By Jim Wehe 
November 2003

Quicken 2004 Deluxe is one of a series of products by Intuit, which provides accounting tools for small companies and individual users. In the early years, this program was simple to use and was popular as a tool to balance a checkbook, track loans and credit cards. It has now grown into a program that can keep track of all your assets, guide you in budgeting and your tax status, and inventory your house contents. It will require some time to learn to use all its features.

Summary Overview

I found this program very useful. However, I do miss some of the features of previous versions, such as the documentation, a link to locate house sales in your area, another to find used car values, and the ability to show the registers only without the alerts, even though these can often help. The screens are arranged to group features that are related. However, the drop-down menus consist of 255 items, and that makes it desirable to become familiar with some of the shortcuts. A competitive product, Microsoft Money, is used by some of my friends who like that product. Finally, the help screens sometimes provide short movies, or take you to text help, and sometimes the software suggests that you upgrade to a more expensive version.

The big question is always: Which version of Quicken to buy? The different versions are Quicken Basic ($30), Deluxe ($60), Premier ($80), and Premier Home & Business ($90). There are various discounts that are available, but watch the time constraint restrictions.

Installation of the new version over the previous 2003 version was easily and quickly accomplished. The previous version contained a small manual that was helpful, but this version does not. If you are new to Quicken, then I would recommend the purchase of a Quicken reference book to guide you until you become familiar with the program.

Hardware requirements are not high; any computer less than four years old will probably work, but read the box label before purchasing the software. Several versions of Quicken are available in any local computer store or can be ordered from Intuit’s Web sites, http://www.intuit.com or http://www.quicken.com.

I have used Quicken now for three years, starting with version 2000.

When first starting the program, you are directed to setting your personal data and at least one account. This information is easily modified later by going to to "Tools - Quicken Guided Set Up," the user can easily modify this information later. It is also a good idea to edit the program preferences at the Edit Menu and Category List level on the Tools menu. This allows the user to eliminate categories that you don’t plan to use. There is a short video at the Help Menu to explain this process. 

With Quicken you can track Checking and Savings Accounts, Credit Cards, Loans, Investments, Home Inventory, and Home and Car values, You can plan a budget, entering each item as a constant or variable by month or quarter. You can estimate your income tax and try what-if scenarios. The Planning Center, the Tax Center, and the Reports Menu all can help you analyze your expenditures.

This program or its competitor, MS Money, should be used by everyone wanting to better understand and manage their family’s finances.

-- Jim Wehe   

Jim Wehe is NTPCUG's Newsletter Exchange Editor.
He may be contacted by e-mail: Click here to contact Jim Wehe