Q: best financial software for mac

juniperpt wrote:

 

Hi, AMEX just announced on their website ( download data page) that "Access to Microsoft Money from your American Express online account will no longer be available as of May 7, 2014." Nor will they support .cvs files. This may be it for MS Money and me.

Did they say anythink about discontinuing downloading of QIF files?

A similar statement "Access to QIF from your American Express online account will no longer be available as of May 7, 2014" is presented under the QIF download option.

Thank you for that information, which I just verified online (except I do not see that notice for csv downloads).

This is a major problem for me, and I will have to see how I can "workaround" this serious turn of events.

Correction to my posting: The .csv files appear to be able to be downloaded, but only for individual cards and not for the option "All Cards".  The statement reads "This view is not available with CSV. Please select an individual Card to continue or change your software preference."  Sorry for any confusion I may have caused anyone.

I have used Moneydance several years until last September happened that kept my iphone from syncing with my Macbook Pro to update transactions. I reported this problem to the Moneydance techs and after many many emails I still have no solution.

I am able to keep entering data in my iPhone part of the system but cannot sync it with the main data file on my comuter.

So it seems the final outcome is that I will have lost about 8 years of history and cannot find a new program that might be able to download the old data.

So proceed with caution.

I was told by several sources that iBank was the best available.  That may well be true, but it remains an inadequate lightweight.  Following investment returns is virtually impossible in a meaningful fashion.  The report selection is limited, without the ability to do significant customization.  The data I need are in the Ibank data, but are inaccessible.

If all you need is a computerized checkbook and credit card register, iBank (or even Quicken for Mac) will work. iBank also does have the ability to download info from banks, credit card companies, and other financial companies.  Perhaps I should have called it, not a lightweight, but a middleweight.

My final solution was to buy a second computer with PC software just to run Quicken.  I tried running my iMac with Parallels, to have both OS, but that proved too cumbersome.

Good luck

pccary wrote:

 

My final solution was to buy a second computer with PC software just to run Quicken.  I tried running my iMac with Parallels, to have both OS, but that proved too cumbersome.

Do you have experience running Quicken 2007 for Mac?

If so, could you outline what is missing from the Mac version that causes you to go to such lengths to run their PC version?

Thank you!

... but that proved too cumbersome.

This I cannot understand.  I run virtualbox with windows 7 installed as another OS.  In windows 7, I run Quicken Deluxe 2013.

From a cold start of my Macbook Pro, I click on the VirtualBox icon in the dock (one click), then click on start windows 7 icon (secoond click) then click on the Quicken icon in windows 7 (third click).

So I guess that three clicks may be too cumbersome for some folk !!!

No matter how little cumbersome (if that is a correct phrasingt!); could you please explain what is offered in Quicken 2013 for the PC that is not available in Quicken 2007 for the Mac that makes it worthwhile for you to launch VirtualBox and pay for Windows 7, so that you can run Quicken 2013 for PC on a Mac?

Thanks!

I can tell you what it was in my case.

I used an IBM PC for many years. First I used Andrew Tobias "Managing Your Money" and when it was no longer supported I moved to Quicken.

In 2006, I switched to Apple.  I found that Quicken for Mac had close to the same functionality as Quicken for Windows. However, there was no migration path.  To be specific, the migration would work fine if all you use are the checking, credit cards, etc. But if you use the Investments portion to track the cost basis of mutual funds and stocks, then there was no way to migrate to the Mac version without manually re-entering all the information. I had enough transactions that this was impossible. Not a lot of money, but a lot of small dividend reinvestments and the like that would take way to long to reenter manually. So I use Parallels with Windows 8.1 running the current Quicken for Windows.

If migration is not an issue for you, Quicken for Mac should work for you.

AppleMan1958 wrote:

 

If migration is not an issue for you, Quicken for Mac should work for you.

To clarify further, you mean: "if migration of investments/mutual funds [from Quicken for PC to Quicken for Mac] is not an issue for you, Quicken for Mac should work for you."  Correct?

Thank you for this information, I will study this issue further.

Yes, migration for investments was the issue when I looked at it back then.

That was an older version of QFW when I switched. I would assume that the investment issue is still there. Whether the changes to Quicken since then have added other issues, I do not know. The only big change (in my view) has been that the files to connect with banks have changed, but this would not necessarily change the underlying data.

There are forums over at Quicken.com where you can find exhaustive discussions on these issues.

But the showstopper for me was migration of investments.

OK!  Thank you for that clarification.

So would it be correct to assume that if there was a migration path from QFW to Quicken for Mac for your investments, other than the time it would take to make that actual migration, you would consider using Quicken for Mac?

I will check over at Quicken.com for their forum discussion on this issue, when I have a bit more time.  I just raise the point here, because now and then posters here seem to state that QFW in virtualization is preferred over Quicken for Mac and I just want to pick their brains (like your brains!) on this issue quickly.

It is fair to say that I would much rather run Quicken as a native Mac app rather than buying Parallels and Windows retail version. The investments issue is the showstopper, but would not be if you did not start on Windows.

I would also check if Quicken 2007 for Mac can still connect with banks.

AppleMan1958 wrote:

 

I would also check if Quicken 2007 for Mac can still connect with banks.

Thank you for your input.

Let me ask you: on Quicken for PC is the ability to "connect with banks" still require you to give both the logon and password to Intuit for each and every online financial account?

If so, in a post-Target world, is this really a sensible method for downloading your financial transactions with the possibility that Intuit is hacked ala Targer (as opposed to going to each one in a browser, log on, enter password and then download a QIF file to IMPORT into Quicken).

What is your opinion?

I will be back to you on the investments migration issue.