Reviews for Intuit Quicken 2008 Deluxe

Quicken 2008

Strengths: Stable software.

Weakness: No option to not use new Tab feature.

I was using Quicken 2006 very effectively with Windows XP. When I got a new Dell XPS running Vista I found that Q2006 would not run the Help system, so I upgraded to 2008. While everything went very well installing the upgrade, I ran into the usual big nuisance to get it configured to access all my financial institutions, setting up passwords, etc. My biggest gripe is that a new feature concept has been introduced called Tabs. In the way I use Quicken, I see absolutely no value in it but I am stuck with it and it is taking up register space. To fit into the register, part of the category field and part of the Memo field is taken because the Tab field is squeezed in between them. Now I cannot see the whole Category/Subcategory I enter unless I select a pop-up list. This is an extra key press. Then, to advance to the Memo field, I have to press the Enter key twice (Enter is the key I use to advance to the next field). This is another extra key press. There is no way to opt out the Tab feature so I am stuck with having to use two additional key presses to enter every transaction. I have been using Quicken for over 15 years. Each upgrade seemed to make it a little easier to enter transactions. Version 2008 takes it a step backward. Knowing what I know now, I would not have upgraded. I would have lived with 2006 without the help system.

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Stock Price Updates do not work after January 17,...

Strengths: Good Check book register

Weakness: Quicken is NOT supporting customers and stock price updates did not work temporarily

See over 180 comments on this problem on Quicken Community Forum. They fixed it temporarily on January 20-22, then mutual fund prices stopped downloading again. This is extremely frustrating for those that track their investments.

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OK

Strengths: Connects to most financial institutions, gives you a good variety o charts and graphs.

Weakness: Doesn't understand that the $100 payment to Electric Co. on the 1st is the same thing as the scheduled payment to the Electric Co. for $100 on the 1st. Nags you about it until you tell it to skip.

It definitely beats an excel sheet that you have to update by hand, but has a lot of quirks. Not that much of an improvement over 2007, unless you need it to connect to some bank that 2007 won't.

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Quicken

Strengths: peforms as promised

Weakness: they force you to buy an upgrade every 3 years even if you don't need an upgrade

Quicken is a good product and helps me track finances effectively. My only complain is that I don't like to be forced to buy upgrades when I don't want them.

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Quicken 2008

Strengths: Permits downloading of financial data from banks etc.

Weakness: complex

Entering quaterly statements from financial institutions and banks is now cumbersome, but one-step downloading seems to work.
When I tried to print personal networth data sheets, the preview window is larger than my PC screen. Some buttons can hardley be reached, Screen can't be moved. Seems like a program error. But networth data sheet prints correctly.

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What a Rip-off from Quicken

Strengths: Similar to Quicken 2005

Weakness: Not a significant update

I am a happy user of Quicken 2005, until a couple of months ago, when Quicken announces to cease web download function by end of April. That forces me to upgrade to the 2008 version. Both versions are almost identical. Even the basic 2008 version does not convert the old 2005 data, and forces you to go to “Deluxe” version, which is overkill if you just use Quicken to for personal banking and bill tracking. Quicken is really THE MASTER of the money management.
I don't know how to rate the product. I am happy the features and functions of this product, but not happy with the way Quicken forces me to pay for the unreasonable "upgrade".
It works, but would not purchase again IF I COULD.

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Updating stock prices and quoted a continuing problem

Strengths: About the same as prior versions

Weakness: about the same as prior versions

I have noted a continuing problem with downloading quotes for my portfolio. sometimes it takes several tries to update and as of today(1/21/08), I still can't update for 1/18/08. I have contacted Quicken and they are aware of problem ans "are working to resolve server issues", but they have been aware of problems since at least Apr, 07. I feel I wastesd time and money upgrading to 2008, but they are going to stop online support for Quicken 2005, which worked fine, excpt for downloading problems.
J.R.

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quicken 2008 deluxe review

Strengths: can connect to banks and credit card companies and download data

Weakness: too complicated; many functions that are not intuitive.

I did not use Quicken or any financial software before. I just needed something that can keep track of my expences and can automatically download data from a bank or a credit card company, i.e. some sort of automatic checkbook. This program can do all this and also much more. HOWEVER, MANY FUNCTIONS ARE TOO COMPLICATED. IN ADDITION, NO PAPER MANUAL IS PROVIDED. SOME COMMANDS ARE NOT INTUITIVE.

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Not sure it's worth upgrading over 2007

Strengths: The usual Quicken features for tracking spending and financial situation. Integration with financial institutions for downloading transactions.

Weakness: Don't really see many new features over the previous version.

I honestly don't think it's worth the money. They have added a few new things but nothing really great. For example, the Vista gadget is a nice touch but to me it feels useless. It only shows a small calendar with icons for the days when transactions are scheduled, not actual dates, just days of the weeks. The other tab shows a list with counts of Upcoming transactions, checks to print, and a couple of other items. It also has a button that runs Billminder. It would be nice if this gadget were more customizable and allowed, say for different colors for bills vs. deposits, to show the actual dates when they are due, to remove the list and only show the calendar, to make the calendar bigger, etc.

