Q: best financial software for mac

jznew2mac wrote:

 

I wanted Quicken for my new Macbook and did a bunch of research. I thought Quicken Mac 2007 would be the answer. I downloaded for the $15 and did not like it. It did not support Express Web Connect to download transactions for my accounts like the 2012 PC version did. Not wanting to pay some of my banks for Direct Connect, I searched on...

I am not sure your statement is correct.  As I do not have access to the PC version of Quicken, I cannot check for myself.

This Intuit support document describes the three methods that Quicken can download transactions:

http://quicken.intuit.com/support/help/bank-download-issues/how-quicken-connects -to-your-bank/GEN83013.html

One of them is entitled "Express Web Connect".  It is not clear to me from this document if it is supported on the Mac version, but it appears that it is. Even if it is not directly supported on the Mac version:

As I understand this method, Quicken simply acts as a web browser so that you can go to your financial institutions's website, log in and download your monthly transaction.  I suspect that the downloaded file is in QIF format.

I have been doing precisely this method for over a decade when I was using Quicken Deluxe 2002 and now Quicken 2007 for Mac (Intel: Snow Leopard, Lion, Mt. Lion & Mavericks).  However, instead of doing this step inside of Quicken, I just use my web browser to go to my credit card's websites (I have four credit cards with two financial institutions), log in and they offer me the ability to download QIF files of each's monthly transactions.

I then open each credit card's register in Quicken go to the FILE menu to IMPORT... FROM QIF and double click on the appropriate downloaded QIF file (I actually only download one at a time and then import it and then delete the downloaded QIF so, so as to not accidently import the QIF file into the wrong credit card register).

I now have every transaction in my register with date, payee and amount.  I only have to enter each transactions' respective category. By using this method, I do NOT have to worry about a Target-type of hacker attack at Intuit that would obtain my login and passwords on my financial instituations (as noted in the Support Document; Intuit does save this information when you use Quicken for this purpose!).

I now attempt to use my credit cards for 100% of all my financial transactions and rarely write checks; although I do electronic payments from my checking account to pay most of these accounts.

So, I do not see what the PC version of Quicken offers you, with respect to Web Connect, that is not easily achieved with Quicken 2007 for Mac.

http://quicken.intuit.com/support/help/bank-download-issues/enabling-an-account- for-express-web-connect/GEN82701.html

I think express web connect is only for PC. It is part of one step update. You enter your account ID and password once and transactions are downloaded every time you run the update. There is no opening a browser and logging into a Financial Institution website every time you want to download transactions. 

http://quicken.intuit.com/support/help/bank-download-issues/enabling-an-account- for-express-web-connect/GEN82701.html

I think express web connect is only for PC. It is part of one step update. You enter your account ID and password once and ...

And some 17 year old St. Petersburg Russian hacker is selling your information to a Mexican Cartel!

I would like to point out crossover as a very good solution - I have been using this for several years.  I have found that parallels and VM ware are slow to boot up and operate on MBP. Crossover is quick, you can use your mac apps right alongside quicken.  There are a few little bugs but its worth it.  I have tried several of the other programs (ibank, etc) and they are complete garbage!  I also use Fund Manager for windows for portfolio management using Crossover.

Tech support is great if you have issues - highly recommended.

having said that, I have signed up for the Quicken Mac 2014 beta test...

H

I am very interested in your experience and that of anyone else using Crossover.  I would love to revert to Quicken Home and Business without all of the Windows hassles. 

Please keep us posted.

I am finding this forum very helpful, particularly since the beginning of the year.

P.S. I am now starting to use Moneydance 2014.  It is much improved, particularly when it comes to budgeting, BUT it does not have:

a) The functionality of QH&B, like accounts receivable and invoicing

b) Consistent report print outs, although there is a reasonable work around.  It involves saving a report as a file in .html format and printing it.

c) A multi-period Net Worth report allowing one to track changes over time.  Here too, there is a reasonable work around by using the Asset Allocation report.  This is not a bad substitute if one does not have significant liabilities.

You get the picture.

P.S.  Downloading and importing credit card transactions in QIF format is a piece of cake.

I've spent more time researching this option.  It looks like the latest version of CrossOver, version 13.0.1, is compatible with OS X Mavericks and that it will support Quicken 2013 (Windows), but not 2014 . . . at least for now.  Note:a CD version seems to be easier to install than a download from somewhere like Amazon.

The big issue is how to port a .qif file over to Quicken (Windows).  This is a big challenge for someone using Mac financial software, like Moneydance, in my case.  It looks like you have to port it over to an earlier version of Quicken that recognizes the .qif format; then, once it is running, upgrade to a more recent version.  Have any one of you had any experience doing this?

