Amazon.com Review

While nobody really likes to think about things like wills, power ofattorney, and legal guardians, it's important to make sure you've provided foryour family and taken care of your estate. Whether you need to create a will, aliving trust, or a child-care agreement, Quicken Lawyer 2002 Personal Deluxehelps you compose and organize the necessary legal documents.

The program is easy to navigate, and helpful explanations are available at eachand every point along the way. Although Quicken often errs on the side of toomuch explanation, keep in mind that this program outputs documents usuallywritten by lawyers who trained for three years to understand this subject.

The kinds of documents that Quicken Lawyer 2002 Personal can create are toonumerous to list, but a sample of the core offerings include: will, livingtrust, health-care directive, durable power of attorney for finances, finalarrangements, child-care agreement, elder-care agreement, general notice ofdeath, and much more.

To answer the concern that a software program couldn't possibly provide the kindof know-how that an attorney could give, Quicken also provides a legal manual inbook form and within the software itself. Quicken has teamed up with Nolo tomake this subject matter understandable and accessible to the public at large.

While in no way is making a living trust a simple matter, Quicken Lawyer 2002Personal offers a realistic way to prepare legal documents without expensivelawyers or long hours of consternation. --Kendra Hayden ... Read more

Reviews (13)

hassle free will
My wife and I did our wills.Nothing fancy, no complicated scenarios.For us it was a snap.Of course neither of us have died.Until then who knows.Worth it in order to avoid paying a lawyer a bundle.I can reccommend it for simple estates.

Very disappointed
I was rather disappointed with this purchase and my purchase of the Business version.I would have preferred to have more document templates.I have used the Quicken Lawyer 2003 Business version and they're getting warmer.Perhaps the 2004 version will be great?

Definitely a DOWNGRADE
I agree with a previous reviewer who said:

"Nothing personal against Nolo, but the new version has nowhere near the capabilities of the previous one...For those of you who are used to the old version and looking for an upgrade, do yourself a favor and go the Broderbund website. There you'll find the latest version of what used to be Quicken Family Lawyer. Buying the new Quicken Lawyer 2002 is nothing short of a DOWNGRADE."

Plus the screens are not at all user-friendly.I'd like to trade mine for the Broderbund model.

The greatest software I've ever used
I saw several people bashing this wonderful software (all within a short amount of time, I note), many of which promote a terrible software package called "Family Lawyer," which makes me think Quicken's competitors are doing a bit of negative marketing.

Well let me tell you, I've used both, and Quicken Lawyer far and away exceeded Family Lawyer. First of all, it catches your mistakes, so you won't accidentally make a will out to yourself (like I almost did). Also, I don't no how many times Family Lawyer simply gave me a form and didn't tell me how to use it. Finally, Quicken has an update feature so you get the latest legal changes; the other product didn't tell me to expect changes.

This software saved me hundreds. I first got it when I needed to make a will and a healthcare directive before I had surgery.It was quick, easy and instructive. The program took me through the process step by step. Since then I've created a new will, a financial power of attorney and documents for my personal representative without a hitch. Thanks Quicken!

Quicken should've warned us !
Sometime between the releases of Quicken Family Lawyer 2001 Deluxe and Quicken Lawyer 2002 Personal Deluxe, Quicken switched from software offered by Parsons to this new version offered by Nolo (I hear this is because Broderbund purchased Parsons).
Nothing personal against Nolo, but the new version has nowhere near the capabilities of the previous one. For one thing, the number of legal documents has dropped from well over 150 to 31. For those of you who are used to the old version and looking for an upgrade, do yourself a favor and go [the Broderbund website.]There you'll find the latest version of what used to be Quicken Family Lawyer. Buying the new Quicken Lawyer 2002 is nothing short of a DOWNGRADE. ... Read more

Product Description

Will Workshop's comprehensive tools and interview-style questions guide you through the process step-by-step. Customize your will and create essential estate planning documents to meet your needs whether you are married, divorced or single. ... Read more

Features

• Turn any document into a PDF file with the simple conversion tools
• Save your document structures and hyperlinks within the new documents by changing the settings
• Drag and drop your files into any file, PostScript or EPS file directly to PDF
• Protect your documents with password security
• High-end proofing and print production for enhanced color accuracy

Product Description

Kiplinger TaxCut Standard 2004.TaxCut Standard provides great features at a great value with everything you need to complete your Federal return quickly and accurately. Just answer simple questions and the program does the rest. FEATURES ⢠Customized Tax Interview Answer questions that pertain to your specific tax situation.⢠Error Check Automatically double-checks your return for errors or omissions.⢠Life Events Advice Helpful tax and financial advice for handling topics such as marriage, new home purchase, retiring and more.⢠Electronic Refund Advance Loan Get your money in as little as two business days.*⢠Seamless Imports Quickly and easily import last year's tax and financial data from TaxCut, TurboTax , Quicken, Microsoft Money and HR Block DeductionPro .⢠Multiple Tax Payment Options Easy ways to pay your taxes owed. ... Read more

Features

• Easily import last year's data from TaxCut, TurboTax, Quicken, and more
• Software for completing Federal tax return quickly and accurately
• Customized tax interview; helpful tax and financial advice for specific life events
• Automatically double-checks return for errors or omissions
• Get paid in as little as 2 business days with electronic refund-advance loan

Reviews (7)

Better than TurboTax
We used TurboTax for a couple of years then switched to TaxCut on the advice of friends. It saved us a lot more money! It is more knowledgeable at making the most of one's deductions than TurboTax. We are sorry we didn't switch last year when we first thought of it.

