OT- Accounting Software Questions - Page 1

I you were a complete moron when it came to accounting, dyslexic with numbers to begin with, not the brightest light on Technology Street, and you had a small, home-based hobby business that didn't handle enough money to warrant a separate checking account, and you were trying to do a couple 3 years of books, keep records for tax purposes, would Quicken Home & Business be a good choice?

Yes even though I would not recomend. But for small business it is the leas expensive. Microsoft had a good small business accounting software, but they went bust, so the only option from them now is Great Plains, which you don't need or most likely would be able to afford (its target are corporations). Quick books, are preffered by most, or Peach tree. I would use quick books over Quicken.

Let me know if you need any other info. There are some freeware as well, but you would have to be little bit knowledgeable with regards to using them, as there is no support (that's why it's free, open source it's a good way to save money).

Microsoft office do a free download called  Microsoft Accounting 2008 which is fairly simple to use.  It ties into the other packages for invoices etc.

Microsoft office discontinued this softwar as of the end of this year.

If you going with accounting software you always should go with the one that been around for a while, more resources avaliable, as well it won't go bust tomorrow like Microsoft did with their Accounting software. Marging is a pain, if you decide you need more later on.

Quickbooks would be your best option. simple

Quickbooks is excellent. I use it for my business. You can do payroll with it. You can do taxes with it etc., etc.

Sounds like it may be more than you need though Shelley. It's not cheap, but it's great for a business.


Good luck!

What ever you decide to use Shelley, make sure you "Back Up Your Data". If the computer crashes and it's not backed up you just lost years of data.

Shelley, I trust that you are doing well. I have used MSExcel for many years as it is highly adaptable to custom programming; be it for financial purposes or engineering purposes. It is already part of the MSOffice suite that is installed on so many PCs, so there is nothing to purchase. One has to determine the layout of the spreadsheet and write all of the formulas of course, but for simple accounting it is a snap. Plus, it can be exported into other software programmes and can import from many others.

There are many free MSExcel spreadsheets on the web that can be downloaded and used as-is, or modified to suit one's purpose. My only personal caveat regarding MSExcel is how it interprets the function of "Pi", as it is limited to about one-hundred-fifty (150) decimal places. Of course, I am usually just making a stress analysis and not flying to Jupiter, so a mere twelve (12) decimal places is usually fine!

Best Regards,
Bob-O