speech-to-text software engine (even though I never intended to install this). When I called Intuit support to tell them what I found they didn't care.

I dislike Microsoft, but I don't see any choice. It has to be better than this.

... Read more

Product Description

Intuit Inc (292569) TURBOTAX BASIC V2004 ... Read more

Features

• Assists calculating optimum withholding situation for personal needs
• Tax preparation software with step-by-step guidance and free electronic filing
• Imports data from Quicken, QuickBooks, and Microsoft Money software
• Puts answers on IRS-approved forms; double checks return for accuracy
• Includes latest tax law changes; download and import W-2 and 1099 forms online

Reviews (28)

Not all tax programs are equal
We used TurboTax for a couple of years then switched to TaxCut on the advice of friends. We were amazed at how much more money TaxCut saved us! TaxCut is more knowledgeable when it comes to making the most of ones deductions. We are sorry we didn't switch last year.

I should have filled out forms by hand.
I guess TurboTax is a *little* bit better than filling out forms by hand. I've used TaxCut the last few years and found its interface fine, if not spectacular. I decided to try TurboTax this year because I got the Mac and PC version on one disc and I wasn't sure which computer I was going to do taxes on yet. While both programs cover a lot of the same ground in the same way, I keep running into extremely frustrating aspects of TurboTax. For example:

* Several times, I have been asked to calculate amounts myself. Didn't I buy software so I wouldn't have to do that?

* A few times I have been given cryptic choices on how I want my obligations computed. In TaxCut, these would always have a recommendation ("We recommend not claiming the dog as a dependent").

* To get actual advice with TurboTax, it costs a minimum of $29.99 and you must sign up on their webpage. TaxCut provides enough answers to questions with the software that I've never had to call their (free) advice line.

* Some things just aren't included with the program. For example, I donated a lot of furniture to charity this last year. I had to compute the resale value for everything myself. There's a utility for TurboTax which computes values for you. You can order it off the website for $20 (more than TurboTax costs).

None of these are show stoppers, really. But they are significant slower-downers. I definitely haven't saved any time and money this year because of purchasing TurboTax and in the past four years, I've felt that I *did* save time and money by using TaxCut. And that's the bottom line.

Don't Let the Reviews Scare You, Turbotax is Still Great
I was reluctant to buy Turbotax again this year because of all the negative reviews.I decided taking a chance with Turbotax was still more desirable than paying someone to do my taxes for me, though, so I bought it anyway.It worked perfectly.I had no problems loading or using the software.However, I do recommend downloading the updates; they must be there for a reason.

Did the trick for me
I have used both TurboTax and TaxCut over the years and I prefer TurboTax.TaxCut gets the job done, but TurboTax is a more polished product.I did my 2004 taxes with TurboTax Basic and it did everything I asked of it.Install went smoothly.While the Basic edition lacks some of the features of the the upmarket products, I still managed to do what I needed to do, which includedseveral mutual fund sales this year.

Unlike some of the other users who have had negative experiences, I have run into no examples of spyware and the program installed flawlessly.After an automatic update, I was able to quickly get going.TurboTax made my taxes as painless as they can be...

AVOID THIS PRODUCT -- VERY BAD
I have used Turbo Tax for the past 3 years, and have loved it. It was easy to install, pretty straightforward to use.

So when I sat down to install 2004, I didn't give it a second thought. However, the product developers probably need to go back to school on this one, and the manufacturer needs to issue a major apology to everyone who has tried to use this.

I consider myself way above average on the computer skills side. I could not get the product to load on a Compaq with Windows ME operating system. I kept getting error messages to install a second disk. It only comes with one.

I took it to another machine, and tried installing it on a Dell with Windows XP-Professional Edition. Here too, it would not install properly. It indicated that the installation was finished. However, it didn't install several files needed to make it work. It downloaded an update.You have to turn your computer off, then back on to install the update. The update wouldn't install.In fact the computer stalled. Had to reboot again, and start from scratch.

Since I was unable to install the product on either machine, I can't tell you how it handles the routines of calculating your income tax. My guess is that it is very error prone. If you used Turbo Tax, I'd pay an accountant to review your numbers to see that they are correct. Then I'd send the bills to Turbo Tax.

For me, I'm now checking out other products.
Since it won't install on either machine ... Read more

Features

• Tax software guides users through IRS returns
• Interview-based wizard system
• Up-to-date with latest federal tax law
• Checks math and audit flags
• Very simple to use

Reviews (34)

TurboTax Impossible to Download!
TurboTax may or may not be a good product; I was never able to successfully download it!

Unfortunately I needed it the day I purchased it, and the "Help" offered by the Amazon.com links were not specific enough to identify the source of the trouble.After three hours I gave up and requested a refund.

Updates a pain, but TurboTax did its job
I didn't have a problem using TurboTax last year (even with the software activation) so I used it again this year.The software with its interview format worked for me, was able to save my return as pdf and e-file without a hassle.The only real pain was getting the updates.I had to go to Intuit's website to look for info and play around with my broadband connection to get the updates to download.