Please weigh in.  Thanks.

Are you saying that the current version of Quicken for Windows has abandoned the time honored ability to be able to import QIF files?

Yes.  Read the following: http://web.intuit.com/personal/quicken/qif/qif_faqs.html

The document that you link me to is incorrect at least in the respect that ALL versions of Quicken for Mac that I have used over the years, including but not limited to the most current version, Quicken 2007 both PPC and Intel (Lion, Mt. Lion and Mavericks) accepts QIF imports.

I cannot speak from experience about any version of Quicken for Windows.

Quite honestly, using QIF importing of information from my financial institutions is the only safe way to download my transactions from these financial institutions without having to share my log in and password information for these institutions with Intuit and potentially suffer a Target-like data breach in this regard!

I would never use a version of Quicken that required me to share this sensitive information with Intuit in order to be able to import this information.

Michael

What I am trying to do is recover the functionality of Quicken Home & Business, which I used before moving to my iMac, by using CrossOver.  I've never found anything equivalent, short of going to Quick Books, which would be overkill in my case.

Here is another piece on the subject: http://quicken.intuit.com/support/help/account-transaction-issues/importing-and- exporting-qif-formatted-account-and-list-information/GEN82402.html

The route seems so tortuous, I may simply stay with what I am using now, the 2014 version of Moneydance, which meets my minimum requirements.

tadcrawfordmv wrote:

 

Michael

What I am trying to do is recover the functionality of Quicken Home & Business, which I used before moving to my iMac, by using CrossOver...

I have never used any version of Quicken for Windows, so I cannot personally speak to any "functionality" that is missing in the Mac version.  All I know is that I have been using Quicken on my Macs over two decades and have been very happy.

Have you tried, for $15, Quicken for Intel (Lion, Mt. Lion and Mavericks), which you can purchase here:

http://quicken.intuit.com/personal-finance-software/quicken-2007-osx-lion.jsp

My understanding is that there is an Intuit document which explains how to get your Quicken Windows data into Quicken 2007, and that you export each of your accounts into QIF files, set them up in Quicken for Mac and then import these QIF files into the Mac version.  Perhaps it is the document you link (but it makes no mention of going from Quicken for Windows to Quicken for Mac).

Depending upon how many accounts you have, it does not seem that "tortuous" in that you only have to do it ONCE and then you have all of your information in Quicken 2007 for Mac.

Why not try it for one account and see how you like it...

View the links in this post by Old Toad:

https://discussions.apple.com/message/22063897#22063897

Michael -

Thank you for your suggestions.  I probably was not sufficiently clear.  I am already using Moneydance (Mac Version), having successfully converted my Quicken Home and Business data in qif format.  Moneydance was just ranked No. 1 by Top 10 Reviews, but a disclaimer is in order.  Some software was not evaluated like Quicken 2007 and iBank.  It meets my minimum requirements.

I will probably stay with Moneydance if I conclude that migrating back to Quicken Home and Business . . . using CrossOver on my iMac . . . is too tortuous.

I am open to switching to Quicken 2007 if it is significantly better.  I wish I could find a good head to head review of MD 2014 vs Q 2007.  At the time I bought my iMac, it was not an option.  It came loaded with Lion before the Q 2007 upgrade.

Yes: I understand your situation, but was just suggesting you avoid the Crossover situation by just trying out Quicken for Mac.  The more I hear about Quicken for Windows, the less I feel I am missing...

tadcrawfordmv wrote:

 

...At the time I bought my iMac, it was not an option.  It came loaded with Lion before the Q07 upgrade.

Same with me when my iMac G5 died in August 2011 and I purchased a Mac Mini with Lion.  For me, necessity was indeed, the mother of invention:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3913218

It's been about ten months or so since I last added a comment to this string and since I have been seeing a fair amount of new year activity  I thought I would provide a brief update.

After much review early last year, I decided to jump in with iBank after having years of complicated and disappointing experiences with Quicken for Mac. (lengthy posts early 2013). After a year of using iBank I'm happy to say that I've had no crashes or corrupted files, no expensive calls to customer support, and  no complaints other than the typical idiosyncrasis of learning a new software package. All of my non-corrupted files I could salvage from Quicken transferred into iBank last year and after some minor clean-up I was running. At this time last year, I thought iBank was similar to Quicken for Mac so the change to new software was not a steep learning curve.

It's been good to see MoneyDance and other Mac software come into their own too. I considered MoneyDance last year and will take a look at it again, but with iBank doing everything I need, including an iPad and iPod Touch/iPhone version which syncs up, it will now be hard to move me to another package. /