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OS X Finance Software? (iBank etc...)
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MagSafe
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
 
2006-08-12, 13:38

Hey

Was reading about iBank 2 in my monthly edition of MacFormat and it looks pretty good, I was thinking of buying it to replace my Excel spreadsheet file that I'm currently using to keep track of my monthly home financing and just wondering if anyone else uses it?

I'm not sure on the alternatives to iBank so would also like to see if anyone else is using some other App's to do the same job?

From the screenshots I've seen iBank looks pretty good, and would easily make doing my financing more enjoyable than staring at a black and white spreadsheet in a Microsoft application...I guess it would also be great if anyone else using iBank could give some short reviews on it?

Cheers,

Steven.

Find me on Twitter: @StevenMcLintock
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Wyatt
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Near Indianapolis
 
2006-08-12, 13:44

I downloaded it and used the trial, but I have a tendency to not keep up with finance software.

However, from what I saw of it, I thought it was pretty nice. The budgeting feature was a little hard to figure out, as was transfering money from one account to another, but other than that, it was really easy and straight-forward.

Twitter: bwyatt | Xbox: @playsbadly | Instagram: @bw317
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CoolToddHunter
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Join Date: May 2005
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2006-08-14, 09:27

If we're going to talk about finance software, I'll put in a plug for my favorite: Budget. It works more like I think about money, so it's really easy for me to use. Follow the link and research the "envelope method". No direct bank download, though, so I import the .qif files I get from my bank.
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MagSafe
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
 
2006-08-16, 04:00

Hmm, I'm really starting to like the idea of getting into finance software.

Has anyone tried Quicken? I've heard its awful, but was hoping some folk with experience using it could give me some info?

The only 'good' thing i've heard from it is that it works directly with your internet banking info, so the information is always live.

Budget looks pretty good, but I think I prefer the look of iBank 2 more

Find me on Twitter: @StevenMcLintock
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Ashka
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2006-08-16, 04:15

Used iBank for a year or so and like it but have changed over to 'CheckBook' as it suits the way I keep records better than iBank. The fact that check should be Cheque is a minor annoyance.:-)
http://www.splasm.com/products/index.html
Both allow downloads from your bank.

I still keep a spreadsheet going for budgeting, forward planning etc. Haven't found anything to replace that yet.
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dazwan
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
 
2006-08-16, 05:30

Quote:
Originally Posted by MagSafe
...more enjoyable than staring at a black and white spreadsheet in a Microsoft application...
You do know you can use colour in Excel don't you? .

I use a spreadsheet and it does the job just fine for me. For general household finance I still use MS-Money on the PC, but for the nitty gritty monthly budgetting I find the best thing for me is still a (colourful) spreadsheet or even a notepad and pen.

I'm rather stuck in my ways, so until MS ports Money over to the Mac, or perhaps Quicken will decide to return to the UK with a version that supports £'s and UK banks, I'll stick to Excel for my day-to-day stuff and use Money on my PC when I need to balance my accounts.
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drewprops
Space Pirate
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Atlanta
 
2006-08-16, 05:34

Ahhh, that's the American English for chequebook mate!

To quote me pal Mike Skinner of The Streets:

Quote:
Two nations divided
By a common language
And about two hundred years of new songs and dancing
But the difference is language
And just the bits you got wrong
'Cause we were the ones who invented the language

I have a question about these apps... how secure are they?



.
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MagSafe
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
 
2006-08-16, 06:19

Yes, I know you can use colours in Excel

I've got a spreadsheet of my monthly incomes/outgoings but I just find it boring to be honest. I'm thinking that using software like iBank will make it a more enjoyable process, so I can see a more graphical & animated outlook on it all and I guess it could give me a better idea of where everything is going and what I can do to make/save more money

Find me on Twitter: @StevenMcLintock
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Fahrenheit
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Join Date: Sep 2005
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2006-08-16, 06:35

Tried "Budget"- seems very cool, except that it costs $30! I don't theres room in my budget for that.
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MagSafe
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
 
2006-08-16, 07:07

Quote:
Originally Posted by Farenheit
Tried "Budget"- seems very cool, except that it costs $30! I don't theres room in my budget for that.
lol , even still though, $30 is only around £15, not to bad considering.
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CoolToddHunter
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2006-08-16, 09:19

Quote:
Originally Posted by Farenheit
Tried "Budget"- seems very cool, except that it costs $30! I don't theres room in my budget for that.