My return has gotten easier over the past few years but with the update annoyance, I may just buy TaxCut next year. I don't import last year's stuff so Intuit - give me a reason to get TurboTax 2004.

Worth it if you're going to itemize...otherwise forget it
Okay, the download process was a nightmare as described by my earlier review.However, three hours later I have a very comprehensive itemized return, which would have been way too complex to do on my own without the guidance of the filing questions.The good news is that I had done my taxes by hand last night and came up with a large amount owed, and after using the deductions calculator in TurboTax ended up with a refund instead.So it more than paid for itself.
My major complaint is that there appears to be no way to review the content of your return until the very last "print and submit" step, and I wanted to check the numbers prior to actually submitting it.

Frustrating download errors!
After 20 or 30 attempts to run the V-box installer program after dowloading it from the Amazon digital library, I was just about to request a refund when my boyfriend starting doing some troubleshooting research for me.Here's what he figured out:
Once you download the installer and try to run it, if you keep getting the error: "3001 Encountered unexpected error when trying to locate product...etc.", there is a browser setting you need to change. (This applies to IE 6.0+, Windows 2000 and XP at a minimum, since I attempted the install on 2 different machines).
Go to Tools-->Internet Options in your browser menu, then to the Connections tab and the LAN Settings button.Uncheck the "Automatically Detect Settings" box if it is checked and try running the installer again.Worked for me.Just be sure to recheck the box and close your browser afterwards.
Seeing as how frustrating just OBTAINING the software was, I'm really skeptical about using it, especially after reading all the other reviews...

The Last Time I Will Use Turbo Tax
When it imported my information from 2002 it also picked up internet connection data that is no longer valid. Since then I have gone to broadband with a new ISP. It simply refuses to recognize my new connection information. When I tried to update the program by going to their support site through my browser, I simply could not get on despite repeated attempts. I guess everyone is trying to get support for this buggy software. As a result, I can't print out some of my forms because it tells me I must update first. Now it is totally useless.BEWARE ... Read more

Product Description

Intuit Inc (292596) TURBOTAX MULTI STATE 45 V2004 ... Read more

Features

• Double-checks for errors and omissions
• Step-by-step guidance for completing state taxes
• Asks simple questions and completes state-approved forms
• Transfers data automatically from TurboTax federal return
• Automatically performs all calculations for convenience

Reviews (12)

Terrible software and even worse support
TurboTax is buggy and the support is terrible!You cannot update your state information after the initial review without manually editing the tax forms.If the field involves computations, you must do these manually after changing it.If you try to re-run the interview, it just brings you to the "finish" screen.I talked to four different people from TurboTax support about this.They say it's a known bug and they have no plans to fix it.If I wanted to manually edit to forms, I wouldn't have purchased this software!If you make changes to the federal, TurboTax state isn't necessarily updated.I received the following ridiculous suggestions from support:clear your cookies (I'm not using the web version); delete this file, but make sure you empty the recycling bin (what??); go to forms and click delete form (there is no delete option).I don't know where they get these ideas, but support isn't helpful when you know more than they do!

Turbotax Failed
Don't believe the rating of one.A minus 5 would have been more appropriate. After six years of being a faithful Turbotax user, the changes they have made in 2004 are convincing me never to use their product again - even if I could.After purchasing the downloadable version it failed to unzip. Three hours on the phone with representatives in India did not solve the problem. Finally I got them to send me a CD, which seemed to install but hung up on the question "Select a tax return type" that offered zero choices and no pull-down.I can't believe they would release a product that seems designed to frustrate their customers!!!

Worked As Advertised For Me
I have used TurboTax products since 1995, with the exception of trying TaxCut last year, which was a disaster. The TurboTax State product had no difficulty quickly and accurately completing tax returns for my state (Minnesota) after finishing my federal return.

As some other reviewers have correctly noted, the name of the product ("Multi-State") is somewhat deceptive, in that you get to choose one state return to file; if you have to file for more than one state you have to pay for additional state downloads. This is the primary reason I gave the product four stars: functionally it was easy to use and intuitive, and I had no problems of any sort with it (I have Windows XP running on a 2003 vintage computer).

This product isn't perfect, but it does a good job, and is enormously superior to TaxCut in every way.

Filing in multiple states
As other reviewers have said, this is a single-state CD.If you have to file in more than 1 state, don't make the mistake like I did of buying a CD for each state.You have to buy 1 for your primary state and then download additional states from the "Download State" section within the federal CD.Either that or download from the intuit website.Really annoying!I have always had good luck with turbotax but this is disappointing.Now I have to try to return my (opened) 2nd state CD.

Decent
TurboTax State installed without any problems on my Mac, running 10.3.8. The program was free after rebate and I received my rebate promptly from Intuit. The program is decent, although it does not do much. PA taxes aren't that complicated to being with. One complaint is that the program dumped me into a PA Schedule C instead of asking whether I want a PA Schedule C or a PA Schedule C-F. I went to forms and created a schedule C-F, then went back to the interview, and my schedule C-F was there. This procedure would not be obvious to someone who was not already very familiar with this program.

