![]() ![]() ![]() Overall, the new home screen is attractive and informative, but as with previous versions, you’re free to customize it to your preference: Adding, for example, an investment account module by clicking the View button at the top right of the screen was as simple as adding a button to a Windows toolbar. ![]() And finally, you get bar charts showing how your spending for the current month in key categories (categories you choose) tracks against your budget for those categories. ![]() The middle module shows what bills are coming due in the next two weeks, along with Quicken’s calculations (based on your input for income) of how much money (again shown in large type) you’ll have left in your spending accounts after paying them. A major interface overhaul begins with a home screen that reflects the simplified design esthetic of sites such as Rudder and Mint (the latter is in the final stages of acquisition by Intuit): You see three stacked modules, starting with a colorful pie chart showing the previous month’s spending by major categories along with (in large type) the total spent. Interestingly, however, Web-based finance apps appear to inform many of the improvements in Intuit’s 2010 desktop line. But its primary appeal will be to people who are more comfortable keeping their financial information off the Web than using the cloud. Even with no serious retail competition in the wake of Microsoft’s decision to stop selling Microsoft Money, Intuit continues to refine a product with much to offer those seeking full-featured tracking and planning. With so many Web sites offering capable-and free-personal finance management tools, why would you pay $30, or significantly more, for a desktop application? To find out, I looked at a shipping copy of Quicken Premier 2010, and was impressed by the improvements I found over previous versions. ![]()
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