Can't file even a printed 2004 return
Last year we were able to file a printed return using this software. This year not only could we not down load the mandatory update because there were no instructions that worked, but the software would not let us print a filable return only one with "draft do not file" written all over it. We went to Smart Tax, one of several on line providers listed on the IRS site, and used this to prepare and file our 1040 for free, and our state for a small fee this afternoon!I'll admit that having done the draft with Tax Cut helped.I'm not counting on Tax Cut to get this fixed by next year.

OK BUT UPDATE PROBLEMS
I have used Tax Cut for several years and reasonably satisfied.But the 2004 edition has an error in the auto update software that causes "UNEXPECTED ERROR" flag when trying to download the update.The TaxCut web site acknowledges the error and lists cause as UNKNOWN.Wasted time disabling firewall, anti-virus, etc. with no resolution.The only solution is to download a full update from their web site which is 42 mb and takes 3 hours with a 56K modem.Imagine this when buying software to speed your tax preparation.A check of the internet shows others having this problem also.Apparently they did not do much quality testing of this product.

Otherwise the software is similar to previous years.

Never, never again.
I used Tax Cut Standard successfully two years ago, and touted it to everyone as a "must have." To my embarrassment, when I finally persuaded my mother to buy the program last year, it failed to work! It couldn't even do the math correctly. At first, I thought maybe it was human error, but when I checked her print outs, the math was definitely way off. She got a refund on her purchase (minus shipping), but was so frustrated, I did her taxes the old fashioned way: by hand.

This year, I worried a little about bugs in the software, but thought "Surely they've fixed them," and bought the 2004 software for myself. It seems to work okay, BUT now the manufacturer is getting greedy! It used to be I could do all my self-employed taxes (such as Schedule C) with Tax Cut Standard, and when I bought my software for '04, the "Standard" edition said nothing about changes. But lo! You can no longer file self employment forms with the software, and must pay $55 for a "Business Edition" for the forms we self-employed people need.

Fat chance. I'll take an afternoon and do them by hand, instead.

eh, it's alright
This is my third year with taxcut.It works.I avoid Turbotax because of their reported spyware problesm (at least in the past).

Taxcut is a simple program and obviously H&R Block doesn't spend much on programmers.In fact I can't believe they have more than one part-time person on the front-end of it.It does not look professionally done, more like a beta version.Every year I've used it the text has overlaped entry boxes.The information is displayed in an annoyingly small box with a scroll bar.They should just use the whole screen so I don't have to scroll.You could easily forget to scroll and miss boxes you need to fill in.It gets 1.5 stars for appearance and use.

That said, a fairly simple return takes about an hour and only costs $9.99 (Walmart's got you beat Amazon). It's a tax code and at the end of the day I don't need anything pretty.

It does try to sell me more H&R services, but I guess I've grown used to that.Still, it would all go faster without that in the way.And the navigation just isn't great; in fact it might be poor.And it put two icons on my desktop that I had to delete.But it's this or TurboTax.

An aside: For the life of me I can't figure out why I need to buy tax software.The government could save money, trees, errors and time if they'd distribute a free software package.If they write the rules the least they could do is let me download a free program to interpret them. ... Read more

Product Description

Expense tracking application for Sony Ericsson P800 / P900 - record your business expenses as they occur. ... Read more

Features

• More expansive deductible item database; import last year¿s DeductionPro data
• Accurate, fair-market values to the most commonly donated household items
• Complete donation tracker and donation reports; estimated tax savings meter
• IRS publications; FAQs and program help; record keeping alerts
• New deduction advisor and quick value check; seamless TaxCut software import

Reviews (5)

This software stinks!
Warning: After successfully saving my file, I continued to input over 100 line items in this program (a very time consuming task).When finished, I tried to save but received an error message.Then when I tried to open my file, the message said it wasn't a valid file format.My file was corrupted and cannot be retrieved, and the technical support had no idea how it happened or whether it could happen again.I am in the process of returning this program.

The non-cash charitable contribution section is a great idea, but it's cumbersome: you have to scroll down a very long list each time (no key words).Plus, there are many every-day items that aren't on the list; bicycle helmet is, but dishware isn't.

I haven't tried the alternative, but this program is awful.

Horrible Interface
Don't even bother...Even an excel spreadsheet is easier than this.There is no way to enter multiple different items that were given on the same date.You have to type the date for each item individually (not even a copy/paste function).When looking up the value of an item you have to go through multiple menu's that aren't arranged well.Very clunky and disappointing.

Software of Very Limited Value
I bought DeductionPro because I'd donated a lot of old clothing, furniture and books to charity last year, and I wanted some assistance organizing and valuing those contributions for my tax preparation. DeductionPro allowed me to enter all of this information, provided a table for estimating their value, and prepared the required IRS form for claiming those deductions since they were valued at over $500.

Beyond that, there's not much to this software. Its user interface is not very slick. There fields have limited space to enter information, the error messages are not helpful, there are no good instructions, and it's overall look and feel is pretty amateurish. I wasn't very impressed. However, since it comes free with TaxCut, it was clearly worth the money I (didn't) pay.

There's nothing here that you can't get by simply using tax preparation software. The only real value add is the valuation tables, and they are pretty limited. You can also use it to record cash donations, out of pocket expenses and other kinds of deductions. However, unlike TaxCut, there's limited advise available for doing so, and no obvious benefit to using this software for those things.