I am not sure why someone would want to pay $14.95 for the State e-filing. There is no rebate for the state filing. So when you file your taxes electronically, make sure you select Federal only, then print out your state tax return and mail it in.
... Read more

Amazon.com Review

For most small business owners, keeping up with the accounting is the worst part of the job. A small investment of effort--installing QuickBooks Pro 2002 or a similar accounting package--will almost always save time and hassle in the long run.

QuickBooks is best for those with fairly simple needs--while it's comparatively inexpensive and easy to install, its breadth of features and technical support don't quite stack up against Peachtree or MYOB. That said, there are still plenty of businesses that can make good use of QuickBooks; consultants and others with little or no inventory, for example.

The 2002 version doesn't bring a brand-new paradigm, but does offer some new and helpful features: improved form customization, better report functions, and customer tracking, to name a few. Easy integration with Microsoft Office, Act!, and other key software packages makes QuickBooks attractive to many users; data transfer is especially straightforward. Invoicing, cutting checks, projecting next year's revenue, and just keeping the books in order is much easier with a computer doing the drudge work.

QuickBooks Pro 2002 is the best bet for budget-minded sole proprietors and microbusiness owners. --Rob Lightner ... Read more

Reviews (25)

I purchased A Product From Inuit Software and Scanning
I purchased the software at Stapples (Hamilton Ontario) the software with the cashbox and scanning software for barcodes came to $4,000.00 now I did not know that the suport was for 30 days and that after that I would have to pay over $130.00 per moth (yes I did get a credit for $800.00 not in cheque) but for technical support and after those $800.00 are over my staff told me that we have to pay for it (I was amazed) that a product that cost over $4,000.00 does not even have more extended technical support, correct me if I am wrong but when you purchase a computer and some computers are dirt cheap lets say $1,500.00 you would get technical support for a year or sometimes more.I am not impressed at all with there so called "customer service" I am in the process of opening more stores and I will go look at other providers for software and scanning bar code mechanism.

Probably very powerful but needs some simplifying
This may be the best small business accounting software available, but it could still use some streamlining.I started a small corporation on a limited investment.I am not an accountant, so I didn't expect to ace the software on the first day.That said, this version of QuickBooks probably only has about 18 features that I have any use for out of hundreds of available features.The screen is not laid out in a way that is self-explanatory, so finding those features is not automatic.Even those who have used Quicken (Intuit's home finance software) in the past are unlikely to find the interface self-evident.Efficiency is also a concern.QuickBooks opens too many internal "windows" without closing the source window, thus the software eats up memory very quickly.It would be as if every last time you click on a hyperlink while surfing the internet, a new browser window opens automatically.Not good.

How much does QB intimidate?Well, it is April 14th, and I've been putting off doing my taxes because I don't want to have to find and decipher all of QuickBooks' tax related features, side notes, suggestions, and other fringe information.

All of this said, it is fairly powerful software, and I am probably remiss for purchasing one of the more advanced versions of QuickBooks for such a small business.If you have tens of thousands of dollars in extra cash and can afford to automate your accounting processes (such as payroll) through QB's add-on-for-an-additional-investment options, this is probably the software to buy.It is established, it is advanced in its abilities, and it is the industry standard.However, if you're small potatoes, (even if it's hard to admit it), then you might want to consider something a little less involved, like a "dumbed down" version of QuickBooks or maybe MYOB.

Horible Support, Even Worse product
Do not buy this software unless you have deep pockets and don't mind spending lots of money on support. I don't want to sound paranoid but this software has bugs built into it to force you to call support. (did I mention the software come with 0 support) not 60 days not 30 days not even 1 day of support is included with the purchase.
And all the great services that the product tells you about cost additional with monthly fees.

If you like fustration you'll love this
Quickbooks 2002 is a halfway decent accounting program for small business. Unfortunetly Intuits ridiculus company policy of releasing buggy software and then charging you for them to fix it is most fustrating. Then there are the yearly upgrades that you have to pay for. No , you don't HAVE to pay for a new version each year... it's just that your old version stops working if you have to reinstall it. It will then ask to for a special activation key that you can only get if you ring them up and then fill in a 10 page document( and get it signed by a j.p!!!).
When you vent your fustration and anger, the ever so helpful phone support person will suggest that it would just be easier to upgrade to the latest version for a large sum of money. Yeah, thanks...

Quickbooks
While Quickbooks is a great product for writing checks, we have had nothing but trouble with the Do It Yourself Payroll.We have it on two computers and recently downloaded an update and ended up with a virus that knocked out our network for three days!In spite of our antivirus program. The customer support is terrible.Get this product for check writing and invoices but stay away from the payroll products! ... Read more

Features

• Reminder System showing tenants who are late paying rent, lease expirations and to do list
• Send mailings to tenants with merge fields, keep record of letters sent
• Complete Work Order System included
• Extensive Reporting features for every important aspect of property management
• Keep track of Late Rent - make a list of tenants that have not yet paid

Reviews (1)

