Budgeting Software Tools
Creating and maintaining a budget can be made easier with the use of budgeting software tools. Personal finance programs help consumers maintain their financial goals by tracking accounts and creating reports of expenses. Programs that offer these capabilities and more are available on multiple computer platforms and the Web.
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Quicken and Mint
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Quicken is a line of personal finance applications from financial and tax software company Intuit. Versions of the software range from a "Starter Edition" with basic budgeting and money management capabilities to a "Premier" version that includes tools for handling investments and tax information. All versions of Quicken include budgeting features that track and organize finances, download banking data, show spending habits and monitor financial goals. Once users enter all of their information, Quicken software auto-categorizes expenses, shows dates for upcoming bills and highlights tax-deductible items. Former users of the defunct personal finance software Microsoft Money can import their data into Quicken.
Quicken runs on Windows and Macintosh computers. Intuit purchased the personal finance site Mint.com in 2009, so users of Quicken can seamlessly integrate their budgeting data into Mint's online budgeting tools, which include mobile applications for the iPhone and Android phones. Mint's online tools are free, while as of 2010, the cost of Quicken software begins at $59.99 if purchased from the Intuit website.
YNAB
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YNAB (You Need a Budget) is a personal finance software program and website. It features simple budgeting tools and money management functions. The software is designed to help users stay within a budget and prevent situations such as living paycheck-to-paycheck. The YNBA interface features tabbed views of accounts and a layout that shows a calendar of current and future expenses so users can see budget projections. Users can generate reports that show charts and graphs of spending and transactions. Bank account information can be imported into the program, and YNAB has an export feature to view files in other financial programs. The software runs on Windows, Macintosh and Linux computers. There is a version in Spanish and an iPhone application. As of 2010, the software costs $59.99 if purchased from the YNAB website. A free trial version is available. The YNAB website has free tutorials and live classes on budget creation, account management and more.
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AceMoney
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AceMoney is a money management application that runs on Windows computers. The software comes in two versions: AceMoney and AceMoney Lite. AceMoney Lite is free, while AceMoney is available from the software website for $45 as of 2010. The software can help users create and manage budgets. It includes over 100 spending categories and tracks budget goals. Users can import their banking, credit card, loans and investment data into the software. AceMoney can generate reports that show spending activity and budget goal performance. AceMoney Lite users are limited to entering data for two accounts, while AceMoney supports unlimited accounts.
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