On the whole, using DeductionPro benefited me, but it's nothing to write home about. If you don't need the merchandise valuation tables for non-cash donations, I wouldn't spend the time or money to use this software. Your tax prep software will do it all just as well. If you do need help valuing your donations, then this might make your life a little easier, but not much.

Not worth the money
This program is basically a simple database that allows you to enter your donations.It will help you value your donations, but it's difficult to do in the program.You need to know which category your item is listed under before you can find it's value in this program.It doesn't let you search for your item to find the value.I don't see any value in this program.Entering all of your donations in this program is a hassle.It's easier to enter them directly into your tax program.

It is useless!!!
I bought the software and the first step it requires you to do is to enter organization name and address. It gives you so little space for both that I can't even enter my church name in a meaningful way. I can barely enter street address of all the organizations. I have to use the TaxCut software to modify the names once they are imported. It's useless! The only good thing is that I do get my rebate so at least it's free. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Isn't money supposed to make our lives easier? Quicken 2003 Premier takes that thought to heart and streamlines financial tasks as simple as recording bills paid or as complex as devising retirement strategies. New users will quickly be exploring their accounts online and checking out options for excising debt and investing wisely, while upgraders will find the new interface even cleaner and more intuitive than before.

The Web-based system is simple to understand at a glance, easy to customize, and fully integrated with Internet Explorer--so users can quickly find financial information online from banks, brokerages, and Quicken.com. This makes most banking and investment account record keeping trivially easy, though of course not all institutions are Web compatible yet. Simple planning of investments, retirement, and debt reduction is just as easy, using the templates and wizards easily available from the software's start page.

More adventurous users will find a wealth of online resources enabling them to automate tasks related to investments, but should take great care when setting up such assistance. Some of the advanced features are difficult for novices to understand; they are well-advised to consult with professional financial planners before committing resources on their own.

Quicken 2003 Premier won't make anyone rich overnight, but it will help people frustrated by the complexity of today's financial world get a good night's sleep. --Rob Lightner ... Read more

Reviews (20)

Worse than junk
Buying this software was the worst financial decision I have ever made. My accounts are so messed up by now that I'm on the verge of starting over, thus losing nearly ten years of historical data. With Quicken 2000 my account balances were reconciled to the absolute penny. I always knew where my finances, but now I don't trust anything I see.

I wish I'd never laid eyes on this software.

Problems with Quicken 2003 H&B
I have been a Quicken user for many years, and have never seen a product as unstable as Quicken 2003.Bank accounts that were solidly in balance somehow becomes "out-of-balance" and Quicken forces me to put an adjustment entry that is not needed.This then forces it out of balance, although Quicken says it is balanced.Huh?Also, the Backup utility somehow stopped working and stopped allowing me to create a backup file.I get all sorts of errors now.Maybe the other reviewers are right.I probably should switch to MS Money.Arrrgh!

Too much, too little.
As a previous user of quicken basic and quickbooks, Premier version has just added lots of additional,unnessary and irritating options. Advertising for more of quickens features are displayed on every menu, screen and report/graph.Quicken basic has all the good fundamentals for the average guy or small business even, and if someone outgrows basic move right to Quickbooks Pro.Forget about messing with these useless features that add no value just cost.

A Monumental Pain
I've spent the last three evenings trying to get accounts properly set-up. I've had a horrendous time importing my brokerage data even though it download all of it from my broker. It doesn't create reports, tells me the data for my stocks are unavailable because the symbol is wrong yet, though the symbol is corrected, it remembers the incorrect one! Nothing to do but delete and re-enter.

I've already uninstalled and re-installed the program twice because it doesn't completely erase transactions that are incorrectly entered. Further it doesn't integrate my paychecks properly. After entering year-to-date information and latest paychecks it determined I've earned $-342. from my job! I know I'm not paid nearly what I'm worth but jeez.... It came to this conclusion DESPITE the fact that I cross-checked each entered paycheck and they were entered correctly. And heaven forbid you're a wage earner with different statements every 2 weeks, Quicken likes to assume all your paychecks will be the same. Your company changes its pay schedule? You're screwed. It will demand a statement on dates which are no longer valid. Have a taxable benefit from your company that isn't listed in your pay? No way to enter it!

It doesn't import TurboTax 2002 data either!

This has been a terrible disappointment. For what I paid, $$. I feel I've been completely ripped-off. The online help is a joke. I hope MS Money is better than this.

Quicken 2003 is a disaster!
I have had Quicken for 15 years and just upgraded to 2003 version.I have had nothing but problems with it.I just purchased a new computer and have tried to backup my quicken files on a floppy and a cd without any success.Though my original backup is there, I have tried to transfer and copy the
data without any success.It will not allow me to get that infomation.I have lost precious time in what used to be a simple procedure.There is no helpful technical support.I do not recommend this version at all and as soon as I can get out of it, I will go back to an earlier version. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

TaxCut Platinum takes the guesswork out of preparing your taxes, and turns tax time into a pain-free, logical, educational, and simplified experience.

It seemed like TaxCut Platinum was easier to use this year than ever.Navigating through taxable income, deductions, and penalties is far less tedious than it used to be. With TaxCut Platinum you can easily enter your W-2 information (and depending on your employer, some W-2s can be automatically populated), view educational videos on current tax law, and take an interview to see if you qualify for a specific section. TaxCut Platinum also lets you skip any steps with which you are already familiar, and easily return to any section of the form.