Old, Clumsy Software
Believe it or not, this is a 16-BIT APPLICATION.I kid you not.It is slow and old-looking.There are no OK or Enter buttons, which adds to the clumsiness.There is a 50-unit license.Need to cover 51 units?Too bad - you have to buy a license for 125!Support ain't cheap. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Beware of these products
I use an older version of Peachtree Complete Accounting (2003)which has developed an error in closing the 2003 year to be able to work in 2004 and 2005. All of the cheques which still show in the payments screens are missing from the account reconciliation screen. Even if you enter new checks they wiil not show on the account rec screen. I called Peachtree, they insisted that it was a data problem so I ran all the integrity checks and the data verification using the -i switch and the repair company to no avail. The guy on the phone did tell me that the info on running these tasks was not in the manual. He was right it was not, it was included in the manuals for older versions though. I think Peachtree deliberately removed these items from the manual so you would have to pay for tech support, and none of them worked anyway. All in all I think Peachtree is giving customers a pretty raw deal on this one. It is a known errata and they refuse to add it to the knowledge base and they insist that you pay for info which rightfully should be part of the manual. I must admit someone had warned me about these data integrity issues with Peachtree a long time ago, but this is my first personal experience with this issue. ... Read more

Features

• Financial management system for businesses
• Import data from popular office software
• Easily manage accounts payable and receivable
• Create business plans using existing data
• Advanced accounting, inventory and asset tools

Product Description

Intuit QuickBooks POS 4.0 Basic Retail Management Software.QuickBooks Point of Sale is the fast and easy way to gain total control over your inventory with real-time tracking and easy-to-use, insightful reports. Get the facts you need to make smarter buying decisions. Fast and easy reports help you track what's selling well and what's not - up to 50, 000 different items! Real-time data keeps you up to date with what's in stock and what needs reordering. Turn your inventory faster by stocking more of the items your customers purchase most to help maximize the profitability of your inventory investment. ... Read more

Product Description

Microsoft Money 2004 Deluxe (Packaged in DVD small Case) .Microsoft Money 2004 Deluxe provides a quick and easy way to organize and manage your personal finances. Powerful, yet easy-to-use tools for financial planning, balancing your checkbook, managing credit and debt, simplifying taxes, and more. ... Read more

Reviews (43)

WTF?
Don't DO IT!! If you have 2003, stick with it.Nothing really new except more commercials. When you go to balance your check book, you get only ONE amt if you are off. No more are the separated amounts as to deposits/withdrawals in the left column.And don't even get me started on performance...like trying to get a snail to run.

Unhappy with Product
I have been using Money 2003 Deluxe for almost two years and found it to be a very helpful program.Because I was so happy with this program I decided to upgrade to the 2004 edition.

This is where I get unhappy with the product.Unlike the 2003 version I couldn't get the 2004 version to update my stock prices.I contacted Microsoft's technical services which told me that if the portfolio you are trying to update contains American Depository Receipts (ADRs), because of some bug your portfolio will not update.BTW, I don't think all ADRs are effected, just the ones that trade Over-The-Counter or on the Pink Sheets.

This astounds me.How could a previous edition do something perfectly and the updated version not?This is also not a small bug, since I can't be the only one trying to use this program with ADRs in my portfolio.In any event,I uninstalled 2004 Deluxe and reinstalled 2003 Deluxe.Now all fine, but for the fact I am out of the money for costs of Money 2004.

Go ahead, ask me if I'm going to buy the 2005 version?!?!

Awful product. Cannot connect to accounts. Over-complex.
First, some background on us. We are very experienced computer users who setup the computer systems used by some of the largest banks around. Yet we cannot get Microsoft Money 2004 to connect to our own personal accounts.

One bug: Money will pull account data from a popular online brokerage, then five minutes later the data will be gone from the UI, even if you force Money to reconnect to the online brokerage.

Another issue: your regular username and password that you use to access an account online, fequently will NOT work with Money. So you need to call each financial institution individually to get connect. Since this is something that few financial institutions deal with on a regular basis, their regular customer support cannot help you and you need to call during special times of the day.

Calling Microsoft Money technical support puts you into India. How would you feel about discussing your personal financial account data with someone in India, where security laws are much more lax compared to the US?

More on security: can you trust Microsoft Money to be without security flaws given all the recent IE issues?

The user interface is incredibly complex and unintuitive. The issue is that all features are thrown at the user at once, rather than being phased-in. There is a deluge of options to scan through. Of course, none of these features work since we can't get basic account info.

Frustrating and poorly designed
I have been using checkbook software for over fifteen years, starting with the Mac and Quicken, moving on to various versions of Quicken on the PC.I switched to Money from Quicken at the turn of the year for three reasons:frustration with Quickens bloating features and pop-ups (too much getting in the way), Intuit's policies with Turbo Tax (a protest), and Quicken BillPays interfaces and clunky operation.

Big mistake.Money 2004 was even worse.

I download my statements from my bank using a web and .qif file interface.Money is abysmal at this - it makes almost random matches, it tries to match electronic downloads with DIFFERENT amounts, it does not read or use the information in the .qif file such as payee, and more.It makes more work trying to clean it up than it saves.Not using the data in the .qif file (like payee name) is TOTALLY INEXCUSABLE.

