Quicken Review - Deluxe, Premier, Home, Business & Rental Property

[@stevec5375]

I watched your review a couple of nights ago. I was stunned that you thought it was so great. Now I see you published this review on Dec. 13, 2017 before the end of year debacle. If you go to the Quicken help forum you will see where all hell broke lose after people crossed the year-end date to Jan. 1, 2018. There was a huge bug involving budgets and online billers and people were out of commission for weeks. I have the 2015 version and my online updates will stop working in April of this year. So I picked up Quicken 2018, Home, Business & Rental Property for $112 at Office Depot. It's sitting near my desk waiting for me to get the courage to install it. I have a data file that goes all the way back to 1993. I would be devastated if that were corrupted. I am currently very unimpressed with what I'm seeing in the Quicken help forums.

[@Topfinancialtools]

Steve, I stand by my review. I did not experience any of the problems you are referring to and don't know anyone who did. This is something that may have been experienced by a small group of users with very specific conditions. But I don't believe it was experienced by the vast majority of users.

[@stevec5375]

I certainly hope you are right. But as a software developer for over 30 years, I can tell you honestly I am not impressed with what I am seeing in the Quicken help forum. They need to spend an entire year cleaning up the bugs in Quicken instead of worrying about adding more features.

[@tperk100]

I have been using Quicken Premier for about 20 yrs (2017 now) to manage about 35 accounts with daily downloads and reconciliations, investing, lifetime planning, and more. It overall has always worked very well for me. I have had no upgrade problems. I usually discover credit card fraud BEFORE the banks suspect it. My only real complaints are that Quicken upgrades (they force me to make) hardly ever bring any additional features...or at least none I am interested in. More importantly the bugs that users are constantly complaining about are rarely addressed. The same bugs are in version after version and remain today! Now we are going to be forced to a subscription. This is unsat, so when the time comes I will explore alternatives. There are a couple of good ones now.

[@rudywolf5233]

I have not upgraded for a number of reasons the primary reason is the cost. I use 3 computers, a desktop, a laptop and a tablet, that would mean three subscriptions every year. I have been upgrading every 3 years so the average cost is lower. The second reason is that there are more features being added that I don't use again buying something I don't need. I can tell by the continual offer of 40% off that I am not the only one that shares the above comments. I am looking for less features rather than more. By the way I first started using Quicken in 1993

[@Topfinancialtools]

Rudy, You only need one subscription to use Quicken on an unlimited number of computers. That is one of the big changes with the subscription model. You are basically paying for your User ID (called a Quicken ID), so you can use Quicken on as many devices as you want to as long as you are using the same Quicken ID and you only need to pay for a single subscription. You can also have an unlimited number of data files with a single subscription.

[@sizzlene6]

Oh I miss those days of a simple product

[@projectegr]

great video. As a suggestion for future videos, can you create timestamps for different sections of your reviews? Being able to skip ahead of the Business/Rental property sections (as they don't apply to me specifically) would have been a nice Quality of Life feature. Thanks again for your reviews!

[@dwjw1]

BTW Quicken Deluxe will handle investments up to some arbitrary limit. I wasted money on Premiere and found little advantage to it (back on Quicken 7) I reduced back to Quicken Deluxe and didn't lose anything that I used.

[@Topfinancialtools]

Thanks for the info.

[@chickschoicie993]

This was very helpful in making a decision on what to buy. I'm a 1st time user of Quicken and I'm excited to get started. Thanks for the video.

[@Topfinancialtools]

Glad it was helpful!

[@christythedorf6632]

Excellent tutorial!! I am trying to decide between Quicken & Quickbooks and this really helped! Thanks!

[@erinjk123]

I got it today. The planning /experimental option is interesting to me. It wasn't working online. Hopefully I can figure it out. My finances are pretty simple. I do not have much to keep track of.

[@eddiepeters7798]

I need another column with the service date on the invoice. Can you add another column to the invoice?

[@DanielSchmidt1995]

How did you get your account bar to show the "$" symbol next to all the account amounts? Mine for some reason just says the numbers without the currency symbol

[@thomashynes4042]

i AM HAPPY WITH QUICKEN 2001

[@Topfinancialtools]

Glad it's working for you. If you are happy with it, just keep using it.

[@dianashoaf8487]

Good Review and much appreciate the helpful information about the new subscription and how long the 2017 version will be supported.

[@Topfinancialtools]

Thanks!

[@melissamuhammad2677]

Thanks for the review. The comparison chart link for quicken home, business and rental property manager for Amazon $95 links to quicken home and business.

