Quicken 2005 for Dummies

by Stephen L. Nelson

The fun and easy way to get started with Quicken, the #1 personal financial software, with more than fifteen million users A bestseller year after year-now updated throughout for the latest release of Quicken Helps readers take control of their money by showing how to track their day-to-day finances, better manage their investments, and evaluate the tax implications of their financial decisions-all without hiring expensive professional financial consultants Expert advice shows how to manage bills, maximize investment performance, save money for college or retirement, bank online, maintain detailed financial records, and more Written by veteran For Dummies author Stephen L. Nelson, MBA, CPA and author of more than 100 books

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0764571710
• ISBN13: 9780764571718
• Release Date: August 2004
• Publisher: For Dummies
• Length: 360 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.3" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Great for the beginner

Like Steve Nelson, I too am a CPA and MBA, with a JD thrown in for good measure. Unlike Steve, I don't make my living writing how-to books for software. I've been searching in vain for a book that takes a look under the hood of Quicken. As Steve points out, "[I]f you're an experienced Quicken user and want to 'take your personal accounting to the next level,' the book is probably a poor choice ... [I]f you're looking for encyclopedic coverage of all Quicken features, this is not the book for you." Regrettably, such books DON'T EXIST. If you have technical training in accounting, Quicken is a real stinkeroo because it is NOT a double-entry accounting system, but rather a sophisticated database application. It uses procedures and terminology foreign to accountants, masking much of its functionality with obscure, proprietary language and reports. Regrettably, Scott Cook (founder of Quicken) won the marketing war and now we're stuck with this beast (or MS Money, which possesses the same faults) for personal finance. Except for some obscure Linux programs, these two packages dominate the market, yet there are no publications intended for tax and accounting professionals to maximize the usefulness of this software. So if you're a beginner, dive right in and get started. If you're experienced with either Quicken or accounting or both, you're on your own. Apparently Intuit (and other publishers) want to keep us in the dark, force us to spend unconscionable amounts of time with their software, and steer customers towards Intuit's "certified" consultants.

Personal finance software guidebook

Quicken 2005 for Dummies is the latest edition it the Quicken for Dummies series, all editions written by Stephen L. Nelson. Nelson also wrote all editions of the QuickBooks for Dummies. Whereas Quicken focuses on personal financial record keeping, QuickBooks focuses on business accounting. If your immediate interest is taxes, you might want also to check Taxes 2005 for Dummies by the same publisher, Wiley. More than a million copies of the various editions of Quicken for Dummies have been sold, and that indicates consumer satisfaction with the book in general. It is an easy-to-use guide to the popular Quicken personal finance software. Although focused on Quicken Premier software for Windows, Quicken 2005 for Dummies contains useful guidelines, tips, and warnings for any Quicken user. The Mac user can refer to the Quick Start card that comes with the Quicken 2005 for Mac for Mac-specific information, like backing up Quicken data and keyboard shortcuts. After a brief introduction, the book is divided into six parts, the first providing a brief overview of the Quicken 2005 software. The basics section covers checkbooks, accessing online accounts, generating reports and charts, balancing accounts, and calculators for investments, retirements, college, and taxes. The home finance section addresses credit cards, debit cards, petty cash, mutual funds, and stocks and bonds. The business section has a chapter on payroll and one on receivables and payables. The concluding section lists frequently asked questions, with answers, and provides both finance tips and Quicken troubleshooting tips. Part 6 contains an appendix on Windows and a glossary of financial and computing terms. The book also has a detailed table of contents and an index. Introductory and basic material fill half the book; home finance and business follow for those who wish to do more than basic personal financial record keeping. A reader can jump directly to text about the specific topic or task of interest at the moment. One need not read the book from start to finish. Like all Dummies book, Quicken 2005 has marginal icons to mark tips and warnings. Bold-face type and type changes make it easy to follow step by step, and additional text expands upon each step for the novice. The text is illustrated with corresponding screen images, but these "screens" are too small for easy reading; I have to wear my glasses to read the text but remove the glasses to read the screen images. The author warns that moving Quicken data from a Macintosh to Windows involves exporting, and he "can think of about a million things more fun to do than exporting Quicken data from a Mac to Windows" (p. 22). That is it for Mac-specific content in this book. Another word of caution comes from Jeffery Battersby, who in MacWorld (February 2005) reviewed Quicken 2005 software. Battersby concluded his review, "In the end, Quicken remains the hands-down best way to track your personal finances," but

Fabulous for Quicken "Newbies" - easy to use!

I have been a Quicken user for years and have been happy with all the improvements over time! Needless to say - I have repeatedly raved about this great software, but my in-laws are computer phobes and have resisted even trying it. I purchased "Quicken 2005 for Dummies" for them and assured them the book would answer all their questions. Well, they hemmed and hawed for a few more days, but then tried it out. It worked like a charm! Any question they had was answered quickly by the book and they now feel they invented the software! (You can only imagine how ecstatic they were when they discovered google!). If you are new to quicken, or are already a believer and want to get someone else hooked, this book is really worth it! Thanks Mr. Nelson for a great guide to some super software!

A Quick Way to Quicken

I got audited once by the IRS. When I went in I took four or five inches of paper, most of it generated on the computer by Quicken. Any question I was asked I simply pulled out the appropriate printout to show how I had gotten to the number I had put on the form. I can't say how much having all this documentation saved, but I suspect it was substantial. Quicken is probably the most popular generalized accounting packaged in use by individuals and small businesses. Over the years it has gotten better and better. So have the books that describe Quicken. This book describes the new Quicken 2005. The author uses the Premier version, but most of what he discusses is applicable to any version, (Premier has more stuff on handling investments). In keeping with the Dummies Books Philosophy, it is written in a light and amusing manner while providing the information needed to get the most out of the software package.

Two cautionary comments...

Hi, I'm Steve Nelson, the author of this version of the Quicken For Dummies book and other preceding 13 editions of Quicken For Dummies. I'm not going to say a bunch about this book. But because readers new to the "Dummies" series often get confused about (and sometimes even disappointed in) in Dummies books, I wanted to make a couple of comments. FIRST COMMENT: This Dummies book, like many Dummies titles, is for beginning- and intermediate-level Quicken users. So if you're looking for help getting started those first days and weeks with Quicken--this is a great book. However, if you're an experienced Quicken user and want to "take your personal accounting to the next level," the book is probably a poor choice. You should (assuming you've been doing things right) already known the sorts of stuff that are in the book. SECOND COMMENT: Note, too, that like many Dummies books, this title filters information. That filtering of "mostly just the high points" is part of the value. Now one could write an 800pp book on Quicken. (In fact, several years ago, I did just that.) But many people, maybe even you, yes you, want a book that describes just the most important stuff. However, if you're looking for encyclopedic coverage of all Quicken features, this is not the book for you. These may seem like funny caveats coming from the author, but in recent years I've noticed that people buying books from online bookstores can sometimes be disappointed with Dummies books because there are written for beginners and because they do filter information. (I think people are less likely to be surprised or disappointed with a Dummies book when you can first thumb through the actual book, but that's another story...) Sometimes these people turn into loud critics with searing comments. These critics' comments are, in a sense, very accurate. But those critics sometimes, er, maybe don't get that a Dummies book can't do what they want and still be a Dummies book. Hope that helps... Steve