Reconciling is also tons of fun.Reconciling is an important task, since Money's statement download is so prone to errors.First, it tries to clear everything Ihave downloaded for me - have to go through and manually unreconcile everything then start over.

The Help file does not appear to be written for this version of Money - the information just does not match what I see on the screen.

The Payee list gets unweildy and there is no efficient way to prune it - deleting payees you have used only once more than a year ago, for instance.

The list goes on.In a nutshell, Microsoft has ignored the basics of good design needed to maintaining a number of accounts in favor of useless features, strange sound effects and confusing glitz.

I am looking for a replacement ....

Isn't this amazing
So you're wondering whether to buy MS Money or Quicken. So you look at this page and read the reviews that say this is the worst piece of software ever written and how they wished they'd bought Quicken. The you go to the Quicken reviews, and surprise surprise, you read essentially the same nonsense from people wishing they'd bought Money. Now, I'm willing to accept there may be some preference, but both pieces of software were given 5-stars by PC Magazine. They said there's little difference between the two, and that both do an good job. I think what we're seeing here is a battle between the software Talaban, not real reviews, similar to the fight between those who swear by PC vs. those who swear by Macs. I've used both Quicken and Money 2004. Both work fine. ... Read more

Reviews (22)

Very very poor quality product
I agree with the other reviewer. I had been a quicken user for a long time.Since I upgraded, I have had nothing but problems!Their program is buggy as heck and they make you pay for their garbage. I am looking into alternative programs as we speak.Do not waste your money on this product. The $24 some odd you may pay for the product is nothing compared to the technical support you will be paying!

Thank you for the warnings
I was all set to upgrade to Quicken 2004. The only reason? So I could make backup files easier by burning to cd's.I too, have used Quicken for many years and would upgrade every other year.Well, after reading all the reviews, I think for the time being I will stick with my 2002 version. I can still backup on cd's the long way around. What can these companies be thinking of when they cheapen their products, hire people who can't speak with you for support, etc.
Thank you all for the warnings.I believe my money will be better spent somewhere else.

Worst Version of Quicken ...........EVER!!!!!!!
I have used Quicken since the DOS versions, this one is the worst! You cannot change any colors, period, end of discussion! You cannot remove unused, useless toolbars/frames, period, end of discussion! You will have to call tech support! You will have to endure repeated uninstalls/reinstalls! Download a trial version before you upgrade, if you can't configure it the way you want, delete it and move on!

Displeased with discontinuation of support
I have a very minor problem with Quicken 2000.It is very functional for all my needs and I am quite perturbed that to get technical support, I am forced to update.I don't need an update.I do need a very minor fix to my present system.Quite simply, the system somehow changed the opening screen and I can find no way of putting it back where it is when you first start using Quicken.I reloaded with the old disc and got the screen I want, but I have to the accounts list under the old load to find prior transactions.As for help, even the 900 number has been changed, so I can't even pay to get this rectified.What a rip-off.

What a Piece of Garbage
I have been using Quicken since "Quicken 4" on my Mac.It WAS a great program.This version is okay except for the investment portfolio.It is full of bugs, and is not at all intuitive (ironic, eh?).Further, you cannot simply "fudge" and enter your historical transactions ... so my cash balance is wrong, and impossible to correct. After researching online, it is clearly a bug that Inuit will not even acknowledge.

Hopefully they will get their act together for 2005, otherwise, I'm out of there!! ... Read more

Features

• Updated Tax Law Assistants help get the most from tax breaks
• Free e-file and free TaxCut State after mail-in rebate
• Access IRS publications and the H&R Block interactive video library
• New convenient paperless payment options for taxes due and e-filing fees
• New tax-saving tips on saver¿s credit, overlooked deductions, and more

Reviews (81)

TaxCut not friendly
Two distinct problems (seems each year it gets harder to use, and less friendly).
a. Overwrote last years files, without warning. Fortunately had a saved copy on a floppy disc.
b. Entered state information and could not remove it, when I discovered in a later 'interview' question that I had entered the information in the wrong place. Had to 'force' the entry which then brings up an error in the review.

In general, very frustrating to use, and each year it becomes worse, not better. The good days of TaxEdge are gone, and had to convert to TurboTax, which also grew more cumbersome each year, so I switched to TaxCut. This may be my last year with it.
No way to give feedback either, unless one would 'pay' $20 to tell of the problem.

This item is for last year's taxes only!!!
Every year they put out a new version of the program updated for the current tax year. This TaxCut 2003 will not be useable for 2004 tax returns. Also, for those people who think that by buying their own tax program will save them a bundle of money, they are truly foolish. I do taxes for a living, not only at home, but for a tax professional office and these programs are not meant for people who don't know the tax laws and what forms they need to file. If they do their taxes wrong, the money they saved will go right to the IRS and state in penalties and interest. These programs will not protect you against that. Let electricians do electrical work, plumbers do plumbing work, and, for crying out loud - let tax professionals do tax work. These programs are not supposed to be easy, they are not for the average person to use.

TAX CUT is horrible
I cannot think of a single reason you should have to click 3 buttons and go through 2 screens to enter 1 stock transaction.On the contrary, you should be able to enter 10 or more per screen.It took hours to enter 200 stock transactions.