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Using Quicken 2008 to make my money work for me

Strengths: Intuitive, extensive, easy to update online accounts, reporting is right on target, has spending plan and budget plan separated and presented in easy to use

Weakness: Wachovia requires $6 monthly service fee to use auto update

This the best financial spending plan software I have used. It keeps up with everything!! Quicken will automatically assign the category "Ballet" I created as soon as the charge is updated in the credit card register during Quicken's auto update. The reports are priceless and are easy to create, read and modify. There are times when a transaction may come in twice which is easy to fix, but if the register does get messed up, it is so easy to restore to a previously backed up date. I usually restore to the previous day and I don't lose anything. I hit auto update again and I am back in business. The spending plan is configured so that you can instantly move funds which did not get used during the previous month to the following month and even to a totally separate category. It even keeps updated prices and value of my entire investment portfolio. It does take a few days to adjust to if you are a novice to these types of management tools but I have found it so much easier to use than MS Money!

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Quicken Deluxe 2008

Strengths: Consistent quality. Familiar procedures. Reliable. Easy to use.

Weakness: None.

I am glad that the folks at Quicken come up with a new version each year. The costs are low and the improvements are great.

I enjoy the new interface and the fact that everyone I work with is familiar with reports from Quicken. They are easily understandable.

This is a top quality product that you can depend on year after year.

I enjoy the fact that I do not have to pay for features I would never use that would only clutter up the program. Quicken gives you choices in their products. Deluxe is perfect for me.

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My first upgrade since Quicken 1998

Strengths: Imports old Quicken data files quickly and easily. Able to add transactions within minutes. Like having lists of accounts immediately accessible in a frame on the left side of the screen.

Weakness: Too many options; a dizzying array of menus and options

This is my first Quicken upgrade since 1998. When my laptop died back in August, I had just finished backing up my Quicken files. So I was ready to setup shop on my XP machine but of course not with '98.

I bought the deluxe version so that I didn't have to re-enter all of my data. I was initially concerned whether Quicken would be able to import my transactions from 3 floppy disks. Once I completed installation and answered a few questions and told Quicken to restore my data, I was on my way. It really was a simple process.

Although the interface has change drastically since '98, I was able to enter transactions almost from the get go. I did have to spend a few moments orienting myself to the new interface but I got it.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a power user (importing stuff from financial firms, banks, credit cards etc.). I'm your basic record my checks and deposits, and generate some basic end year reports. So I'm happy with what I've seen so far.

If have a relatively recent version of Quicken, I don't know if I'd be upgrading, but it still does the things that I need to do and I'm able to do it with virtually no learning curve.

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The King still lives

Strengths: Great peronal finance program

Weakness: None found

I have benn using Quicken for many years, and I purchase upgrades every other year or so. Each upgrade is in my opinion minor, and not justifying yearly upgrade purchases, but there are improvements, none the less easily seen in a 2 or more year wait to go to the next version. Besides, If I and many others did not buy upgrades, Intuit may drop the product in some way. I feel they deserve my business and therefore can continue to produce and support this excellent progam.

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Excellent product

Strengths: Vista compatible. All the good qualities of Quicken and usable on the new PCs

Weakness: None so far.

Wonderful product. Seemless integration with Microsoft Vista. No problems whatsoever, either in loading or using. Also seemlessly restored all of my old files onto the new computer. This is a product I would purchase for all of my computers, at home and at work.

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Quicken Deluxe 2008

Strengths: savings tracker

Weakness: none to date

I love using the categories to track my spending in different areas, esp. groceries and gas. I just upgraded from an earlier version of Quicken seamlessly. I have not tried to synchronize my banking accounts.

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Quicken Deluxe 2008

Strengths: Very easy to use

Weakness: I haven't found any weaknesses yet.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my Quicken deluxe. It has made organizing my finances very easy. It is helpful in keeping up with several different bank accounts as well as a few credit card accounts. It makes budgeting easier and helps me track my spending.

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Quicken 2008 Deluxe

Strengths: If you can determine how to set it up correctly, it can do many sophisticated tasks and remove much of the tedium of bookkeeping.

Weakness: Determining how to set it up correctly is not always straightforward.

The built-in help is great in describing how to perform specific tasks, as is Intuit's support section of the web site and as are other books on the topic, but I've found nothing that speaks to the practical side of QuickBooks. I'm thinking in terms of something that can take you from "here is a problem that I'd like Quickbooks to help me solve" to "here is how to set it up in Quickbooks and here is how you extract the information you seek once you've set it up." For those of us who have not worked as or been trained as professional accountants and need to keep books for a small company, this type of reference would be great.

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Quicken 2008 Deluxe

Strengths: Fast. Simple to use. Easy to upgrade from a previous version. Allows me to do almost anything that I want. Runs on Vista.

