Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 38
 Best version of Money yet March 8, 2005
Gadgester (Mother Earth)
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
Money 2005 is not a major upgrade in featuers, but sports better performance and stability than previous versions. The user interface is also improved, making it easier to figure out what is what. (Both Money and Quicken still tend to place too many things on the screen.) The 2005 version, more than previous ones, makes it easy to work "offline," so Money doesn't try to upload your data file to your Passport account, if you are concerned about online security. I'd say this version is the most user-friendly version because it lets you decide what *you* want to do in terms of program settings (online vs. offline, simply view vs. advanced view, which accounts to show or which ones to hide, etc. etc.). It's always good to be in control.
The standard version is great for banking and budgeting. If you have lots of investments to keep track of, get the deluxe version. Microsoft offers a 90-day trial of the deluxe version on their website. The only caveat is, if you take advantage of the trial version, you must get the retail deluxe version if you want to continue using Money: the retail standard version cannot read the deluxe version's file.
Lovin' it! March 8, 2005
Chris Lee (USA)
0 out of 10 found this review helpful
Yahoo! I got the rebate in a little over two weeks! Msft has the best rebates! The Money program is pretty cool, too. This is the first time I'm using a finance program, so it's a good thing Money is pretty easy to use. I've been playing with it and so far pretty happy. The rebate makes this a Graet Buy.
 Not As Bad As All That!! January 31, 2005
Doug Bass (Winston-Salem, NC United States)
20 out of 20 found this review helpful
This version of Microsoft Money is not as bad as people are saying. I almost returned it before installing it when I read some of the reviews, and I'm glad I didn't. Overall, I'm happy with it.
Some of the things written by other reviewers are incorrect. The dual-category transaction forms are not gone - they are still there. I suspect the person making that comment did not check the "Show transaction forms" checkbox.
They HAVE changed the way "upcoming bills and deposits" work, but they're still there, if you go to the Bill Calendar. They're not in one all-inclusive list anymore; rather they're arranged in calendar format, with the bills appearing in the date box on which they're due. Once you get used to it, no big deal. But I can see how a person could get confused - Microsoft is definitely pushing users to sign up and use their bill-pay service. But you don't have to; you can still manage your bills the way you always could.
Others have claimed that Microsoft is uploading your financial data to their servers. This only happens if you explicitly sign up for that service. I will admit that it's not crystal clear that it's optional, but it is. The agreement that you have to accept when the product installed has to do with updates to the program itself - patches and such.
I don't see all the cause for alarm. It's a good product.
Liked the upgrade January 5, 2005
TH (USA)
15 out of 19 found this review helpful
I decided to try the upgrade, even though I was a little scared after reading the reviews. My first attempt was not pleasant, quickly rolled back to 2004. I couldnt believe MS would go back in quality. I gave another serious attempt, with a resolve to work with whatever I get. I was pleasantly surprised, ITS ACTUALLY BETTER.
You get all the old functionality in the new product.
- e.g. I decline associating Money with Passport, voila! good old online banking came in effect.
Some good features include
- Background online updates (a godsend!!!)
There are some bad points.
- I had an account, I tried to associate my online ID with this existing account, but it always created new account.
I found all the old features, either present upfront or disguised and hidden. e.g. to create a bank savings account, dont select bank account type, choose other (or something like that) and then choose Savings in the next screen. In the transaction entry form, transfering funds between accounts has been changed, but its there.
My advice, give it a try. If you are having trouble finding features frequently, read the manual then re-try.
It's good software, what's the problem folks? January 16, 2005
James Preston (Santa Clara, CA United States)
8 out of 11 found this review helpful
I read all the negative reviews for Money 2005 and just couldn't believe them. I was doing fine with Money 2002 but AMEX required the upgrade so I upgraded. Everything is just fine. All my reports work, my account history is still there, and I can keep doing things my way but there are now other options for some processes that I can explore. Customization has improved and the interface is a bit better but nothing radical.
The reason I don't rate it five stars is because it often tries to be too helpful. I really don't want all the links to financial advice and such features. They clutter my experience. It is easier to get them out of the way now but I think they should offer an advanced mode that hides about half of their menues.
Money 2005 is a good servicable product and I recommend it.
- jim
Showing reviews 1-5 of 38
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