[@Topfinancialtools]

Quicken just recently seems to have changed the name from "Home, Business, & Rental Property" back to "Home & Business". It still includes all the rental property tools though.

[@nancycroisant8141]

Can we use one quicken program on two different computers with two different people with two different emails and phone numbers.

[@thomas_didymus]

Thanks for the very thorough review.

[@wormstain]

Nice overview. Is there any way to enlarge font in account window? I know there is a feature under view but that enlarges to much.

[@rgtllt]

Will this software automatically download and add dividends (automatically update dividend reinvestments)?

[@corky462]

Excellent review.

[@mechcomdotnetcompany8852]

Thank you. Very well explained.

[@alh3745]

Is there a reason I would have to go to Quickbooks for my small business or would this be good.

[@Topfinancialtools]

It really depends on how you track your business finances. If you need double-entry bookkeeping, you should go with QuickBooks. If you can get by with tracking expenses with single-entry (basically just reconciling with your bank account), you can use Quicken. QuickBooks also offers numerous other business related tools, such as inventory tracking.

[@ajeba98]

The new subscription model makes the price of quicken almost triple what it was before.

[@Topfinancialtools]

One thing to help with the new pricing is to watch for sales. You can often get Quicken at up to 50% off during promotions or sales. You can check the current prices at www.topfinancialtools.com/quicken-comparison-chart-fullpage/

[@JerryStevens]

I held out and got a lower price than I was paying for one year for two years.

[@Mike20878]

But won't it be full price the next year? What is the benefit we are getting for paying annually now versus getting to pay once and use the version we had for years?

[@alh3745]

The benefit is to Quicken who makes a lot more money. Do you know what the latest version that does not require a subscription is?

[@milo74156]

Great video

[@leadlaunch9156]

Hi there...I was wondering if you know if there is a compatible app that works on the iPhone? I'm looking at the iPhone store and it shows Quicken Mobile with 1.8 out of 5 stars. Yikes! I've ready numerous comments and many are saying that it does not sync? Your thoughts? Thank you very much.

[@Topfinancialtools]

I have not used the iPhone app, only the Android version. I know the Android app works pretty well. I have heard from other users that the iPhone version works well also. Perhaps those leaving negative reviews did not understand how to set it up correctly. It is not a standalone program. You need to have Quicken installed on your computer (Windows or Mac), which then syncs with the iPhone/Android app.

[@scabberdoug]

Been using Quicken since 2006. Update every year but it never gets better. I try to manage 47 accounts with this crap and would like to reconcile my accounts daily. One step update never successfully updates more than 7 or 8 accounts. That leaves hours of manually resetting and updating the remaining accounts one by one. CC-501, CC-502, CC-503, CC-505, CC-508. More error codes that you can shake a stick at. Most of my financial institutions are pretty obscure, like Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Capital One, Ally, Chase and Prudential to name a few. Most people never heard of them. My all time favorite is duplicate entries. Two matching entries on two consecutive lines in the register with the exact same language in each field, yet it doesn't recognize them as a match. Must be an added feature but I'm not sure what version that was released in. Another good one is "Try again in a few days." What the heck, its not their money. They keep adding new features like mobile and budget that I don't bother to try (or expect to function properly). I just want the basic functionality to work and my account registers to reflect accurate values. Too much to ask, I guess. Intuit was smart to claim that "this crap is never going to work properly so let's unload them". Quicken was dragging their stock prices down. Do not expect much that way you will not be disappointed. 2018 is great, three times the cost for the same garbage.

[@GTASpuds725]

You might want to look at Personal Capital if you want real time balances on multiple accounts-- I'm exploring alternatives to quicken due to the subscription model they are going to-- hard habit to break (been using quicken since 1994-- the year I got married). I will say Personal Capital is completely online-- and you will have to store all your passwords on their site, account transactions update as soon as you login-- if you are comfortable with this (it felt disconcerting to do this the first time)-- I'm not completely happy with Personal Captital since I cannot breakdown my paycheck into categories (just shows my net income, not my gross)-- I do wish you luck.

[@Topfinancialtools]

Yes, you could try Personal Capital. You can find out more about it as an alternative to Quicken here: www.topfinancialtools.com/quicken-2018-membership-subscription-information/

[@TroyHallBear]

for simple personal finance how does it compare to moneydance 2017?

[@Topfinancialtools]

Quicken has more features than Moneydance, with more reports and more customization. Both work well for simple tracking of expenses and accounts.

