Need new software

[TeamCaffee]

I have been using Quicken 2011 Home and Business and have never upgraded. I have Windows Parallels loaded on my Mac and I am wanting to get away from this.

I have Quicken fine tuned to fit my needs and wonder if there is something else out there the might work? I do not like Quick Books at all.

I need a system where I can have different accounts and I can create sub categories and run reports.

Anyone have ideas of what they use that might work for me?

 

[Turtle]

Money Dance is a good one. Popular with Mac users. It's pretty full-featured option. At $50 it isn’t free, but that reflects in the polish of the program. It is updated regularly, well supported, and in many ways seems to have the reputation for being all the things that Quicken isn’t. It is also available for Windows and Linux. Also syncs with your mobile device.

Banktivity 5 is supposed to be really good. $60. Here's a pretty thorough review on it.

GnuCash is free Open Source software that's pretty fully featured.

jGnash is also Open Source and worth a look.

Ace Money is supposed to be pretty good, at $40.

 

[TeamCaffee]

Turtle I like the version of Quicken I have and I like that I can fine tune it to my needs.

I do not mind paying to get something that I can use and keep updated on the Mac. I will check out your suggestions and I appreciate you including the links! Thank You

 

[Turtle]

I use the latest version of Quicken Home and Business, but like many other Quicken users I'm rapidly becoming less and less satisfied with it. It is unbelievably annoying at times. You must login locally, which then logs into Quicken's servers, before you can download transactions from your bank. And every 10 days to 2 weeks as a result of that Quicken server connection, you are presented with a new nag screen about updating to the latest version. And this latest 2016 version is even worse than the 2015 version, with additional nags about other Intuit products. You can uncheck the box so that it won't remind you about that again, but each reminder shows the date at which that "offer" expires, and it's always 1 or 2 weeks away. Once that date comes around, they'll nag you again with a different "offer" that's exactly the same but with a new expiration date.

They have Quicken for Mac, but the 2016 is a disaster. The 2015 and 2016 versions both have a bad interface - very different from Windows, as well as just plain bad. And it lacks a lot of features from the WIndows version. The conclusion from most Mac users is the folks at Intuit who developed the Mac version do not actually use a Mac. LOL

The general consensus among Mac users, when comparing the Mac version to the Windows version, is to stick to the Windows version using Parallels or some other virtual software. Quicken really is the gold standard, as it's what most accountants use and are familiar with. Although, I'm pretty sure all of the above can export the same QIF files for your accountant.

There are I'm sure other alternatives out there, but the ones above are the ones I'm familiar with from talking to Mac users, and I've tried both of the Open Source options as well as Money Dance. I like Money Dance maybe even enough to switch, but I'l still sticking with Quicken for now. But you can try them all. The paid ones have trials and the free ones are, well, free.

 

[TeamCaffee]

When I first started using Quicken we were with a small enough bank that I could not download anything and so never have. It is old enough I do not get reminders to upgrade anymore so I am past all that mess.

Switching is so darn hard to do and I agree with Quicken and Mac and why I never tried switching.

When a software gets old it is a worry to upgrade an OS and not have that software work anymore.

 

[Turtle]

When a software gets old it is a worry to upgrade an OS and not have that software work anymore.

Especially with an Apple product, as they'll just upgrade the OS, damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead. At least Microsoft has historically been pretty good about backwards compatibility, and/or the software will have update patches for it.

I'd try one or all of the above. You can still run Quicken in parallel (meaning, along side of them, at the same time) and see which one works best. There are a really lot of people still using 2011 and 2012, though.