As is standard with most of these programs, you must purchase state tax software separately from the federal program. However, TaxCut Platinum includes rebate coupons for your state program and electronic filing fees. Once you have installed your state program, all the information you have already entered into your federal return will be automatically read by the state program. Once you've finished with both returns you can choose the format in which you want to file them: by mail or electronically. TaxCut Platinum will walk you through either process with printing and mailing instructions and electronic filing guidelines.

New features this year include Retirement Savings Enhancer, 9-Year Tax Preview, Home Office Assistant, and Portfolio Manager. Improvements have been made to the Error Check and Entry Manager features. TaxCut Platinum also includes professional tax advice from H&R Block.

While enjoyable is certainly not the first adjective that comes to mind when preparing your tax return, TaxCut Platinum certainly makes the process more than bearable. --Kendra Hayden ... Read more

Features

• No more wading through paperwork for hours -- the simple Tax Assistants bring you the financial assistance you need, step-by-step
• Work out the total taxable value on your stock portfolios, options, and capital gains with no trouble
• Find out how you can increase your tax and retirement savings with sound advice from H&R Block and Kiplinger
• Also includes free copies of TaxCut State, E-filing, and a copy of Microsoft Money(after rebate - See below)

Reviews (21)

Very user friendly tax software
I have used TaxCut for several years now, and really appreciate its convenience and ease of use.The software works like an interview - you answer a list of questions, and when you are done, your tax return is complete.It picks up the data from prior year returns done on TaxCut, so if you use the program year after year, it gets progressively easier and less time-consuming to prepare your taxes.Clear explanations are provided for every entry, potential problem areas are flagged, and your return is compared with average taxpayer returns in your income bracket so you can see if your deductions etc. are out of line with the norm. The state program for my state is also very simple to use.In my opinion, using TaxCut is far simpler and less stressful than either doing taxes by hand or using a tax preparer.

Don't use Tax Cut if you have to file an Oregon State return
Last year I used Turbo Tax and was able to file my state return electronically.This year I switched to Tax Cut and it doesn't support E-filing the Oregon State return.Now, at the last minute, I have to print and file a manual return. This will add about 2 months to the time it takes to get a refund.Next year it's back to Turbo Tax, no matter how bad it is, it's better than Tax Cut.

Disappointing; about as good as TurboTax was 2-3 years ago
I switched to TaxCut from TurboTax because reviews said it was as good as TurboTax but without TurboTax's copy protection scheme.Unfortunately, I was disappointed.Entering Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) transactions was much more difficult than last year's TurboTax.The capital gains wizard was almost no help.The online instructions and help were much less helpful, and the help had a much poorer index.

Overall, I would say TaxCut 2003 is about as good as TurboTax was 2-3 years ago.But it is not nearly as easy to use as TurboTax was last year.As much as I dislike TurboTax's copy protection scheme, I will go back to TurboTax next year.

Does not live up to TurboTax Deluxe
Since this is my first year of trying to file US Income Taxes _myself_, I picked TaxCut since I didn't like the TurboTax registration annoyance. I later hat the opportunity to enter my Federal and my California Tax Info on a friend's computer with TurboTax Deluxe and thus was able to compare the Interview process.

My tax situation was very easy except for 3 issues:
1. I had to pay tax due in 2002 for my 2001 State Tax Return
2. I collected foreign dividends, interest and captital gains
3. I payed foreign taxes (on those foreign dividends and
interests) and thus filed form 1116.

So what happend:
1. Knowing on where and how to enter the fact that I payed state
taxes, was a major hassle with TaxCut. The interview process
asked about it at one point, but then you were left alone
to figure out on which of the following screens you had
to enter this information, so that it would properly carry
over to the State tax program. There was nothing in the FAQ,
in any of the help sections or on the website. It took
two emails with customer support to get an answer to this
question.

TurboTax explicitely asked that question in its interview
process and had my enter the amount right away.

2. Neither program provides any support for dealing with foreign
currencies, so you're on your own with the conversion.

3. Form 1116 was another nightmare with TaxCut, which basically
left you to filling out the forms / worksheets by yourself.
TurboTax made it much more easier.

Other issues:
- Changes in the Federal Data did not always carry over
properly to the State Return (i.e. when I deleted info
about Estimated Taxes payed). I only noticed this
when comparing the figures with TurboTax
- I bought the "Platinum" version, but I didn't see any
practical benefit.

At the end of the day both programs calculated the same
figures, however TurboTax' interview progress was much clearer

and mad me much more comfortable.

If TurboTax didn't have that awkward registration scheme I would never use TaxCut again.

Never used Turbo Tax anyway
Taxcut is easy to use and my return is relatively simple, so I was mostly satisfied with it.Contrary toprevious reviews, it does have an interview feature and I did not find that I had to enter the same information repeatedly.

