|
| |
Microsoft Money
Ever since the Feds blocked Microsoft's attempt to purchase Intuit and
assume control over the growing Quicken program several years ago, they have
been trying to make their own accounting program, Microsoft Money, the equal of
Quicken.
Unfortunately, they haven't succeeded. I have a few clients who use MS
Money for their bookkeeping; so I have been purchasing the program and using it
with their data for the past few years. I use it much less frequently than
either Quicken or QuickBooks; but I have noticed some limitations it has that
cause me to advise against using it for anything other than a personal
bookkeeping system. It is definitely not suited for any business
accounting.
Fiscal Years
As I have often explained, there are some huge tax saving opportunities by
using a C corporation with a fiscal year ending in a month other than December,
which is the end of the tax year for individuals. Both Quicken &
QuickBooks allow you to set them up to automatically work with any fiscal
year. This makes preparing reports very simple. MS Money doesn't
allow any tax year except December 31. You can make reports with different
years, but you have to manually set the dates for each one, a very big hassle,
especially after being spoiled by Quicken & QuickBooks.
BackUps
When Quicken and QuickBooks makes a backup of its data file, it compresses
the file to a fraction of its normal working size. This makes it easier to store
on floppy disks and to send via email.
When MS Money makes a backup, the backup file is actually more than twice as
large as the original working file.
Report Printing
To make printed reports easier to work with, I have always liked having the
ability in Quicken & QuickBooks to force them to print within the width of
one page. With MS Money, you don't have this option and just take your
chances as to how it will print.
I realize that most of these complaints seem superficial and are based on
the fact that I have grown overly comfortable with the features of Quicken and
QuickBooks. However, the easier and more convenient a program is, the more
likely it is to be used. I am still constantly fighting the battle to
convince computer newbies that using computerized bookkeeping will make their
lives easier.
KMK
This page was last updated:
Tuesday, December 26, 2000 07:05:15 PM
Ozarks Time
|
