<title>Learn about getting started in Money</title>
<category fLocale="cdn">general</category>
<klink type="cncpt">Tell me how to get started in Money</klink>
</index>
<content>
<p>Many people use Money for the following important financial tasks.</p>
<extend>
<tease>Keep a checking account up to date and track spending</tease>
<reveal>
<p>If you completed the Money Setup Assistant or converted a file from Quicken or an earlier version of Money, your accounts may be ready to use. Next, you can:</p>
<ul>
<li><emph>Set up online banking</emph>. If your financial institutions allow it, you can download transactions into your Money file instead of entering them manually. <alink type="prcdr" href="Setuponlineservices.xml"/></li>
<li><emph>Record past checks, deposits, and other transactions.</emph> Decide how much historical account information you want to include. Most people enter data from their most recent paper statements. If you want to use Money for taxes, start recording from the beginning of the tax year. Remember, the more data you enter, the more substantial Money's feedback about your finances will be.</li>
<li><emph>Track what you spend and receive.</emph> If you assign <glossary tNum="286964">categories</glossary> to your <glossary tNum="287103">transactions</glossary>, Money can report exactly where your money goes or help you track income and expenses for taxes or your budget.</li>
</ul>
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</extend>
<extend>
<tease>Track investments</tease>
<reveal>
<ul>
<li><emph>Decide how you want to track your investments.</emph> 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 losses that occur), or if you want to assess the performance of your investments, you should consider the more detailed approach.</li>
<li><emph>Record your investments.</emph> Set up the necessary investment accounts. Then, enter or download all your investment holdings in the accounts. <alink type="prcdr" href="Createaninvestmentaccount.xml"/></li>
</ul>
</reveal>
</extend>
<extend>
<tease>Get ready for taxes</tease>
<reveal>
<p>Money can help you get ready for taxes during the year and then help you file your return at tax time. Use the Home page Tax view for all your tax-related activities.</p>
<p>You can also assign tax lines to certain categories, such as Charitable Donations, so that Money automatically includes your spending in that category in your tax estimation.</p>
</reveal>
</extend>
<extend>
<tease>Create a budget, reduce your debt, and do other long-range planning</tease>
<reveal>
<p>The Home page Planning theme has a variety of tools that can help you plan for and accomplish financial goals. Using these tools, you can create a budget, create a debt reduction plan, and plan for the future.</p>
