Quicken 2003 Deluxe [OLD VERSION]

Quicken works with more than 1,900 banks, credit card, brokerage, and 401(k) companies (including Quicken Credit Card) to allow users to download their information and eliminate data entry. Download stock quotes, news headlines, investment alerts, and more to get the data you need to make better investing decisions. Quicken Guided Setup asks you your goals, suggests what to set up and track, and offers practical next steps to help you accomplish your financial objectives.

Based on extensive work with customers, the main areas of Quicken have been redesigned to provide quick access to your accounts. Quicken 2003 also provides extra guidance to help you easily convert your data files after upgrading. Plus, now you can subscribe to an integrated online service to back up your Quicken data, so you'll know your data is protected.

The main change for 2003 is the interface, which is an improvement over previous versions. It is much easier now to see how one's overall financial situation is progressing, in addition to keeping an eye on individual accounts. The interface does require some adjustment time for those of us who are veteran Quicken users, because it is quite different. For a new Quicken user, my sense is that the program would be much easier to learn than the previous editions.

There are some advertisements for other Quicken products within the software, but they are placed in positions that aren't intrusive or distracting. The ads also offer information about services that would be helpful to many users. While some persons may be annoyed by any kind of ad in a product they have purchased, the practice doesn't bother me.

Intuit has taken a large step forward with this new, streamlined interface, a change lamented by many veteran Quicken users. In my opinion however, the upgrade from Quicken Deluxe 2002 was a wise investment. For dissatisfied users of Microsoft Money or persons new to personal financial software, I highly recommend this product. For current users of Quicken who are willing to exercise patience with a new, redesigned layout, I recommend it as well.


Looks great, worth upgrading   August 27, 2002
Ken Brown (Overland Park, KS United States)
27 out of 35 found this review helpful

Pros: The new interface is clean and intuitive. Intuit has seriously rethought the product's design and they got it right. Quicken 2003 delivers a lot of information without cluttering the screen. Fantastic investment tools. Upgrade process went very smoothely.

Cons: Too many ads. Don't like Accounts and Calendar listings popping up in child windows. Don't completely understand why the 'Banking Center' is now the 'Cash Flow Center'. Can no longer do online updates in the background.

Verdict: With Quicken 2003, Intuit has redeemed itself after its shoddy 2002 product. Still the best personal financial management tool out there. Lots of nice enhancements. I'm glad I upgraded. Current Quicken users should seriously consider upgrading to 2003. Money users who track investments should also switch over to Quicken.


Quicken 2003 no longer has billboards   January 24, 2003
8 out of 9 found this review helpful

I read that Quicken recently removed their ads from the product - I just bought the 2003 version and it's true, the ads are no longer there! They replaced them with financial tips and links to features - some of which I didn't even realize were in the product.
I upgrade almost every year and this is a welcome change - those ads were a little distracting.


Don't take reviews strictly at face value...   January 28, 2003
20 out of 29 found this review helpful

I've been a Quicken user for over four years, starting with Quicken 98, then Quicken 2000. Recently I decided to upgrade so I researched Quicken 2003 & Money 2003. I also evaluated Money just to see the competition and get a more thorough view of what's available. I was amazed to find several negative reviews of Quicken 2003 here but even more amazed that many of these reviewers never purchased or used the product. Just a little free advice; ignore reviews of a product from people who have never used it! It's completely asinine to read a negative review on a product and then write another negative review encouraging others to avoid the product without any first-hand experience.

As I said, I upgraded from Quicken 2000 to Quicken 2003 and I couldn't have asked for an easier process. The installation was flawless and the conversion of my data file equally flawless. Within minutes I was up and running, using all my old saved reports as well as entering new transactions without issue. The new interface took about fifteen minutes to master and it looks great. Everything is organized logically and MUCH easier to use than Money. Money is cluttered, less intuitive, and a little slow. Don't get me wrong, Money isn't a bad product on its own, but it just doesn't stand up to Quicken.

Many reviewers complained of rampant ads running amok within Quicken 2003; I found this to be untrue. There were really no more ads in this version than there were in 2000 with the exception of a few small buttons offering extended services offered by Quicken. Anything I saw was unobtrusive and basically unnoticeable. The complaints, I believe, are overblown. There were also complaints of Quicken converting the data file so one cannot revert to a previous version. This claim is untrue as well; the setup program creates a back up copy explicitly for reverting to a previous version. Regardless one should be smart enough to back up one's important financial data before making a major software upgrade!

Intuit offers a 60 day money back guarantee with Quicken 2003 so it should be, in theory, risk-free. I recommend this version as I have others and am glad I decided to upgrade.


Even my computer phobic Dad can use it.   January 18, 2003
confidential
7 out of 10 found this review helpful

If my dad who is computer phobic can download his bank account files in seconds, generate reports, and upload to Turbo Tax I can't imagine anyone having trouble using this product. I use it as well (but I also have a degree in finance and work as a financial systems analyst so my dad is a better benchmark of a typical user)and once you set up your accounts (which it walks you through) it takes less than 15 seconds a month to import all of my financial data from my bank and my broker and at the end of the year I simply export it into my tax software. TADA hours and hours saved.

The user interface is intiutive and easy to use and yet there is tremendous depth to this product that you will enjoy. It is seemlessly integrated with the web. There are tons of reports that include everything from cash flow statements, investment performance, to Schedule A and D's, (itemized deductions and capital gains) that you can run at any point in the year. In the deluxe version you can even track project costs, A/P, A/R and even payroll if you run a small consulting business.

I imagine that the people who have trouble switching from money to Quicken should talk to Microsoft about why they purposely make it difficult for almost any Microsoft product to work with their competition. to gain market share. Quicken is a far superior product and their market share holds up year after year and MSFT basically has to give money away. Once you use it you will wonder how you ever did your finances without it.