Microsoft Money 2003 Deluxe Includes Free Online Bill-Paying, Tax Prep Pay $40 More, Get $160 Worth of Web Services Eric Grevstad
Mon 8/12/02 -- Why should consumers trying to get a handle on their personal finances step up from Microsoft Money 2003 ($35 with a $10 rebate) to Money Deluxe 2003 ($65 with a $20 rebate)? Well, the latter offers more than $160 worth of financial service starter offers, including one year of free online bill paying from MSN; one free online tax preparation and filing from H&R Block; one free credit report and ongoing monitoring from Equifax Inc.; and an initial consultation with an American Express financial advisor.
Even if you don't take advantage of Microsoft's partners' deals, the new edition of its personal finance manager offers new tools for researching stocks, optimizing investments, and planning for retirement, including an Option Wizard for tracking equity and index options; an Exercise Wizard to advise when and how to exercise stock options; access to MSN Money's Online Investing Research Center; and a more customizable Portfolio Manager with objective, mathematically derived StockScouter ratings.
A new Capital Gains Estimator lets consumers create and save scenarios to determine the best approach to selling assets, with a Loss Carryover feature to further reduce capital gains taxes, while a Tax Estimator compares the previous year's tax return with current-year data to provide an estimate of taxes owed or refunded.
For $85 with a $20 rebate, Money 2003 Deluxe & Business adds time-saving features for home-based or small business owners, ranging from cash flow review to PayCycle Web-based payroll services for as little as $8.25 monthly and Deluxe Business Services' catalog of checks, forms, business cards, stationery, and accessories. The top-of-the-line Money 2003 Suite: Finance, Tax, & Legal costs $95 with a $20 rebate.
