Personal finance software like microsoft money is designed to help you keep track of your personal finances. The software tracks your financial transactions, helps you create budgets and organize records, and even alerts you to possible problems with bills or loans. Some of these applications can even help in investing personal savings. If you want to learn more about best free personal finance software for pc and personal finance software like Microsoft money please read this article.
Microsoft Money personal finance software was discontinued in 2009, replaced by a free download called Money Plus Sunset Deluxe.1 While this replacement software works for basic money management tasks, it does not include tech support nor any features that require internet connectivity.
Managing personal finances can be a daunting prospect for most people, but having the right tools can help make it less challenging. While millions of people use Excel to track their budgets, manually updating a budget spreadsheet every month with the latest transactions can be a very time-consuming process. As organizing and tracking finances become a critical task for many of us, we want to help make managing your personal budget in Excel a more seamless experience. Today, with the launch of Money in Excel, we’re embarking on a journey to simplify your day-to-day money decisions to help you stay on track of your longer-term financial goals.
There are many personal finance software applications available to help you manage your personal finances. Microsoft Money is one personal finance software program and it can be used on a Windows computer or a Macintosh computer. The money you save by using Microsoft Money will more than pay for the cost of this product. There are free versions of personal finance software for pc, mac and other operating systems as well.
Option 1: Desktop Software
If you like using desktop software to manage your finances, you’ll have plenty of alternatives to choose from. Most of them come with a free trial, so it will cost nothing to experiment to find what works best for you. Here are a few choices:
- Moneydance: You can download a version of this software for Mac, Windows, or Linux operating systems. An app version is also available for iOS and Android devices.2
- Quicken: This program offers more power and flexibility for personal finance software users. A much-improved budget feature and easier loan tracking are two of the improvements. You can download it for Windows or Mac, and there’s a mobile app for both iOS and Android.3
- AceMoney: Claiming it’s the best alternative to Quicken, AceMoney is a strong alternative, although it doesn’t offer online bill payment or transaction downloads.4 5
- Moneyspire: Personal finance data in Moneyspire can be shared among multiple users on one computer or over a network, and data works with both the Mac and Windows versions of the software.6
- GnuCash: Thanks to the open-source software movement, GnuCash is free. This financial software can be used to track personal finances and also works nicely as small business accounting software. GnuCash tracks a variety of account types, stocks, income, and expenses.7
Option 2: Online Financial Software
If you’re already switching personal finance software, you could switch to an online program. With online software, you never have to install anything on your hard drive or wait for updates.
Online financial software is generally just as secure as your bank’s online banking website and uses data encryption and other methods to keep data safe.
Here are some online software alternatives:
- You Need a Budget: Also known as YNAB, this is online personal finance software with strong budgeting features. You can use YNAB on Windows or Mac computers; with iPad, iPhone, Android, and Kindle Fire apps; and via an app for the Apple Watch. View accounts, check your budget and enter transactions when you’re not at your computer.8
- Personal Capital: In addition to showing you all your accounts in one dashboard, Personal Capital also puts a special focus on helping you plan your investments and check whether you’re on track for retirement.9
Option 3: Microsoft Money Plus Sunset Deluxe
If you can do without automatic transaction downloads and a few other features that require internet access, Microsoft Money Plus Sunset Deluxe is still an option. Although it doesn’t have all the features that you enjoyed in Money, Sunset Deluxe is free. There’s no Mac version, so those users will have to choose a different alternative.10
Is Quicken the Best Microsoft Money Replacement?
Many replacing Microsoft Money first turn to Quicken. It is very robust personal finance software and it works well. However, Quicken costs between $35 and $90, depending on the version.11
Before you switch, consider that you might not be able to successfully import your old Money data. In fact, Quicken strongly recommends against the process.12 Quicken also does not offer a free trial (though the mobile apps have free versions to try). However, it does offer a money-back guarantee, so if you decide it won’t work for you, you’ll need to request a refund within 30 days of purchase.3
Learning to Use the New Personal Finance Software
You will have a slight learning curve when navigating any new personal finance software that replaces Microsoft Money. Some aspects of the new personal finance software will be easy to use for former Microsoft Money users, but be patient as you learn how to get around in the software.
Top 8 Personal Finance Software apps that are similar to Microsoft Money Plus Sunset Deluxe for Windows
HomeBank
Free Analyze and manage your personal finance and accounts. Windows HomeBank
Capitec for Windows 10
Free Capitec Remote Banking is a cellphone application that gives Capitec Bank clients secure banking any time or place, which includes: viewing account balances. Windows Capitec for Windows 10
PayPal for Windows 10
Free Unfortunately, you’ll no longer be able to use the PayPal app on your Windows Phone from 30 June. Windows PayPal for Windows 10
Bank of America for Windows 10
Free Bank conveniently and securely with the Bank of America Mobile Banking app for U. Windows Bank of America for Windows 10
My Stocks Portfolio for Windows 10
Free Quickly monitor the stock market and the performance of your stocks and portfolios. Windows My Stocks Portfolio for Windows 10
HDFC Bank for Windows 10
Free The official App from HDFC Bank for Windows 8. Windows HDFC Bank for Windows 10
FNB Banking App for Windows 10
Free Who said banking had to be boring? FNB now has a fully customized Tablet Banking App. Windows FNB Banking App for Windows 10
Litecoin Miner for Windows 10
Free Let your computer earn you money with Litecoin Miner, the free easy-to-use Litecoin miner. Windows Litecoin Miner for Windows 10
Money in Excel
Money in Excel is now available to Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscribers in the U.S.Download now
Manage your money—without ever leaving Excel
Money in Excel is a dynamic, smart template and add-in for Excel that allows you to securely connect your bank, credit card, investment, and loan accounts to Excel and automatically import your transaction and account information into an Excel spreadsheet.
