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Microsoft Money (PC)

Microsoft

Money Standard 2005 automatically consolidates all your online financial information in one place and provides fast, complete answers to your basic financial questions. Its automated features, like getting account balances and transactions from your bank
Quicken 2004 XG

Intuit
TaxCalc 2009 Personal 6

Acorah Software Products

TaxCalc Personal 6 includes all the pages required to prepare and file a UK tax return, including, Employment, Ministers of Religion, Self Employment Partnership, Lloyds, UK Property, Foreign, Trust pages, Capital Gains Tax and Non Residence. The software is accredited by HMRC and is a quick and easy way to accurately complete your Tax Return. You can see your tax liability as you progress through the program and even create 'what if' scenarios if you want an idea of how extra revenue will impact upon your tax going forward. Combine this, with all the additional benefits that TaxCalc has to offer, including a wealth of tax tips that you won't find in any HMRC form or guide and unlimited free telephone and email support you'll soon have much more time for 'less taxing pursuits'. TaxCalc's 'Secure Internet Filing' confirms instantly that a tax return has been received by HMRC, that the data has been captured and that the calculations agree. Tax refunds are paid more quickly when returns are filed online.
Works Suite 2003 DVD (Word, Money, AutoRoute, Encarta, Picture It, Works)

Microsoft

Microsoft Works Suite 2003 is a set of five CDs which comprises Works 7.0 with its integrated word processor, spreadsheet, database and calendar and adds full copies of Word 2002, Encarta Standard Edition 2003, Money 2003, Picture It Photo and AutoRoute 2002. Given the individual retail cost of these extra products, it represents excellent value for money.
The Works 7.0 core is very task-based. For example, if you choose to "Manage a club" you'll end up using the spreadsheet to track finances, the database for membership records, Word to design the newsletter and Picture It to handle your club photos. By organising its interface around things to do rather than old-style menus of programs, Works encourages novices to explore its wide range of features; once you know what you're doing, you can use the programs menu to jump straight to the applications themselves.
The extras (even the year-old AutoRoute) are really worth having. Word is the most widely used word processor in the world and it never hurts to have a copy on your home PC, while Picture It Photo has a decent selection of mainstream photo projects (calendars, address cards, flyers, kids ID cards and so on) to go with its easy-to-use editing features for removing red eye, adding picture frames and text to photos, cropping and framing photos or preparing them for use on the Web.
Elsewhere, Money 2003 remains the friendliest of home finance programs with good investment tracking and an excellent, customisable front summary page. AutoRoute 2002 still sets the pace for getting from A to B in Europe. The standard version of Encarta 2003 is a good study aid for juniors upwards; it's updatable via the Web and incorporates more than 30,000 articles and images along with videos, animations and audio.
Microsoft Works Suite 2003 is simple enough to allow beginners to accomplish a wide range of home computing tasks. Thanks to the inclusion of Word, it will also appeal to the workaholic who just won't let go. --Rob Beattie
Personal Accountz (Mac)

Accountz.com Ltd
Sort Out Your Money

Avanquest Software
TaxCalc 2009 Partnership

Acorah Software Products

TaxCalc Partnership 6 includes the SA100 Self Assessment Tax return, with all supplementary pages and the SA800 Partnership return. Within a partnership, the profits are shared amongst the partners and they are personally responsible for paying income tax on their share of them. Partners must include details of any profits they get from the partnership on their self assessment tax return each year. Once you have prepared the Partnership return within TaxCalc, you can quickly and easily import the data into the individual tax returns for each of the partners. The software is accredited by HMRC and is a quick and easy way to accurately complete your Tax Returns. You can see your tax liability as you progress through the program and even create 'what if' scenarios if you want an idea of how extra revenue will impact upon your tax going forward. Combine this, with all the additional benefits that TaxCalc has to offer, including a wealth of tax tips that you won't find in any HMRC form or guide and unlimited free telephone and email support you'll soon have much more time for 'less taxing pursuits'. TaxCalc's 'Secure Internet Filing' confirms instantly that a tax return has been received by HMRC, that the data has been captured and that the calculations agree. Tax refunds are paid more quickly when returns are filed online.
Microsoft Money Deluxe 2005 (Inc. Tax Saver Deluxe)