Some of the best money spent, for me. Free updates for life, and the developers are very responsive.
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Elleswood
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Join Date: Sep 2004
 
2006-08-16, 11:48

I looked at 4 or 5 apps and found them all to be rather rudimentary, so much so that I gritted my teeth and tried Quicken 2005. A year later and I'm still using it. It's complicated, expensive, and it's far more than I need, but it works. I'm probably utilizing 20% of it, but it does nearly all I used to have in my old favorite, Andrew Tobias' Managing Your Money (MYM) which I could not get updates for. But mind you, I'm not recommending Quicken.
Ellewswood
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Ashka
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Join Date: Jan 2005
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2006-08-16, 16:53

If you are after a Free Ware one try Cashbox
http://wbyoung.ambitiouslemon.com/cashbox/
Simple ~ doesn't have but doesn't need a help file, transfers between accounts, plenty of colour.
It actually works very well
Best
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dark54555
Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: TX
 
2006-08-16, 17:09

I am a long time quicken user, and I like it. It's great if you have to manage a bunch of accounts (i.e. checking, savings, credit card(s), stocks, IRAs, etc.) It does take some getting used to, but once you do, it's second nature. And the downloading from financial institutions is a godsend.
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Wyatt
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Near Indianapolis
 
2006-08-16, 22:21

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ashka
If you are after a Free Ware one try Cashbox
http://wbyoung.ambitiouslemon.com/cashbox/
Simple ~ doesn't have but doesn't need a help file, transfers between accounts, plenty of colour.
It actually works very well
Best
Looks very cool. I'm downloading it now, and I'll check it out when I actually have money to keep track of.
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noleli2
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Chicago
 
2007-10-29, 16:38

I'm going to bump this thread because I'm sure there are updates to what you guys use to track your money.

I installed Quicken, but it just didn't feel right, and there are so many choices on Apple's Downloads site that I don't even know where to start.

So...how do you track your money?
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autodata
hustlin
 
Join Date: May 2004
 
2007-10-29, 16:41

GnuCash. X11 and potentially tough to install. Works great, though.
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turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2007-10-29, 16:57

I'm still using MS Money in Parallels since it fits my needs perfectly. I wish MS would write a version for Mac.
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Fahrenheit
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2007-10-29, 16:57

I bought Cha-ching...don't use it enough though.
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Capella
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2007-10-29, 18:24

I've never tried finance software, though I've heard it helps a lot. As a college student with just 2 accounts I can look at whenever I log on to my bank, I figure that's easy enough and I don't need software. Is it a good idea to try some anyways, though, or is pure online through the bank as viable a method?

"A blind, deaf, comatose, lobotomy patient could feel my anger!" - Darth Baras
twitter ; amateur photographer ; fanfiction writer ; roleplayer and worldbuilder
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tomoe
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Join Date: Nov 2006
 
2007-10-29, 18:46

I've been using iBank for a little over a year now. It has a pretty simple interface, but it suits my needs. Though sometimes it's depressing being able to see up until the current day and down to the last penny what I've spent on vices in the last 14 months...

Seen a man standin' over a dead dog lyin' by the highway in a ditch
He's lookin' down kinda puzzled pokin' that dog with a stick
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LudwigVan
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: Minnesota
 
2007-10-29, 19:09

Quote:
Originally Posted by Capella View Post
As a college student with just 2 accounts I can look at whenever I log on to my bank, I figure that's easy enough and I don't need software. Is it a good idea to try some anyways, though, or is pure online through the bank as viable a method?
Though well past being a college student, I do the same thing. Unless I start doing some extra-curricular investing (no time soon), my paper-based monthly budget chart hanging on the fridge and my banks' online access (accesses?) are all I need.

