Are There Any Personal Finance Software Programs That Are Particularly Good For Canadians?

Are You Aware of Any Internet Based Personal Finance programs?

First Published: November 6, 2008 ADawnJournal.com

I always get emails from ADJ readers asking questions on a variety of topics. I try to reply those as soon as I can. Take the email snapshot on the top left, for example. A Canadian couple wants to know which personal finance software programs to use. Today, in this post, I will let you read my answer. I haven’t changed their questions, or my answers, except one thing – their names are being withheld for privacy.

On Tue, Oct 7, 2008 at 11.14 AM, A Canadian Couple XXXXXX@sasktel.net wrote:

Do you recommend any software programs such as Money or Quicken?  Are there any that are particularly good for Canadians? Are you aware of any Internet based personal financial programs?
Thanks.

Here Is My Answer:

Hello There,

Thank you for reading my site. Your questions can be answered in two parts.

Part 1

If you are looking for a software to bring all your accounts such as bank accounts, mutual fund accounts, credit card accounts under one platform, there are two options. You can use either MS Money or Quicken. These two have Canadian versions and you can budget, track your expenses, and see all your accounts and transactions on one screen. Quicken would cost about $100 and MS Money would cost about $50. Many computers have MS Money installed on it. So check first to see if you already have MS Money. Which one is better? Quicken is my choice but it costs more. If you can get free MS Money, do not spend money on Quicken. One point I would like to mention is probably you will get notifications every year asking you to update (meaning spend more money). Do not upgrade. It is unnecessary and a waste.

Part 2

If you do not need to see all your accounts and transactions under one software,  go with an online program.  There are the two I would like to mention: www.Expensr.com and https://www.moneytrackin.com/. I use Expensr. With these you can track your spending, make budgets, set goals etc. Check both and pick the one you like.