 

[6Wheels]

Something you might check out is a Neat receipts scanner, not the large one but one the same size as the scanner used at Fed Ex. Simple to use, ( probably why I haven't completely utilized it) takes up little space and multi functional. Just before payday I scan in all Bol's and trip sheets. It reads them and creates a permanent file as a document in 2016 trips category. I then can send them to e-mail and send to accounting. Likewise in another category I scan in fuel receipts as a receipt and it reads it and keeps a running total at the bottom. Other named categories, Maint. Laundry, Office, Tools, Tolls, etc. Whatever you want to very easily set up. If you scan it in as a receipt it keeps a total. On all it keeps the date. You do however need to keep an eye on it because some receipts are hard to read and it can misread it. It can make reports but I have not applied myself to learn it. Also supposedly you can download onto a memory stick and send to accountant. You should be able to google a tutorial on it. Again it is the small one not the large one. I wish I had one during the 17 years as a painting contractor, Less shoe boxes full of receipts.Electronic receipts are just as good as paper, which I put in monthly envelopes and drop off at home. May not work for you but I keep the records and leave the accounting to my accountant.

 

[TeamCaffee]

6Wheels I did use Neat Receipts for a few years and broke the small scanner twice by dropping it. The concept of Neat Receipts is awesome to save a copy of the receipts and since each time we go home I clean out my file box I leave my receipts at home did cause a problem with warranty work. So after breaking the second scanner I decided to create my own system as I basically only wanted a copy of receipts. I set up my file for Receipts 2016 and then files under that title for each category and then scan and save all receipts with a unique name that is also tied to my Quicken. Such as for fuel tickets the identifier is our odometer reading and the date, for something paid out of our business account it is B001 and so on with the name of the company. I use my flat bed scanner/printer and this has worked perfect for the past three years.

Here is how I keep track of my receipts:
Assign each receipt a unique number based on which account was used to pay the bill, checking, credit card, cash
Then categorize the receipt - Maintenance, fuel, truck supplies, and so on
Enter the receipt in Quicken
Place receipt in file until ready to scan
scan the receipt and place in file box
At the end of the month I put all like scanned receipts together and staple them
When I get home I take the stapled receipts out and put them in their respective file folders at home

Works very well and they are easy to find if I need to see them at home or on the computer.

 

[ATeam]

For 10 years as an expediter I took the do it yourself approach to bookkeeping, developing spreadsheets (which I know how to do) and a filing system for receipts. I did so out of stubbornness. I resisted the idea of putting data in the cloud. I resisted the idea of storing my info where a third party might get at it. As an expediter, I had a lot of free time so I was willing to pay the time and trouble price my homemade bookkeeping system required.

The internet has come a long way since then as have encryption resources. If I had it to do over again with the technology available today, I'd use a QuickBooks Online product, an additional encrypted data storage site and an external backup drive. That streamlines bookkeeping with a state-of-the-art program that eliminates the need to use non-standard, made-up schemes like TeamCaffee describes and like I used then. Learning and following the QuickBooks way gives you the ability to access data of any type faster and easier than anything a non-standard scheme can provide.

Use your phone, tablet or a scanner to digitize your receipts. Store the hard copies if you wish (not required by the IRS if you have scanned copies).

Arrange your files such that an entry -- say a fuel purchase -- into your computer or tablet or phone automatically syncs to the cloud and to the encrypted storage area. From time to time, back up your stored data from your computer or the cloud (they are synced) to the external hard drive. Leave the external drive disconnected from the computer at all times unless you are backing up or retrieving data to it or from it. That keeps your data safe from hackers. If a ransom hijacker takes over your computer, wipe the machine clean, reinstall your software and recover your data from the external drive or cloud.

The external drive also protects you from your own human error. If you accidentally wipe out a major portion of your data, that change will sync throughout your system, except for the disconnected external drive. If such a thing happens, you can use your external drive to restore your data.

This scheme provides easy bookkeeping, a superior ability to view or analyze your expenses, all the business finance tools you need, and protection from events like computer crash or loss, hard drive loss, cloud file loss, the inability to access the internet for an extended period of time, and a truck or house fire in which you lose your computer and external drive.

Once you learn your way around QuickBooks Online, you'll have a state-of-the-art system and increased credibility in the event of an audit. The down side of QuickBooks Online is the monthly fee and the learning curve. The down side of the old system I used was the greater amount of time I put in to develop it in the first place and then use it, and the inferior ability that system had to analyze our business.