Then, after the error check, certain transactions seemed to be duplicated.Upon trying to delete them with the delete button, they would not delete.If you change one of the duplicates, the contents of the other changes also.Then, looking through the list, I find that every one of the other duplicate transactions were duplicated again each time I tried to delete the first duplicated transaction pair.Now I have dozens of transactions that will not delete - after spending 2 days doing data entry and using the interviews for doing all data entry and changes, as the product recommends - - - even though it is excruciating slow work with the poor user interface design.

What a piece of junk.(And this was the final 2003 version - - - the one with all the latest fixes!)

Good value, experienced no problems
I have been using TaxCut for several years and have not experienced any problems with the program.I do have to file the 1040 and have to use several of the various worksheets, but do not have a home office or some of the other complications mentioned in other reviews.

I think it is a wonderful tool that has saved me a lot of time preparing my family's tax returns.

TaxCut Deluxe and DeductionPro
I had none of the problems that several have complained about using TaxCut Deluxe 2003. I have used TurboTax before. I switched to TaxCut last year because of the many complaints TurboTax was getting about their registration program, spyware, etc. I had no problems completing my taxes, no duplications of W-2's, no problems getting updates. I found my experience with using this tax program not much different from TurboTax. I do have a problem with H&R Block though. TaxCut Deluxe offers a rebate for DeductionPro. The tax program will even take you to the H&R Block website to give you an opportunity to download the product to help with non-cash charity donations to calculate what should be claimed. The problem with downloading DeductionPro is that the rebate for the product is not honored if it is downloaded. It has to be purchased at a retail store to get the rebate. No where on the website, on the rebate coupon, or in the program does it state that the rebate is not good if the program is downloaded directly. It does indicate to send in the UPC code from the box of the product, but if I downloaded it directly from their website, they should have a record that it was purchased legally. They gave me some bogus excuse "that due to customer buying habits, we have elected not to honor rebates unless purchased from a retail store", or something to that effect. I think the product is good, but I don't like their business practices. I may well go back to TurboTax next year. I am giving the product two stars because of their business practices. Overall, I thought the way it handled my taxes was acceptable. ... Read more

Product Description

Microsoft Money 2004 Small Business.Microsoft Money 2004 Small Business provides the small business or sole proprietor with the tools they need to manage their small business finances. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

needs a little help
I've been using MS Money for my personal accounts for years. I like it, and now after starting my own business, I especially like the price of Money Small Business compared to alternatives.

The user from Western North Carolina (mmj...) pointed out correctly that the except for printing, the Invoices are not very professionally looking. He's absolutely correct unless you have the FREE PrimoPDF (from download.com) utility installed.

This extremly handy utility (did I mention it is free!) allows you to save your invoice as a PDF file, that looks just the way you layed it out!

Just select PrimoPDF as your printer, select the name and location of your desired output file, screen or file quality option and you're ready to rock and roll!

This just made my day!!!

"Report" functionality sucks
The reporting feature does not always reflect accurate information. Say, I selected ALL categories to be reported on my Monthly Income and Expense Report, the report came out missing including several categories, and so the total on the report were all screwed-up. If I were not paying attention to that details, I would have been sued by clients for inaccurate billing.

MS Money Small Business 2004 -
Was I excited that "MONEY" was finally going to make the transition to the Small Business Community?

Absolutely! I have been too busy to want to learn a REAL Accounting program. And I have been using "Money" since the early 90's to balance my checkbook and surely one of the first to use online banking; so the idea that I could integrate invoicing was icing on my cake.

Now for the disappointing reality. While you can make and email invoices and they will be tracked in a receivables account, you will need to create a cash account to receive the money into and then transfer that amount into the account that you download your banking transactions into if you deposit more than one check at a time. Otherwise, you will have double entries in your account. This makes for many extra steps, shuffeling payments here and there.

I would have appreciated this information prior to purchasing yet another version of Money, I could have done this without the Small Business edition. (I think this puts me in the position of Beta testor, and I had to pay for the job.)

Also, I was very disappointed not to find ANY information in either the help files or online. That search in itself was exhaustive.

The help from Microsoft was indeed good. But, I was required to sign up for a "PassPort Account" to communicate with them (not opting for the toll call).

They indicated that it was indeed a problem, and they are working hard to fix it. My wish is that the repair is not a "version upgrade" as this is a definite flaw to a Business package.

Effectively, the only thing that was added to the previous version of Money (I was using Deluxe) was an invoice template, and the ability to change your fiscal year end. (This is something I complained about in Money in the 2002 version.)

I will, of course, continue to use it and I am quite sure that eventually it will be a great ENTIRE solution for a small business, since it already integrates with Excell and TaxCut.

It just needs to do it sooner...