On the downside, the program is full of bugs that range from the amusing (like saying "I see that your spouse also moved this year" when I am filing a single return!) to the scary (like forcing me to enter a value for a mortgage deduction when I do not own a home)I run a small home based business and that seemed to extend Taxcut's capability to the maximum.Taxcut worked fine this year, but if my business grows any larger,I'll switch to something else next year. ... Read more

Features

• Quickly and easily import last year's tax data from TaxCut or TurboTax
• Automatically calculates, checks for common errors, and prepares the proper tax forms for your return
• Once submitted, a tax pro at H&R Block checks for errors, corrects identified problems on your return and then signs and e-files your return
• Includes Audit Protection; if the IRS audits or serves notice to you, an H&R Block representative will assist in answering questions regarding the preparation of your return
• Get unlimited phone or e-mail consultation with an experienced tax pro to answer tax questions

Features

• Save yourself time and money by locating the documents you need and just clicking on them, to create a legally-binding document
• Categories include - legal emergencies, credit repair, wills and trusts, divorce, custody, corporate trademarks, taxes and much more
• Professional explanation of complicated legal terms are presented,along with outlines of common legal strategies
• Also includes a step-by-step guide to selecting an attorney and dealing with disputes and errors by legal counsel

Reviews (3)

Perfect Attorney Platinum riddled with errors
Go to the Nevada Living Will and print the form. You will see the grave lack of quality this program has. It is riddled with spelling errors, misplaced words and problems. If something happened to you and your relatives looked at this living will, they would most likely be left just scratching their heads. This is a terrible program.

Suggest You Look Elsewhere
Not worth the price.Should be about$9.00.Significant is that it indicates that it provides "Identity Theft" and "Credit Repair" topics which I assumed would provide forms if that eventuality should occur.Not the case.I am assuming that is included as a video clip on one of the 3 CD's that only contain talking heads about certain topics.CD#1 contains the legal program with documents and the other 3 are the talking heads.

Don't buy Perfect Attorney. It claims to be more than it is.
I purchased this program in order to form an Limited Liability Company in Utah. Unfortunately the program is the most unfriendly user interface of any software I have ever purchased. As for the their so called "Help" links.Click on it and there is no real help.Even after I figured out how to navigate the windows 3.1 style interface, my disappointment was about to increase dramatically.The software box shows that you can use the program to create forms for a Limited Liability Company.What I actually got was a one page generic .pdf file that was not editable or able to create any LLC form.I woulddefinitely recommend any other product you can find and even if this is your only option.Don't buy this program. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

With Intuit Quicken 2001 Deluxe, it really is possible to have apaperless home office, as long as you have Internet access--and, of course, youmake sure to file your financial documents in another room of the house.

Intuit's latest release of the popular personal-finance/home-business softwarebreaks new ground in its tighter integration of the Web-based services atQuicken.com, with its hard-drive-based number-crunching software.College-planning calculators, 401(k) advice, and home-purchase calculators allare summoned by a click on a tab in the software--and a swift launch of your Webbrowser.

"So, what," you say? "I can find those financial calculators anywhere online,not just at Quicken.com"? Well, the best aspect of all of this Web-enabling isthe amount of typing that it saves you at the front end. The biggest hurdle tostarting with any of these home-finance programs has been that you've got toinput the data from your bank statements, checkbook, and ATM slips by hand toget any real sense of your finances. Thanks to the broadened online account- access capability of the new Quicken 2001 Deluxe, and an online bank account,you can download all of that information from your bank, and import it to yourQuicken application.

By the same token, you can make transfers and payments over the Internet byusing your Quicken software, or export your stock portfolio information to asecure area of Quicken.com, so as to benefit from online stock updates and otherinvestor information.

Intuit also has worked to make Quicken 2001 Deluxe more cohesive internally--youcan perform global find-and-replace operations, instead of jumping from file tofile, hoping for answers. You can set Quicken to notify you of tax deadlines andupcoming bills, as well as when the software itself is about to need updating.It's also a little easier to set up the program to track those transactions ofyours that are tax-deductible.

This version for Macintosh is not perfect, by any means, although it's closer toits PC counterpart in terms of functionality. Mac users now get preset access tomore banks than in previous versions, but not as many as would make onlinebanking setup a breeze. To take advantage of the new online/offline leveragethat Quicken 2001 Deluxe promises, it's best to have a fast connection to theInternet, and be at peace with the fact that some amount of real-world setupstill is necessary to make this software sing online. --Elizabeth Aoki ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Okay...but could be better.
I have owned this product for quite a while, and this piece of software is okay for the basic consumer who just wants to balance their checkbook.I have yet to explore the other features such as stocks and other stuff, etc.There are some major faults in this program.The program should have a link to TurboTax Deluxe, and the pertinent entries should be able to be communicated to TurboTax and vice versa.Additionally, the interface is a little primitive, even for Mac OS 9.Admittedly, Intuit has a general monopoly in the field of finances, especially for the Macintosh side, and unfortunately, the program does display these faults.There is relatively little attempt in the program to make it easier for Mac users (as Windows users), even despite the software patches.All in all, beggars can't be choosers...and for all its worth, this program is superior in what it does.

Shockingly bad
I used Turbo Tax, so I didn't think my transition to Quicken 2001 would be so hard. It has been impossible! There's no walking you through entries like with Turbo Tax. If you don't know what the program wants when it asks for some obscure accounting term, you have to switch to a buggy pdf file for answers, and those answers are useless if you can find them. The program is buggy. There's no way to use anything other than M$ Explorer every time the program wants to take you to a browser. And as expensive as the program is, half of the buttons take you to pages that are trying to sell you more services that should be included. Why should I pay Intuit 10 bucks a month to pay my credit card bills? That service should be included, or be closer to the price of a stamp, which is all it costs now to mail in a check. I feel like I've been slimed.

Quicken refund comes through
An update: Intuit has come through with a full refund after my Quicken Deluxe 2001 for Macintosh failed to create any reports (see review below). So, my final review: Customer Service: 5 stars.Product Usefulness for me: 0 stars. Overall Rating: 3 stars.

