Quicken 2003 Premier
Software Review by Lee RiceI have used Quicken several years and with each new version Intuit adds bigger and better features. Quicken 2003 Premier is no exception. Quicken has a neat tutorial called the Migration Wizard that loads automatically when you upgrade to Quicken 2003. It leads you, step-by-step, to the new design features, so you can make the most of them.
There is also a large Help section, including On-Line Help, (that includes Troubleshooting, Software Updates, Hints & Tips, Customer Service and Information as to contacting the company), as well as several Step-by-Step Tutorials.
I had no problem installing the software, which included one CD. When installing over an older version Quicken automatically converted my data into the Quicken 2003 format. Of course we would expect that of Intuit, but it is nice to be assured none of our valuable data is lost.
A few of the special features found in Quicken 2003 Premier are On-line Bill Paying, Quicken MasterCard, Quicken Brokerage Powered by Siebert, Tracking your Investments, Setting up Alerts that show daily ups and downs of the market, and of course Tracking all of your Bank, Credit Card, Mortgage, and other information pertaining to your year-end taxes. You can find strategies to improve your after-tax returns, discover which investments to sell right now based on the goals you have set for yourself,
Quicken 2003 quickly sets up your brokerage accounts with Quicken Brokerage powered by Siebert, and tracks it in Quicken 2003, with little input from you. Download your trades, which link directly with Quicken, and you can easily understand the potential tax implications of your stock transactions before you trade; think of the advantages come tax time. No more searching for those Bought and Sold slips from the Broker.
Use the search feature to locate all data pertaining to your trades, or any other financial transactions. Quicken has always offered this feature which has saved me countless hours of manual searching.
I probably use the Checking account most frequently as I enter all my banking transactions and know exactly what my account balances are. If I have a large bill coming due, I enter it into the check register, (minus the check number) so it is deducted from my balance; then when the time is due to actually write the check, all I have to do is enter the check number. It works for me. I can not imagine handling my financial accounts without Quicken.
System requirements are Windows 98/2000/Me or XP; Pentium II Class processor (300 MHz or faster for XP); 96 MB RAM (126 MB RAM for XP); 100 MB of free disk space; CD-ROM Drive; Video Card with Open GL Driver and at least 8MB RAM; Super VGA Monitor with screen resolution at least 800x600; Mouse; Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher to access online features.
Quicken 2003 Premier
Intuit Inc.
606 Nancy Ridge Drive, Suite 100
San Diego, CA 92121-3290
http://www.intuit.com
Price $69.99 at www.quicken.com, includes $10 instant rebate