|
Financial Planning & Tracking
01-20-2015, 01:39 PM
|
#1
|
Confused about dryer sheets
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 2
|
Financial Planning & Tracking
Hi,
I am new to the site. My cousin recommended I join, and I always listen to cousins!
I am looking for a new financial planning and tracking software package. I converted to a Mac, and find that Quicken for Mac is not nearly as robust as the Windows version.
I'd love follow a discussion that addresses pros & cons of apps such as Moneydance, iBank, See Finance, etc.
Can anyone help?
__________________
Thanks,
--d
|
|
|
|
Join the #1 Early Retirement and Financial Independence Forum Today - It's Totally Free!
Are you planning to be financially independent as early as possible so you can live life on your own terms? Discuss successful investing strategies, asset allocation models, tax strategies and other related topics in our online forum community. Our members range from young folks just starting their journey to financial independence, military retirees and even multimillionaires. No matter where you fit in you'll find that Early-Retirement.org is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!
You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with our members, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create a retirement blog, send private messages and so much, much more!
|
01-20-2015, 02:16 PM
|
#2
|
Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Hartford
Posts: 358
|
Regarding tracking, I find Mint to be the easiest. I see every spending transaction and deposit into our checking accounts on my smart phone. Plus it provides downloadable transactions and comparisons to budget.
Regarding planning, Fidelity and Vanguard both have very good planners on their websites, if you are a client. I suggest those in the beginning. We are near the trigger pull date and are going to do Roth rollovers, so more precise tax calculation is needed for us. The best we've found is ESPlanner Plus, which we bought. Well worth it.
|
|
|
01-20-2015, 02:44 PM
|
#3
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 1,495
|
About Q for Mac....
I've been using Q for Windows for decades and besides being familiar with it, it has all those records (that admittedly are no longer important other than looking up to see..."when did we go to ___ or buy ____?" I used Mac for 7 years and have been using VM Fusion to run Windows and Q. Use W for nothing else, and don't like that Fusion/W hogs a lot of resources, especially if doing photo work. Anyway....
They had a sale in Dec and reviews said that finally Q for M would translate the old Q files for W. Cool. Bought it thinking I'd get out of running the VM/W that means updates every few years. Bear in mind I no longer use it for financial, only book keeping of checking and charge accounts.
Got the DVD, and spent 6 hours trying to get it to take my Q/W files. Said my Q/W no longer supported, needed to get updated export patch to do it (really? its 2011 Q/W!!!). After 6 hours I gave up and sent back for refund. Thought about just starting over with Q/M and forgetting the history....it just was too much of a hassle. So any of you wanting to try what I did be aware it is not likely to be a fun pleasant experience, although some of you IT geeks may enjoy it and succeed!
|
|
|
01-20-2015, 02:52 PM
|
#4
|
Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 416
|
I've been a Mint user for quite some time but just tried Personal Capital and I really like it. Each has its shortcomings but seems that the Personal Capital has more of what I'm looking for. Right now I use both as they compliment each other.
|
|
|
01-21-2015, 08:35 AM
|
#5
|
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Denver, Colorado
Posts: 6,256
|
__________________
"It's tough to make predictions, especially when it involves the future." ~Attributed to many
"In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But, in practice, there is." ~(perhaps by) Yogi Berra
"Those who have knowledge, don't predict. Those who predict, don't have knowledge."~ Lau tzu
|
|
|
01-21-2015, 09:03 AM
|
#6
|
Moderator
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Flyover country
Posts: 25,197
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by msdixies
I'd love follow a discussion that addresses pros & cons of apps such as Moneydance, iBank, See Finance, etc.
|
I believe all of those have free trial versions you can download and try out.
Personally, I like and use Moneydance, but iBank has gotten much better than it used to be. Not familiar with See Finance, so I can't comment on it.
|
|
|
01-26-2015, 11:38 AM
|
#7
|
Confused about dryer sheets
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 2
|
Thanks for all the input! I'll look into a couple of the new-to-me applications (such as Mint, etc), and definitely investigate the recommended sites for comparisons. As a retired "systems guy" I'm loathe to download a bunch of free stuff and clutter things up. I'll certainly try before I buy when I've made a [tentative] decision -- and I'll report back on the results.
Thanks again!