Weakness: Some of the GUIs have changed so it takes me a while to find some items. I don't really like the way it now handles buying securities and re-investing dividends.

I was upgrading from a new user version that ran on Windows XP. When I got a new PC that had Windows Vista on it, the "new user" version did not work very well on Vista. This worked very well. Some of the GUIs changed that took me a while to get used to, but the upgrades were worth getting this.

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Great Software

Strengths: Intuitive interface, convenient bill reminders, excellent overview screens

Weakness: Difficult to switch historical data from Microsoft Money

I have been a user of Microsoft Money for almost 3 years now. I decided to give Quicken a try, to see what was different... and now I am fully switched to Quicken. Quicken does absolutely everything I needed Money to do, but better. It tracks upcoming bills (and lets you enter upcoming bills ahead of time, but DOESN'T apply them to the current balance, like Money does). It gives you a choice of overview screens which show you the status of all your accounts in a very logical and easily understandable manner. It is easy to add new transactions & add or modify accounts. I also use Quicken for tracking investment portfolios and it has a very nice stock price alert system which notifies you when a stock reaches some level (MANY options). Overall, this is a great product and I haven't run into any issues-- aside from the initial conversion to Quicken from Money. That took a little time.

Otherwise, I would definitely recommend Quicken over Money!

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A good financial tool

Strengths: This product makes it a snap to pay your bills and track all of your personal financal needs.

Weakness: Did have a small problem with by bill pay link. Not sure if it was me or the produt. All is working fine now.

I have been using different versions of Quicken Deluxe for over ten years. For me it has been a great tool to keep track of all of my financial accounts. The more effort you put into leaning how to use it the more it can do for you.

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Quicken Deluxe

Strengths: Ease of use from balancing the checkbook, planning for the future or tracking your money.

Weakness: More expensive than other personal finance products.

Ease of use. I found Money always wanted me to do things they way they felt it needed to be done. With Quicken things are easy. Easy to install, ease to use and great tutorial and help features.

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Not a major upgrade, but still the best financial...

Strengths: Comprehensive integration of household budgeting, bank account and credit card management, and investment tracking, plus easy export by tax category into TurboTax

Weakness: Initially difficult to grasp all of the features available

Quicken is available in different levels of complexity, based on your individual situation. For me, the Deluxe edition allow me to easily watch my cash flow, balance my bank accounts, and keep track of mutual fund balances. The reports feature allows you to arrange your information in any possible way, which is extremely helpful at tax time. Plus, once you tag each budget category with the applicable tax form associations, it speeds up your tax return preparation because Quicken transfers your information directly into TurboTax. And speaking of tags, that's the main improvement in the 2008 upgrade. Tags is a new feature that allows yet another way to organize your expenses. More than just another category or subcategory, tags can cross categories, which allows you to view your information in even more ways than before. Again, if you have never used Quicken, the initial setup can be daunting, but there are wizards to help you get started. Once you get used to it, you will never want to be without it.

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Quicken 2008 Deluxe

Strengths: Good financial software program. Strong Reports. Have used both Money and Quicken and hands down Quicken is the best!

Weakness: Must purchase the Deluxe or Premium Quicken in order to import data from previous years.

Great system for financial recordkeeping. Have been using Quicken since 1997. Easy to use and Easy to Set-Up. Very disappointed that users must purchase the Deluxe or Premium versions of Quicken to import data from past years. Previously, you could purchase Quicken Basic. I don't need all the features in the Deluxe version...but they are good if you can use them.

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Quicken 2008 Deluxe

Strengths: Extensive compatibility with previous versions. Easy to use.

Weakness: Previous versions store in the quicken folder instead of documents and settings

Intuit always comes out with good products. The new version integrates with Vista well as it adds a bill reminder option to the sidebar for quick and easy access on what is due and what balances are available.

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Quicken 2008

Strengths: Ease in accessing data in different formats

Weakness: Transfers to Excel not ideal

Quicken provides a solid way to track financial transaction for personal or small non-profits. I use the software for my personal use as well as a local Gardening Club and have been very pleased. I do have some question as to whether the upgrade from Quicken 2007 is enough to justify the new features.

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Quicken Deluxe 2008

Strengths: Maintains the same old interface

Weakness: None

I've been using Quicken since back in the DOS era. Every couple of versions I'll upgrade and since I had trouble with Version 2007 with Vista, I thought it was time again. Seems to be a solid product and imported my 2007 data with no problems. Haven't tried out all the new features yet.

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Quicken Deluxe 2008

THE GOOD: Quicken 2008 works with more than 5,300 online financial institutions, offers some helpful feature and interface improvements, adds new Bill Minder Gadget for Windows Vista users, TurboTax integration, free chat, and e-mail help. THE BAD: Quicken 2008 is a minor upgrade with few new features; installation dumps icons on your Windows desktop. THE BOTTOM LINE: Quicken 2008 is a solid...

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