You can print this short guide: on the File menu at the top of your screen, click Print.
What follows is concrete advice about how to proceed once you start using Money on your ownùjust enough detail to tell you how to do it and pointers to MoneyÆs thorough Help system if you need to know more. There are many ways to use Money; these are the few described in this guide:
╖ Keep your checkbook
╖ Track investments
╖ Get ready for taxes
╖ Create a budget, reduce your debt, and do other long-range planning
If MoneyÆs Setup Assistant helped create your accounts or you converted a file from Quicken or an earlier version of Money, your checkbook is halfway done. Next, youÆll want to:
Record past checks, deposits, and other transactionsá Decide how much historical account information you want to include. The most common way people get going is to enter data from their most recent statements. If you want MoneyÆs help with your tax returns, start recording from the beginning of your tax year. Otherwise, how far back you go is a matter of preference. However, the more data you enter, the more substantial MoneyÆs feedback about your finances will be.
Track what you spend and
receive You can categorize your transactionsùlabel them Electric Bill, Car
Payment, or Salary, for instance. Then Money can report exactly where your
money goes or help you track income and expenses for taxes or your budget. To
get an idea of how categorizing works in Money, play the video, Enter checks, deposits, and other
transactions.
To get to the video, type transaction
forms in the Ask Money box at the
bottom of the Help pane, and then press Enter. Click Enter a transaction using transaction formsà and then click the
video.
1. At the top of the screen, click Accounts.
2. Click the account you want to see.
If the account is empty itÆs because you havenÆt yet entered any transactions.
1. In the account, click Withdrawal (for checks and other withdrawals), Deposit, or Transfer near the bottom of the screen.
2.
Enter the check information on the form, pressing TAB to move
between fields.
You can either type directly into each field or click the down-arrow next to
the field and pick from there.
3. Pick a category to assign to the transaction.
4. Click Enter.
If MoneyÆs Setup Assistant helped you start your Money file, take a look at what you entered.
╖ At the top of the screen, click Bills.
1. On the Pay bills page, click the bill you want to pay or the paycheck you want to deposit.
2. At
the bottom of the screen, click Record
Payment or Record Deposit, and fill in the details on the form.
Money records the transaction in your check register.
3. DonÆt forget to write a check or deposit the paycheck!
If MoneyÆs Setup Assistant helped create your accounts or you converted a file from Quicken or an earlier version of Money, your investment accounts may already be set up. So next youÆll want to:
Get an overview of
how Money helps you manage your holdingsá
Go to the Investing Center and start by watching the video, Manage your investments with MoneyùitÆs
under two minutes.
Decide how you want to track your investmentsá Do you simply want to track the number of shares you own and the price of the stock or do you want to track the buys and sells as well? If your investments affect your income taxes (through capital gains or loss that occur) or you want to assess the performance of your investments, then consider the more-detailed approach. The video, Enter an investment transaction, shows you how.
Record your investmentsá Enter all your investment holdings in the accounts youÆve set up. If you need to set up a new investment account, type something like investment account in Ask Money, and then click Create an investment account for detailed instructions.
1. At the top of the screen, click Investing.
2. Under Watch a video, click the video you want to see.
For more detail on adding investment transactions, type something like add investment transaction in Ask Money, and then click Add shares to an Investment Account.
1. At the top of the screen, click Investing.
2.
Under Account Tasks,
click Enter investment transactions and
follow the directions on the screen.
When Money asks, you must provide the Quantity,
but Price and Date Purchased are required only if you plan to track your
investments in detail.
Money helps you get ready for taxes during the year and then helps you file them at tax time.
Find out how Money can help you prepare for tax time Go to the Tax Center for all tax-related activity in Money. For an overview of what Money offers here, watch the video, Manage your taxes with MoneyùitÆs under two minutes. ItÆs not too soon to try any one of the list of activitiesùsuch as Find personal tax deductions in the section To do throughout the year.
Record and categorize your transactionsá Follow the instructions earlier in this guide, ôKeep your checkbook in Money,ö to enter every transactionùchecks, deposits, and so onùfrom the beginning of the tax year, making sure to categorize them. The more thorough you are, the more accurate the file Money prepares at tax time.
1. At the top of the screen, click Taxes.
2. Under Watch a video, click Manage your taxes with Money.
Waitá Money has a variety of tools that can help you plan for and accomplish financial goals. But financial planning is a process that begins with a solid foundation of the kind of data weÆve mentioned in this guideùentering transactions of all sorts, including your investments. Once you have a solid base of data, MoneyÆs planning tools will walk you through the steps required.
Get the big pictureá Click Planner at the top of the screen to go to the Planning Center to see what Money offers by way of planningùbudgeting, reducing debt, and so on.