__________________
Thanks,
--d
|
|
|
01-26-2015, 11:49 AM
|
#8
|
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 5,307
|
For budgeting and tracking expenses I use You Need a New Budget. For that purpose, I far prefer this to Quicken.
|
|
|
01-26-2015, 11:57 AM
|
#9
|
Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 731
|
Custom excel spreadsheet/multitabs that I created that tracks expenses, assets, tax planning and what if parameters for mixes of asset class drawdowns and Roth conversions, age, ss benefits, automatic RMD calculations via lookup tables.
(former engineer....)
|
|
|
01-27-2015, 04:17 AM
|
#10
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 2,518
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by BBQ-Nut
Custom excel spreadsheet/multitabs that I created that tracks expenses, assets, tax planning and what if parameters for mixes of asset class drawdowns and Roth conversions, age, ss benefits, automatic RMD calculations via lookup tables. (former engineer....)
|
+1. My approach as well
__________________
"Luck favors the prepared mind"
Pasteur
|
|
|
01-27-2015, 12:01 PM
|
#11
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 2,602
|
About Moneydance.
It was somewhat great before it got bought out.
Then: A great checkbook manager, mediocre budget manager, marginal reports, with an active Community base allowing interchange between users and support staff.
Now: A great checkbook manager, mediocre to poor budget manager, marginal reports, with a limited community - you write in with your problem, you get an answer from support staff, no user commentary. Absolutely unacceptable implementation of new versions.
MoneyDance is currently releasing it's 2015 version. Users who bought the 2014 version can get the upgrade without charge. The issue is the newest version is not fully functioning and should have been left in testing until the major features were working. It's not a bad program, just not well supported. If you need strong budget management and flexible reporting, I'd suggest a spreadsheet to get accurate results.
And wait until mid-year before downloading!
Disappointed,
Rita
__________________
Only got A dimple, would have preferred 2!
|
|
|
01-27-2015, 01:46 PM
|
#12
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Bonita (San Diego)
Posts: 1,795
|
Personal Capital. I just ignore the FA who calls me once a quarter, and I really like the software and expense tracking. Like Mint, only with better investment functionality IMO. (I've used both).
__________________
"So we beat to our own drummer in the sun;
We ask for nobody's permission to run.
I just wanna live in a world like that;
Now I'm gonna live in a world like that!" - World Like That, O.A.R.
|
|
|
01-27-2015, 06:27 PM
|
#13
|
Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Rural VT
Posts: 307
|
We've used Quicken ever since MYM was no longer supported. We have had it on the Mac, then a PC and back onto the Mac. Converting all the old stuff falls to DH, he likes to do all that stuff. I just ask if we are poor and go over the MONTHLY net worth statements and budget sheets I am provided. May not be the best but the old dog isn't willing to use anything else.
|
|
|
01-27-2015, 06:32 PM
|
#14
|
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Denver, Colorado
Posts: 6,256
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gotadimple
About Moneydance.
|
What she said... every word.
__________________
"It's tough to make predictions, especially when it involves the future." ~Attributed to many
"In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But, in practice, there is." ~(perhaps by) Yogi Berra
"Those who have knowledge, don't predict. Those who predict, don't have knowledge."~ Lau tzu
|
|
|
01-27-2015, 09:38 PM
|
#15
|
Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 145
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Golden sunsets
+1. My approach as well
|
+2
Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum
|
|
|
01-28-2015, 08:31 AM
|
#16
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Texas
Posts: 3,024
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by BBQ-Nut
Custom excel spreadsheet/multitabs that I created that tracks expenses, assets, tax planning and what if parameters for mixes of asset class drawdowns and Roth conversions, age, ss benefits, automatic RMD calculations via lookup tables.
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Golden sunsets
+1. My approach as well
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rdub
+2
|
+3. I also use Personal Capital to automate the collection of balances and analyze the portfolio at a level of detail that I can't do efficiently with Excel (AA, sectors, efficient frontier). I also use it to categorize and analyze spending at the transaction level, with only a monthly summary by category going to Excel.
__________________
Retired at 52 in July 2013. On to better things...
AA: 85/15 WR: 2.7% SI: 2 pensions, SS later
|
|
|
|
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
|
|
Thread Tools |
|
Display Modes |
Linear Mode
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
» Recent Threads
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
» Quick Links
|
|
|