"Virtually bursting with adequatulence."
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turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2007-10-29, 20:07

Quote:
Originally Posted by Capella View Post
I've never tried finance software, though I've heard it helps a lot. As a college student with just 2 accounts I can look at whenever I log on to my bank, I figure that's easy enough and I don't need software. Is it a good idea to try some anyways, though, or is pure online through the bank as viable a method?
You really should keep a checkbook register at the least because the online method isn't going to show all the transactions as fast as if you record it in your register. I've charged gas (on my check card) and it not show at the bank for 4 days. If I didn't record it I might have over spent because of a miss calculation.

Plus, it creates good habits for when you start getting more money and have more places to put it.

Louis L'Amour, “To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.”
Visit our archived Minecraft world! | Maybe someday I'll proof read, until then deal with it.
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pmazer
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2007-11-14, 23:02

I started using Mint (mint.com) and it seems to be what I've been looking for. It doesn't seem to run too well in Safari though, I ended up using Firefox, but again, it's exactly what I've been looking for. Try it out if you're looking for something that automatically tracks all your expenses.
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zsummers
Avast!
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: New York?
 
2008-09-26, 13:39

*Bump*

Has anyone tried Quicken on-line? I'm not enamored with the idea of paying $3 a month rather than a one-time payment, but to consolidate all of my balances in one place seems like a dream. No complicated financials here: one savings account, one checking account (same place), one IRA, 2 credit cards (only one of which gets used and paid each month), one student loan provider. I may want to branch out slightly (hence my desire for a budget tool), but that's about it.

For the record, I've been using the Excel spreadsheet method, to date.

"How could you falter / when you're the Rock of Gibralter? / I had to get off the boat so I could walk on water. / This ain't no tall order. / This is nothing to me. / Difficult takes a day. / Impossible takes a week."
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noleli2
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Chicago
 
2008-09-26, 14:32

Haven't tried Quicken Online, but it sounds like Mint.com is what you want.
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BuonRotto
Not sayin', just sayin'
 
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2008-09-26, 15:07

I've been looking into this sort of thing myself. i'm trying (or planning to try) mint.com, yodlee.com, quicken online, iBank, MoneyWell, Budget, Liquid Ledger, Money 3 (Jumsoft, not MS), Prospects and Moneydance.

I do find the envelope method of budgeting that both Moneywell and Budget offer, but direct downloads of something like iBank is nice too. I want to do as little as needed to keep my register reconciled, and just want whatever I use to help with planning for purchases, house buying, paying off the last of my debts, wedding/honeymoon expenses, etc. I have yet to try the online options.
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apple007
BANNED
I am worthless beyond hope.
 
Join Date: May 2006
 
2008-09-26, 15:19

I've used Quicken for years and while it ran into a buggy period a few years ago that set its reputation back, I still believe it's the best financial software out there (for home use, anyway).

AFAIK, most of the Quicken bugs people complain about these days are related to complicated investment transactions, etc., and not simple account management. (Quicken just released its Quicken 2009 version a few weeks ago, so it's also good timing.)
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zsummers
Avast!
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: New York?
 
2008-09-26, 15:52

Thanks for the input everyone. apple007, are you using Quicken on Mac or PC?
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apple007
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I am worthless beyond hope.
 
Join Date: May 2006
 
2008-09-26, 16:11

Quote:
Originally Posted by zsummers View Post
Thanks for the input everyone. apple007, are you using Quicken on Mac or PC?
PC?! Who do I look like, 'Luca'?

I've used about six different Mac versions of Quicken over the years, and don't really have any complaints. I have *not* upgraded to Quicken 2009 yet, so I'd recommend looking at some reviews (e.g., at versiontracker.com) in case it has some nasty bugs I haven't heard about. (As with major Apple OS and iPhone releases, a new version of Quicken is almost always followed, a few weeks later, by a major bug-fix release, and then occasional updates during the course of the version's year-long shelf life.)
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