Microsoft Money 2001 Standard

Money 2001 has quite a pedigree. Although Microsoft entered the personal finance market only a few years ago, it has carved a big slice of the market quickly. Microsoft knows that we all want to get our finances in order; it knows also that, to most of us, they are a terrifying mystery. So, with yearly updates, it has honed Money so that even the financially illiterate can compile a personal financial resume in around half an hour, as the software pumps you with questions. Money 2001 swallows the details of accounts, endowments, mortgages, and investments--your whole financial life, in fact--and regurgitates them tidily in a neat Web browser style.

This exercise is a useful financial discipline in itself, and forces you to take a short, hard look at your finances and get organized. Money 2001 then provides figures on your net worth and your projected wealth in the next month, year, or decade; and it gives you hints on making your cash work better.

And the browser style makes it simple. You click links to take you to your bills and view quickly the ones that are due (and overdue). Click on accounts to see your current account, then click an Internet link to go online and download your account details from your bank, should you choose to do so. Users of earlier editions, such as Money 2000, will find that Money 2001 seamlessly updates their existing files, too. --John Rennie

Amazon.com Product Description
Designed to be easy to set up and simple to use, Microsoft Money 2001 Standard helps you perform your core financial tasks, pay bills, create a budget, and reduce debt smarter and faster. New features for 2001 include Financial Priorities, which help you target specific goals (such as buying a house or saving for college), and Feedback Pane, which gives you immediate advice on how to spend your finances. Online access to your financial information includes e-mail reminders of bills due and summaries of investments and bills from a Web browser. Estimate your taxes, look for unused tax deductions, and when the year's all through, export tax information to tax software with the Tax Export Review.