[@Mike20878]

So they removed bill pay from the deluxe version? That's not cool. What about the window focus problem? I'm still using 2016 Deluxe and I can't, for instance, click ctrl-F to search without clicking at the very top of the window. And most of my accounts won't have an active cursor in the register until I click on the account again.

[@Topfinancialtools]

Bill pay has never been included in Quicken. It is an optional feature you can add to any version, but it now comes for free with Premier and above. The bill tracking tools are still included in Quicken Deluxe.

[@Mike20878]

Top Financial Tools Sure it has. I've been using it for years.

[@Mike20878]

Top Financial Tools I've been doing some reading. Is bill pay different than online banking? I pay my bills in Deluxe using online banking with my bank. Is that still in Deluxe?

[@thomasmcclain8116]

Is the premium support 24/7?

[@Topfinancialtools]

Unfortunately not. It is open Monday thru Friday, 5am to 5pm Pacific.

[@alh3745]

What is the newest version that does not require the subscription?

[@alh3745]

Anyone?

[@Topfinancialtools]

Sorry for the delay in replying. Quicken 2017 does not require a subscription, but it is very hard to find as all retailers have stopped selling it. Any new version of Quicken requires a subscription.

[@tperk100]

Search eBay for Quicken 2017. Many sources. I bought it a month ago for $25 (Premier)

[@lisakilthau761]

Is there any tools for Maintenance?

[@Topfinancialtools]

Not sure what you mean by Maintenance.

[@lisabeauchamp951]

Thank you for this review! I am buying the software based on your review. Will purchase through your site as you have better options and cost savings. Thanks again

[@Topfinancialtools]

Thank you for your support!

[@TheLynarnone]

Is his website the topfinancialtools.com????

[@Topfinancialtools]

Yes, it is topfinancialtools.com

[@TheLynarnone]

Can I use this offline. I haven't purchased yet but, will be. The owner of the company wants me to use it for his benefit only.

[@Topfinancialtools]

Yes, you can use it offline, but you do have to be online when you initially install it and periodically to download updates/bug fixes/security patches to the program.

[@ricknelson9152]

From what I've heard the new versions are no better since 2015. After putting up with crashing, hanging up, and scrambled accounts Quicken, offered little help other than to say new versions will be better. Why invest more in a buggy, poorly supported product? Quicken is not compatible with PayPal and many banks. Check with your institutions before you invest time and money in this product. Reports in Quicken have very limited formatting. The subscription model will not fix any of this, it will only lock you in to some pretty poor software. What Quicken really needs is some competition.

[@Topfinancialtools]

Rick, I understand your frustration with Quicken, but it does support Paypal. I've used it with three different Paypal accounts for a couple of years now. Check this article for two alternatives to Quicken you could try if you're looking for something else:www.topfinancialtools.com/quicken-2018-membership-subscription-information/

[@MadoriDesigns]

I HATE new Quicken, most especially around reconciling. It's not-so-clever method of reconciling constantly changes my beginning balance adjustment regularly. I prefer to reconcile to the bank statement but it defaults to reconciling to online and automatically reverts my beginning balance adjustment to an amount that is off by $118.99. DISAPPOINTED!!

[@Topfinancialtools]

I'm sorry to hear that you're having trouble with it. I haven't had this problem with reconciling. One idea I can offer is to make sure you have updated all your transactions with your bank prior to reconciling to make sure all your transactions have been entered. If you want to reconcile off your bank statement, you can do that by clicking the "Use Paper Statement" option in the reconcile window. If you don't get that option, you can change it in preferences by going to Edit->Preferences->Alerts->Reset Quicken Warnings. This will allow Quicken to prompt you the next time you reconcile on whether you want to use paper statements or the online balance. Note: Don't switch back and forth between reconciling online and reconciling from paper statements. Once you pick one method, stick to it or your balances will not match up.

[@MadoriDesigns]

I can't locate Preferences under Edit. I see Preferences under the Quicken menu item. If I select that, I see mobile and alerts. Under alerts, I don't see "Reset Quicken Warnings." Literally, what you say in your note is the issue. When I select "reconcile," Quicken defaults to reconciling to the online balance and when it does that it changes my beginning balance at 10/1/17 by $118.99. It does this every time until I change that balance back and then I reconcile. I can select the "back" button and then reconcile to my statement but I have to go back to 10/1/17 and change that beginning balance by $118.99. Any other suggestions to stop this silly thing sysiphean thing from happening?

[@Topfinancialtools]

Try this: From the account register, press Ctrl+Shift+E to bring up the account details window. Then click on the Online Services tab. In the lower right corner, uncheck "Reconcile using online balance". Hope this works.