Intuit makes good on rebate ... but serious problems remain
I said I would update my posting if Intuit made good on their rebate offer, and now they have done so. I received a nice letter from Intuit saying they had seen my review at Amazon.com, and that I would be receiving a rebate shortly. The $20 check came today.

BUT -- I've run into some fatal errors in attempting to use my 2001 Deluxe for Macintosh. Essentially, I have been completely unable to produce any kind of a report whatsoever. As you can imagine, after entering months worth of data, being unable to analyze that data in any way leaves the program virtually worthless.

I spent many hours trying to track down the problem. Every time I tried to create a report, the program crashed, and I received a Type 1 error message. I added 128 MG of memory to my G3 (for a total of 160 MG), but still the program crashed. I downloaded the Quicken Deluxe for Macintosh Release 2 update and installed it. Still the program crashed.

If you call to try to speak with a real live person, Intuit will charge you $2.00 per minute. Refusing to throw good money after bad trying to fix their problem, I went to the Help files on the website again, and after several hours I found a Q&A explaining that an Error Type 1 may occur when attempting to create reports if you are using an HP DeskWriter printer driver, version 6.0.4.

Guess what? I've got an HP DeskWriter 6.0.4.

So I tried disabling the driver, but the program still crashed anyway. I finally gave up and spent an entire Saturday retyping in six months of data from my Macintosh into my old Quicken 6 for Windows. Now I'm using my old Quicken program, and I wish I'd never tried to upgrade.

Anyway, I'm giving them an extra star because they did finally come through with the rebate. Now we'll see whether they'll refund the rest of my money.

Attitude is everything
I have found that Intuit is not a friendly company. They certainly do not give a rip for their users problems. I think that other products like MS Money or Moneydance would have a more helpful and a friendlier feel from thier company. I say the product is okay to so-so.The company is a giant and its attitude shows its true colors. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The Simple and Good Product
Write a review about the Quicken Basic 99 Windows is very ease. In my country, Brazil, the better homebanks has compatibles Quicken's files. Actualy, the time is very short and Quicken is the solution. ... Read more

Features

• This comprehensive accounting system makes it easy to set up and manage your own General Ledger, Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable
• Track billing, inventory, and assets -- print detailed reports to help you follow your information more easily
• Select the Set Up My Company feature -- it opens a series of wizards that get up small business finances up & running in no time
• Set up multiple bank accounts and administrate them easily, with just a few clicks
• Easy adjustment and corrections for better tracking & management

Features

• Write your own sophisticated documents with the extensive desktop publishing tools
• Powerful spreadsheet tools with calculating and chart-graphing tools for visualizing data
• Drawing and diagram tools easily create dynamic and complex 2D and 3D shapes
• Create your own outstanding and effective multimedia presentations that are sure to impress!
• Advanced printing tools and special Auto Pilot feature for creating & printing complex documents quickly

Reviews (3)

Great Office Suite
Neither of the previous reviews actually discussed the software, so I thought that I might.The software is wonderful, particularly on Windows and Linux based systems (the Mac port needs some work).It is easy to use, and so much cheaper (either free or $10) than competitive products.Unless you work in a workgroup that all needs an Office Suite that is integrated with your calendar & email functionality, this Office Suite deserves a try!

Open Office
True, you can download this software for free, but if you have don't have DSL or Broadband it can take about 6 -7 hours. If you purchase the book "OpenOffice.org Resource Kit" You get the software plus 1020 page manual. The book qualifies for Amazon's super saver shipping and if you include Arcmedia's shipping charge its only about $14 more than the software alone.

DOWNLOAD THIS SOFTWARE
You can download this software FREE at http://www.openoffice.org
This will save you $9.99 ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Manage both your home and business finances in one place. Quicken 2001 Home and Business includes the complete Quicken Deluxe for your personal finances, plus tools for your business. Quicken Home and Business will also track accounts payable and receivable, create estimates and invoices, track jobs, and more.

Quicken 2001 Deluxe helps you better manage the seven key areas of your finances: banking, investing, taxes, planning, spending and saving, loans, and insurance. It’s packed with powerful features and enhancements across the seven areas to help you see the complete picture of your finances.

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.

Additional tools for your business:
• Prepare estimates (new): Prepare an estimate or bid for clients without altering your financials. Easily convert it to an invoice when you’re ready, or save it as a template for future bids.
• Create customizable invoices (improved): Create and print professional invoices with your logo or on your letterhead. Even e-mail them as HTML files.
• Track jobs (new): Track more than one project for each customer. Create a job list with all the estimates, invoices, and customer payments for each project.
• Know where your business stands at a glance: Create business reports and customer statements, including cash flow forecasts, unpaid invoices, and payment reminders.
• Simplify taxes and payroll: Automatically track expenses and assign categories like Schedule C. Handle your payroll needs with an integrated payroll service, and even download updated tax tables and federal forms (paid subscription required).
• Manage accounts payable: Easily set up accounts payable on either a cash or accrual basis. Prepare reports, pay bills, even set up reminders to let you know when bills are due.
• Access integrated services easily: Access valuable services for your business. Print postage from within Quicken, or securely back up your Quicken data over the Internet.