Get Quicken Home & Business 2002 or 2003 instead
I tried this software for the first time after getting tired of Quicken's quirks.But after four months of infuriation, frustration, and wasted time, Quicken seems like heaven to me.If this is common for Money, I'll never use it again.
As other reviews have stated, there is no customization at all.If it isn't a selection, you don't get it.Just trying to set up a simple home budget is infuriating enough.You cannot select your catagories if they do not appear in their selection.Instead of being able to make layers of catagories like in Quicken (for detailed budget breakdowns), you are stuck with only one.As for downloading account information, it decides what account and where the download should go and refuses to let you change it--even though it is very wrong.You have to search out where it went and remove every single incorrect transaction one at a time.In sum, I hate this software and it has cost me more lost time than it was ever worth.

Business functionality lacking
I run a small consulting company from my home. (Small meaning, just me.) I purchased the Small Business version of this software to help with my business as well as manage my personal finances.

My business is consulting, I sell my time to customers. Although the software supports creating time items for customers, there is no reporting for time items other than create an invoice to print out the current uninvoiced time activity for a customer. This is unacceptable to me. I need to provide detailed time reporting to my customers, as well as a summarized invoice for payment. I'll have to continue to track my time in a spreadsheet.

Regarding invoices, although the software offers "emailing invoices" as a feature, what it emails is a text invoice, and there is no way to print the invoice to a file or word document to email something a bit more professional. Being in the computer consulting business, text invoices would appear a bit tacky.

So, for me, the two main things I do, track my time on consulting projects and invoice my customers via email, are not possible in this software. I have to continue to use spreadsheets to track my time, and word processing to create the invoices to email to my customers.

The personal finances functionality seems to be the same as previous versions of this software, but be very wary about paying the extra $ for the small business feature set. It seems quite lacking to me. ... Read more

Product Description

Get the Easiest-to-Use Invoicing Software Available.

• Instant Invoices: Generate professional invoices, estimates, credit memos, statements and envelopes in just minutes.
• Right for Your Business: Invoices for Product and Service Companies, as well as Invoices for Professional Services.
• Payments: Apply payments made by check, cash or credit card.
• Inventory: Automatically keep track of the quantity of each product that you have in stock.
• Sales Tax: Invoices & Estimates Pro automatically calculates sales tax and even prepares the documents necessary for you to make sales tax payments.
• Bank Deposits: Prepare bank deposit reports based on the payments you receive.
• Commissions: Track sales by salesperson, making commission calculation a cinch. ... Read more

  Reviews (8)

  Super Software
  I got this software a few years ago when I first started my home business. It has done everything I have ever asked it to do. Then one day it started to lock up my system so I called tech support for help. As it turns out I had an old version of the software and it was causing problems with service pack 2. The only solution was for me to upgrade to the new version. They gave me 50% off the new program!!!! Now I am back up and sending out invoices. THANKS INVOICES AND ESTIMATES!

  Great except for the Bugs
  I bought this at OfficeMax because it was on clearance for $10. Now I realize why it was on clearance.
  
  The software is great in itself with all the features a small business would need without all the accounting features. I was looking for invoicing and customer records and the software had them both.
  
  However, the software has bugs that need to be sorted out. Sometimes, it would work but other times, the software would crash when I tried to create an invoice, and would open back up in Spanish or French version. Thus, it doesn't seem reliable to be able to make invoices at the convenience of the software.
  
  The software is great but the bugs are unacceptable.I was using Windows XP with and AMD Athlon XP computer.

  It works for me!
  I actually bought this software before reading any reviews on it. I was shopping for Quick Books Pro, but was set aback by the price. When I saw Invoices & Estimates Pro it looked like a bargain. It does 80% of what Quick Books does, and it's 1/8th the price. Since all I need is the ability to store customer records and print invoices, it was perfect (although it does lots more than just that).

  When I got it home and looked up some reviews I was disappointed at what people were saying. I wondered if I should just return it. But it said on the box there was a 30 day money-back guarantee, so I figured I'd give it a chance....

  Turns out, it's great! I honestly don't know why the other reviewers have had difficulties with it. I'm running Win XP Pro and this software has never once failed or locked up my computer. I also find it more intuitive and easier to use than Quick Books.

  What I like about this as opposed to QB (which I've used in the past) is that it is much easier to customize the design and layout of your templates. My invoices are far nicer looking now than they ever were with QB. I can also print aging reports and graphs in seconds.

  Don't get me wrong, Quick Books is a great program and it does have many added features. But if all you need is basic invoicing, accounting, and reports, like me, and you'd rather spend $40 than $300, I would recommend Invoices & Estimates Pro.

  I do not recommend for a non software "Guru"
  This program is a night mare. I think the software person that wrote this program thinks all people know what he knows. This is definately not for the average person or business person trying to set up a invoice program. It simply is not easy and simple like the box says.
  I have been at it for two days now and am going to have to hire a software engineer for big bucks to set it up or I may just TRY to return it.
  The box is very very deceiving, it is far from simple.

  Pure Junk!
  This piece of software has the honor of being the ONLY thing that has ever locked up my Windows XP Pro system in over a year. Support is free for the long distance call but all they say is "well, it doesn't do it on my system." and that is that. No help or advise at all.I wish I could give this thing a -5 stars... ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

TurboTax Basic guides you through preparing and filing your taxes quickly and easily. The EasyStep Interview process guides you through your return step-by-step, then double checks for errors and overlooked deductions. Information can be instantly imported from your Quicken or QuickBooks program (2001 or later) and quickly transferred from last year's federal return. You can even file your return electronically.