Microsoft
Quicken 2002 Deluxe

Intuit

Quicken personal finance software has been around a long time in its successive versions. But why should you invest in such software at all? For newcomers to Quicken 2002 Deluxe it will do the crucial job of pulling together all your financial accounts--current accounts, mortgages, endowments, savings, credit cards, property and the rest--under one roof. You may marvel as you discover your net worth for the first time and uncover any black holes in your finances. Most importantly, seeing your accounts side by side will show you which is performing and underperforming and help you re-establish (or perhaps establish for the first time) personal finance targets.
Quicken comes in three versions, so why opt for Quicken 2002 Deluxe rather than the entry-level Quicken 2002 Standard or the small business-oriented Quicken 2002 Deluxe & Business? Firstly Deluxe will give you more sophisticated tools with which to analyse the account data you painstakingly input when you first opened the program. As well as budgeting, you will be able to use data to forecast and plan your financial future. You can directly access personal finance news from the excellent Motley Fool Web site (a matter of convenience rather than a compelling selling point, after all you can go to the Web site anyway) and you can use Quicken to detail your home contents insurance. You can also generate "what if?" scenarios on your income, expenses and investments and track your share options.
Once everything is entered Quicken will generate reports, see where money is going by categorising transactions and check on the performance of your investments. And you can check that your ISAs, pension funds and the rest are on course to deliver the funds you’ll need in five, ten or 30 years. For users wanting to discipline their existing finances and plan ahead, Quicken 2002 Deluxe is a good one-stop solution. --John Rennie
Money 2001 Financial Suite

Microsoft

Just balancing a cheque book is complicated--add a few investments and a budget, and you could start tearing your hair out. Microsoft Money 2001 Financial Suite, largely redesigned for easier navigation and customisation, is a step above its predecessors and miles beyond the old ledger and portfolio. With new features, such as user-set priorities, frequent-flier manager, and Web browsing from within Money, it sets new standards for financial management software.
Installation is simple and stress-free. The file transfers are transparent, and entering financial information can be done in 5 or 10 minutes. Keep track of all of your investments, including ready cash, stocks, retirement funds, home equity, and more--all in a well-designed Web-page format that integrates smoothly with other Web-based content. The home page is a pleasure, but the easily distracted should move the cash-flow charts and investment watch elsewhere, lest they be tempted to update them every few minutes. Pulling financial information off the Internet is usually easy (depending on your choice of financial service providers, of course) and you can port your personal data to a secure Web site for remote retrieval if you like.
There are a couple of minor drawbacks. For one, they have chosen to use their leverage to shill for MSN and other Microsoft-related services throughout Money. Also, users shouldn't rely exclusively on online statements, as download errors often, though certainly not always, result in interminable customer service calls. Other than that (and its large size--greater than 200 MB), it's hard to complain much. Families expanding their investments from checking and savings will love it, as will Internet traders and young adults who need a little coaching but can't afford a financial advisor. Money 2001 Financial Suite will save you money in the long run, and save you time and frustration almost as soon as it's up and running. --Rob Lightner, Amazon.com
Money 2003 Financial Suite (inc. Tax Saver Deluxe)

Microsoft

Like the 10 editions that precede it, Money 2003 offers powerful personal finance management for home users. This edition includes all of the features that made previous editions invaluable to those trying to get a handle on their finances. Money 2003 offers account management, budgeting, planning and spending reports and a lot more. These features form the backbone of the book and have been improved over the last several years. There's little more Microsoft can do to improve these core features.
In recent editions, Microsoft has increased integration with Internet features, linking to MSN Money. The increased dependency on signing into MS Passport continues to baffle users, as the updates it provides can be handled without signing into Passport. In this edition the reliance is even greater: when loading Money Express (the Money-lite) reminder system, it presents a sign-in window when Internet access isn't required, thus slowing down use.
Users upgrading from a previous edition will find very little to write home about apart from some user-interface and report tweaks, a more customisable and detailed homepage, background connection to your banks and more links to MSN Money and FTyourmoney.com. There's a small performance improvement over 2002: users of the Financial Suite edition get improved investing tools for research and portfolio management and Quicken users will as usual find that there is a converter wizard should they want to transfer their Quicken data.
As with all personal finance management products, the benefit users get from this will be determined by the effort they put in. Money 2003 is a high-quality personal finance package that with regular use proves extremely beneficial. --Colin Neal
Stox (Mac)

ProSoft Engineering
Personal Accounts Home Edition (PC)

Accountz.com Ltd

If you want to detect bank errors credit card or online fraud youwill need something that allows you to double check yourstatements. But be aware that online banking (especiallydownloading statements) is problematic: - you have no idea if theamount
Money Organiser