  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. ... Read more

  Reviews (9)

  I threw it away and reinstalled my old version from 1994
  The title basically says it.I experienced major hiccups in this program, some that I couldn't fix (like trying to reconcile my statements but finding automatic enteries like my paycheck showed up in my register but not in the reconcile deposits list...that one can't be solved...)I didn't want to integrate everything.. i just wanted to keep accurate track of a few accounts.I REALLY dislike the ads that solicit me at the bottom of the screeen...."No I don't want to find out how to save more money on my mortgage by clicking there... I'll turn on my tv if i want commercials... and you want to charge me 70$ for the viewing rights?"save yourself the hassle and stress and stick with your old program... at least you know already how to handle it when it goes haywire.I even got a manual with the old 1994 program. Something I learned I'd have to purchase seperately for this new quicken 2001.I bought this to get me away from my computer.Having been a personal computer user since 1982 I am not impressed that this is what we've progressed to 20 years later. If however you love spending hours monkeying with poorly designed computer software you'll love this!

  buggy
  Lost my data a few times with this one.Since I know my way around a hard drive, I've been able to recover.Wouldn't buy this one but what choices do you have....MS Money.Same ballgame.

  Nice program, but...
  This is a wonderful program which performs MOST everything I require...BUT, there are (as is usual) occasional bugs or problems (like all software) and Customer Service at Intuit is probably one of the least responsive I have ever seen. Usually this isn't a problem (as I said, it's a very good program), but even a small bug in your accounting program can have severe consequences, and without a decent Customer Service Dept. you can end up with a financial disaster unless you pay close attention.

  Disappointed
  I have used quicen deluxe and Quick books products since 95 and have loved them.I made the horible mistake of upgrading to Home and Business.After a week I have not had any success integrating my online bank accounts or brokerage accounts. Intuit has cluttered the interface with pay for services that you do not need. This software seems to be driven from the marketing department and not the engineering department.I am dissatisfied.

  Unpleasantness
  1. The manual is a shill for spending more money on web services you don't need.It is among the most vague things I've ever tried to use.

  2.There are obvious glitches in the file management tools.This frightens me -- this is my livelihood, after all, and not some game.The IRS will not let me blame Quicken if I make a major mistake.

  3.Very disappointing, grinding experience on the learning curve.Extremely un-inutive, Intuit. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Looking to start a small business? Or do you already own one and want to educate yourself on navigating the legal waters surrounding your establishment or corporation? There's a maze of information and processes involved with small businesses and sometimes it seems that there's no way to view it all in laymen's terms. However, with some time and effort, Quicken Lawyer 2002 Business Deluxe can help you to learn about business plans, tax forms, promissory notes, security agreements, confidentiality agreements, and much more. Quicken Lawyer 2002 Business Deluxe will even help you with marketing, domain names, and hiring practices.

Quicken Lawyer 2002 Business Deluxe is primarily an electronic reference library with books on starting, running, and maintaining small businesses. These books are published by Nolo Press, a company whose primary goal is to assist anyone and everyone in understanding what they need to know about the legal arena. Quicken Lawyer 2002 Business Deluxe also contains many of the commonly used forms for small business owners.

The books contained in the program are:

• Legal Guide for Starting & Running a Small Business, Sixth Edition by Fred Steingold
• Legal Forms for Starting & Running a Small Business, Second Edition by Fred Steingold
• The Employer's Legal Handbook, Fourth Edition by Fred Steingold
• Tax Savvy for Small Business, Fifth Edition by Frederick W. Daily, Attorney
• How to Write a Business Plan, Fifth Edition by Mike McKeever
• Marketing Without Advertising, Third Edition by Michael Phillips & Salli Rasberry
• Domain Names: How to Choose & Protect a Great Name for Your Web Site, Second Edition by Stephen Elias and Patricia Gima

Quicken Lawyer 2002 Business Deluxe is an upgrade from Nolo's Small Business Pro 4.0 and is not compatible with Quicken Business Lawyer or Quicken Family Lawyer. While a computer program cannot be a substitute for a law degree, Quicken Lawyer 2002 Business Deluxe could be a powerful tool for a small business owner who is looking for a broader understanding of the necessities and complexities of start-up, growth, and success. --Kendra Hayden ... Read more

Reviews (5)

It contains information, but is it software?
While sold as software, this is a hastily assembled conglomerate of information and some poor (in both content and formating) examples of documents. They have not even bothered to put any dialogs to help the user insert automatically trivial information (names, locations, dates,...) into the documents.

You may want to instead buy a copy of "How to Form Your Own Texas Corporation".The documents appear more complete, better laid out and you get a *book* to hold in your hands!

A good reference guide for typical legal problems.
Nolo offers great guides for specific legal issues related to personal and business use.This guide is a decent tool for users to call upon for typical small business issues.I must warn though, that not all legal questions and problems can be solved using self-help guides.Be realistic in your expectations of the software and it should serve you well.

Not as advertised, simply a watered-down online book
I was, unfortunately, very disappointed in the offerings of this product.I was under the impression that it would have a number of ready-made business forms I could customize for use in my business (contracts, amendments to the corporate charter, etc).That was not the case.This product is more of an online-book with very generic and watered-down information than anything else.If you were thinking of purchasing this product for their "forms," don't.

Lawyer In A Box!
This has been a savior. They should call it, "everything legal you need". I have used the forms for my own buisness (start-up) as well as utilized it at my job. I work for a fortune 500 company, and have been told by our legal department that I have saved them so much time, they rarely if at all have had to make any modifications to the subject matter. All-in-all, it's great if your just starting out, own a small business, or work for a multi-billion dollar corporation, and can't wait for your legal department to come throught on a deadline. Best purchase I've made in some time.