The software also allows you to retrieve and input your wage, mortgage interest, and investment data with instant data entry by automatically retrieving W-2 wage data, 1098 mortgage interest, and 1099 investment data from participating employers and financial institutions. It then enters the data into the right forms, reducing manual data entry and simplifying tax preparation.

TurboTax Basic also helps you identify entries that could trigger an audit. Audit Alerts check your return for items that might raise a red flag with the IRS, and provide information on key documents you should keep. In addition, TurboTax Basic helps you make the most of the changing tax laws: it is up-to-date, with all the latest tax law changes.

All federal versions of TurboTax desktop products for Windows include product activation to better ensure customers use the product in accordance with the License Agreement. An independent test of product activation technology in Intuit Inc.'s TurboTax desktop software products confirms the technology does not negatively impact computer performance or compromise customer privacy. The findings of the tests, performed by PCTest Corporation, an independent software-testing lab can be found at http://www.pctest.com/intuit/index.htm. You can still prepare multiple returns from one computer, and install and prepare your return on multiple computers. To fully uninstall the the SafeCast/C-Dilla element of TurboTax, you must download the free uninstall application at the TurboTax Support website. For additional information about product activation, go to http://www.turbotaxsupport.com and refer to TurboTax Product Activation in the News and Tips section. ... Read more

Reviews (125)

C-Dilla, in detail
Here's a quote from extremetech.com. (ExtremeTech &sister publication PC Magazine're industry leaders.You've probably heard of their most famous writer, John C. Dvorak.)(Note:Intuit-TurboTax-2002's C-Dilla wasn't different from other versions of C-Dilla.It just got lotsa attention because TurboTax *was* very popular software until C-Dilla became a part of it.)

From ET's article:
"Likely the biggest problem users have expressed, is the level at which the TurboTax licensing agreement is managed and protected with the SafeCast/C-Dilla technology. People believe C-Dilla infiltrates their system in a very insidious manner, and uses memory and resources even when TurboTax is not loaded. And some believe it has caused them serious compatibility problems with non-related CD writing operations. (PC Magazine and ExtremeTech will be conducting some tests next week to see if we can duplicate some of these problems).[....] or your customers still looking to exit TurboTax for good, the uninstaller at this link now fully removes components of SafeCast/C-Dilla that were previously mostly impossible to remove."...If you're planning on using this product at work, forget it... your Info Technology manager will have a cow if he/she knows that you're installing destructive trojan/spyware (C-Dilla) on the company PCs.If you've already installed this software on a PC at work, let your IT manager know IMMEDIATELY, so he/she can take whatever steps are possible to remove C-Dilla.

In the 2002/2003 version of TurboTax, a great protest rose up from prominent computer-industry magazines and users, which led to Intuit/TurboTax somewhat apologizing, and offering a program that uninstalled C-Dilla after you'd uninstalled TurboTax2002.(The original uninstaller didn't remove C-Dilla.)

2004...does it have C-Dilla ?I don't know.It's not out yet.Approach with caution.

Spywhere everywhere on my pristine machine :(
In the past I've used and enjoyed Inuit's products - good user interface, useful features, but lately I've grown wary of their marketing masquerades. After installing TurboTax2002 I am finally fed up. I hate spyware. Good bye Intuit. I'll be using Microsoft Money (instead of Quicken) and the associated online tax preparation software next year.

Beware of Intuit C_Dilla
I have been a consistent Turbo Tax user for the last 10 years, but what Intuit did this year with the installation of C_Dilla, aka Spyware, is unconscionable.As a result, I have switched to Tax Cut, and it works fine.There is no way I will install spyware on my PC.Intuit blew it big time on this one!

Spyware in purchased products? NO MORE!
What Intuit has done is completely unacceptable and has alienated many of their users. I'll be forever skeptical about any product that doesn't have a "DRM" (Digital Rights Management, aka C_Dilla) with a giant red X through it on the box. I'm all against piracy, but the methods used by Intuit have screwed many users who depended on their product to do their taxes.

TurboTax really blew it this year!!
Reviewer: A software user from Miami, FL
I have been using Turbo Tax for 10 years, and up until this year, had no problem with it. However, this year frankly [stinks].
The product could not find my internet connection to go to online help. Took me 10 minutes to correct this.The product could not find my Quicken Deluxe 2000 tax information and offered to sell me Quicken 2003! This is NOT freeware or shareware, so why do I have to put up with all the sales and marketing [stuff] the program contains? Every other screen is trying to sell me something or get you to pay more for something else! It is annoying as hell! Also the infamous C_Dilla directory. I am all against software piracy, but for TurboTax to install software without my knowledge, and to run processes in my computer that I am not aware of and that run even when TurboTax is not running, is just totally wrong in my book! To me this is called "Spyware", period! I really hope Intuit reconsiders their tactics, because there are plenty of options out there for Tax preparation software, and honestly, this will be the last year I used TurboTax, because I am fed up with all this! ... Read more