If you’re a current Microsoft 365 Personal or Family subscriber, simply go to this link to download the template. Once downloaded, open the Excel template1 and follow the on-screen prompts to connect your financial accounts using a secure third-party plugin supported by Plaid2 (Plaid currently supports most major U.S. financial institutions). Once your account information is verified, the workbook will be updated with your latest transaction history3 and is now ready for use.
Now, let’s look at how Money in Excel can help simplify the task of managing your finances.
Keep track of your money
Once your financial accounts3 are connected, Money in Excel will automatically import your transaction information from all your accounts into one workbook. You no longer need to spend hours manually setting up a personal finance spreadsheet from scratch; Money in Excel does it for you in just a few seconds. And every time you want to update the workbook with the latest transactions, just click the Update button and get the latest snapshot of your transactions and accounts without ever leaving Excel.
Get closer to your financial goals
Once your transaction information is imported into Excel, it’s easy to track your spending habits to help stay on course and get closer to your financial goals. Use the “Snapshot” sheet to get an instant glimpse of how you’re spending across various categories such as groceries, household items, rent, and more. With the help of easy-to-read graphs, you can quickly track how your spending compares month over month. And to help ensure you are not caught unaware of any unwelcome transactions, Money in Excel will alert you to increases in your subscription fees, changes in bank and overdraft charges, or any big purchases that were posted during the month.
Easily customizable to suit your needs
We know people often choose Excel to manage their finances because it allows them to take a more personalized approach. With this in mind, we designed Money in Excel to be easily customizable to suit your needs and goals. For example, if a certain transaction does not fall within an existing spending category, you can simply add your own. If you want to perform quick custom analysis, you can copy the relevant transactions into a new Excel sheet and use any of your favorite Excel features to do quick calculations. And while Money in Excel already comes with charts that have been created based on your transaction information—such as one for your recurring expenses—you can always create your own charts and tables and add them to the workbook.
From helping you track your monthly spending to alerting you about subscription price increases, Money in Excel makes it easy to manage your money. We hope that by using Money in Excel, organizing your finances becomes a more manageable and empowering experience. We can’t wait for you to try it out and share your feedback with us.
Some Alternatives
Mvelopes
The traditional envelope budgeting system helps you stick to a budget by using envelopes to manage your money. Once you’ve broken down your budget, you put that amount of cash into different envelopes. So, if you budget $100 for gas for the week, you place that amount in a “gas” envelope. Once you’ve spent that $100, that’s it. Mvelopes takes this same approach to budget, except that it’s done digitally on your phone and computer rather than with physical cash.
Choose the financial goals that are most important to you, then add your bank accounts and set your income. Mvelopes will help you create a budget and set up your “envelopes.” The software tracks your spending and shows you what you’ve spent from each envelope to keep you on budget throughout the month.
The basic version starts at $5.97 per month, and you can try Mvelopes for 30 days for, free when you enroll in the premier plan at $9.97 per month.
Best for Taxes TurboTax
You may not necessarily need TurboTax to manage your finances throughout the entire year, but when it’s tax time, the software can come in handy. While it’s one of the pricier tax preparation tools, it’s also consumer-friendly, walking you through your tax preparation to help you accurately file your tax return. Entering your tax information is fairly simple—you can import your W-2 information from your employer or take a picture of it and the software will transfer the information into the form.
If you’ve used TurboTax in previous years, the software will remember your personal information and ask whether there have been any major changes. The most basic version lets you file your federal and state return for free if all you use is form 1040 with no attached schedules.
On the higher end, TurboTax Live connects you with a tax expert to give you personalized advice and answer questions about your tax return. Paid versions of TurboTax include a feature to help you uncover deductions you may not have known were available to you. While you can use TurboTax on the web, you can also download the software to your device for added security.
Best for Investing FutureAdvisor
If you’re a DIY investor looking for low-cost access to a financial advisor, FutureAdvisor is a great option. The investment software provides personalized recommendations to help you diversify your portfolio, which you can follow or not follow as you see fit. You’re eligible to sign up for the software if you have at least $5,000 in investable assets. FutureAdvisor manages the assets you transfer into the account for a flat annual fee of 0.5% of the managed assets, billed quarterly at 0.125%. When you transfer your assets into the account, FutureAdvisor works to consolidate them into accounts with its partners, Fidelity or TD Ameritrade.
Conclusion
Personal finance software is a great way to get control of your money and make the most of your finances. While it’s always best to talk to an experienced financial planner about personal finance issues, free personal finance software for pc can help make those conversations easier.
Financial software is an easy way to keep track of all your finances, investments and money. It’s packed with features like in-built calculators, budgets and expense tracking that make it easier for you to manage your money. Personal finance software like Microsoft money helps to keep your finances in order and with its best free personal finance software for pc it can help you monitor the various aspects of your personal finances. For example, if you are planning for retirement or want to take out a loan for a house, then you should use the best free personal finance software for pc.