Avanquest Software
TaxCalc Standard 2002 with free Which? Way to Save & Invest Book

Intuit

The Which? logo on books and software tends to give a warm glow of reassurance to consumers. And the Consumers' Association's TaxCalc 2002 doesn't disappoint. Back in its umpteenth edition, this should keep you out of trouble with the taxman.
Which? proclaims that TaxCalc 2002 is "all you'll ever need" to deal with your tax affairs. And, unless you're a Member of Parliament (who are subject to slightly different rules on income tax) we think they are spot on. Employment, self-employment, partnership, share schemes, land and property, foreign income, trust and estate income, capital gains and the rest are dealt with in assiduous detail.
Better still, the whole process is just so simple. The program is now in its 20th edition, and the process has got pretty refined over the years. It quizzes you for all the information it needs to complete you and your family's tax returns, making it near impossible to forget or leave anything out. You simply type in the answers to the questions. It then calculates the tax you need to pay and tells you if you're in for a refund. It offers more than 40 tax-saving tips. It constructs "what if…" scenarios, so you can decide whether it's really worthwhile taking that company car. And it lets you file your return to the Inland Revenue via the internet.
TaxCalc 2002 is straightforward, simple to use and it should quickly untangle the messiest tax affairs. It's a lot cheaper than getting an accountant to do it for you, and a whole lot nicer than getting fined for filing a late tax return. --John Rennie
Home Finance for Dummies

Focus Multimedia Ltd

Do you run your home finances or do they run you? If your finances are spiralling out of control you might want to try Home Finance for Dummies, a program that allows you to efficiently manage your accounts in pounds.
To help get your finances back under control, you simply create an account by specifying an initial balance, then you fill in various categories of spending on the budget sheets. The software will automatically subtract or add all your expenses and receipts.
You can also indicate the limit that you don't want to exceed for specific categories. So you can cap the amount you might spend each month on going out to the cinema or the total you spend on shopping. If you go over that amount, an actual alarm will sound.
By using this handy program, your initial balance will increase or decrease according to the debits or credits that you enter. Overall this program will help to bring greater clarity to your spending and will let you clearly see what your spending patterns are. At the end of each month you can easily print off a monthly record of what you have spent in each of your agreed categories. You can print the figures out in a colourful pie chart which will give you a good idea of how your bank manager is likely to be feeling. --Justin Hunt
Money 2001 Standard

Microsoft

Who needs a personal finance package on their PC? Well if you pay bills, own shares, plan to make a will, write cheques, have a mortgage... in fact if you are an earning, spending consumer in the 21st century, a package like Money will make your affairs easier to manage. It should even make you a little richer.
Money has quite a pedigree. Though Microsoft only entered the personal finance market a few years ago, it has quickly carved a big slice of the market. Microsoft knows we all want to get our finances in order; it also knows that, to most of us, they are a terrifying mystery. So, with yearly updates, it has honed Money so even the financially illiterate can compile a personal financial resumé in around half an hour as the software pumps you with questions. Money then swallows the details of accounts, endowments, mortgages and investments--your whole financial life in fact--and tidily regurgitates them in a tidy web browser style.
This exercise is a useful financial discipline in itself, forcing you to take a short hard look at your finances, and get organised. Money then provides figures on your net worth, your projected wealth in the next month, year or decade and give you hints on making your cash work better.
And the browser style makes it simple. You click links to take you to your bills and view quickly which are due (and which overdue). Click on accounts to see your current account, then click an Internet link to go online and download your account details from your bank, should you choose. Users of earlier editions, such as Money 2000 will find that 2001 seamlessly updates their existing files. --John Rennie
Pocket Quicken

LandWare
Cabrio

Scarlet Software

If you find the idea of working out how many Euros there are to the pound completely daunting, you might want to install Cabrio's conversion calculatoron your PC. It can do literally thousands of conversions between a wide range of measures and values. Anything from currencies to distance, time or weights and once you've punched the figures in, the conversions are carried out automatically.
This handy conversion package will suit pressured business executives, students, engineers, teachers and financiers who want to convert data quickly. It also comes with a standard calculator. The program is flexible and lets you copy and paste data material from Cabrio onto other databases or spread sheets.
Doing conversions might sound a dry subject but this software-based conversion program includes a number of fun references such as the weight of elephants and the length of football pitches to keep you entertained when you need a break from all the serious number crunching. --Justin Hunt