2002 Lawyers at the bottom of the ocean?
I own a copy of Quicken Lawyer 2002 Business Deluxe as well as Quicken Family Lawyer, and I was impressed with both!
Running a small business requires more and more legal forms and contracts every day.
Trouble is that your average attorney knows this, and charges accordingly.
Having compared some of the legal documents generated by my attorney and the same documents generated with these two software packages, I could swear (under oath) that my attorney must be using the same software!
Of course, there are some subtle differences, however, I found it to be considerably less expensive to have my attorney read and make modifications to the documents that I provide, than to have him generate them.
This software may not entirely replace your attorney, but it will come darn close.
I only give it four stars because it's not perfect and like anything else out there, it can be improved upon. ... Read more

Product Description

With Quicken 2005 Basic, you can track, balance, and budget your finances in minutes! Quicken 2005 Basic is the easiest and fastest way to get your finances in control. Manage your personal finances with these powerful, easy-to-use, time-saving tools.

• Track your checking, savings, and credit-card transactions in one place.
• Reconcile your bank statements and balance your checkbook in minutes. Quicken does the math, so records are more accurate.
• Pay bills right from your computer. Write and print checks or pay bills online.²
• Create a personalized budget
• Instantly connect to your bank and credit card sites with a push of a button. You'll have complete, up-to-date records without the effort. Connect to more than 1,800 financial institutions.²

Features

• Powerful, easy-to-use tools for managing personal finances
• Track checking, savings, and credit-card transactions in one place
• Reconcile bank statements and balance checkbook in minutes
• Write and print checks or pay bills online
• Quickly and easily create a personalized budget

Reviews (3)

Intuit pulls the wool over...
I upgraded to 2005 because it was "required" to continue electronic bill pay. The upgrade was a disaster so I had to call Tech help...which is when I eventually discovered Intuit had switched the electronic payment service company.I was appalled that they would be so underhanded.I had been working with Checkfree (the company that processed e-payments) for 9 yrs (first directly then through Quicken),was very satisfied with their service and had no intentions of leaving them.Long story short...I am done with Quicken and their electronic billpay!! This switch, without the customer's knowledge, sounds a lot like the "slamming" the phone companies used to do.Bottom line is, I may be looking at MS Money to track finances.I never thought Quicken was easy to use...certainly not inuitive....no pun ;-))

More wasted money
Every year they hit you for upgrades.My last upgrade was 2003 and I eventually uninstalled it and went back to 2002 which I was using until last week.This upgrade is no different than 2003 and the user interface "Bites".The only reason I upgraded was because they threatened to stop honoring my electronic transactions unless I upgraded.What kind of BS is that.If MS Money wasn't so difficult to use I switch in a heart beat.This is my last upgrade, after this I'm using my banks web site for all my banking needs.The quicken product has really gone down hill and all they want is to get is many dollars out of you as they can.

Save your money
This release,2005, of Quicken will be the last I am ever tricked into buying.I am using XP on a Dell laptop with CD-RW. It is almost impossible to backup data. In fact it is just more trouble than its worth. I bought Quicken 2005 because of the promised " Better Backup and Archiving".If I can find out if this piece of junk can be converted to M S MONEY I will be leaving Quicken for good. I have been a user for a decade but this is the end. ... Read more

Product Description

Instantly gain productivity with all of the exciting new time-saving features! Improvements have been made to save you time with more streamlined daily tasks, they've added functionality to meet your business needs and allow Peachtree to work even better for your business. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Microsoft Personal Collection 2001 includes four programs: Office Personal Portfolio 2002, Picture It Photo 2001, Money 2001 Standard, and Encarta Encyclopedia Standard 2001.

• Personal Portfolio contains 600 easy-to-use templates that help you do more with Microsoft Office. Organize your home life, club or organization, career, and schoolwork. Create seasonal calendars, holiday letters, meal planners, and recipe cards. Find templates for resumes, newsletters, flyers, stationery, or award certificates.
• Encarta 2001 includes a wealth of knowledge to enhance your understanding and knowledge of the world. Reference more than 36,000 up-to-date articles. Find relevant Web sites with one click in the Web Center.
• Money 2001 lets you easily track, analyze, and take control of your personal finances. Set up your accounts, schedule bills, and balance your checkbook. Track spending, make a budget, and manage your cash flow. Bank online with major financial institutions.
• Picture It! Photo 2001 makes good pictures great pictures. Crop, rotate, remove red eye, and sharpen your photos. Find 300 photo projects for cards, calendars, stickers, and more. Share photos easily through prints, e-mail, and the Web.

Reviews (2)

Great for College Students
ENCARTA: In college, I can't use an encyclopedia as a source on a paper.However, I can look things up with the encyclopedia, so I have some clue about the topic and can determine where I should look to future research the topic.

MONEY: This is really good for keeping track of all of my bills (tuition, books, car payments, insurance, credit cards, etc.)This program takes a little bit to get used to and you have to keep using it to see how effective it is, but it helps make managing money a little bit easier.

PICTURE IT! PHOTO: I have a program that came with my scanner that does a pretty good job.When I want to add the 'little extras' to graphics, I use this program.I can create effects with this program.

"No Longer a Skeptic"
At first I was reluctant to purchase this software (could be I was intimidated by the newness and unfamiliarity?). The installation was quite simple - just sit back and follow the simple instructions. I have used other software prior to Microsoft Personal Collection 2001 somewhat similar but not as sophisicated. I thoroughly enjoy using this software. I find me challenging myself to produce more projects, with the gratifiation that I they will be presented in a professional and neat format. I find this software to be very user friendly. ... Read more