Rating: 
Summary: Ok, but too much reliability on the Internet
Review: They are making Money more and more like you're expected to have a broadband 24x7 connection to the Internet, plus there are several other annoying features like the necessary Microsoft Hotmail/Passport account necessary to login. Also, the online synching is very poor, can't even cancel it in many cases when it takes FOREVER.
Rating: 
Summary: Best most affordable financial software currently available
Review: I have used money 2000 and 2003 and think that it is great for keeping track of your personal finances. You will know what you owe, what you have, and what you will have left after you pay what you owe.
First off, I was can' believe that money has some of these low ratings. I tried to use Quicken Deluxe 2000 when i got my computer and I just never felt that it worked very well. Things like balancing my account and paying bills online were very difficult and I eventually gave up. The only thing better about Quicken than money is i must admit they have a much better web site than microsoft money. It's free so I'll buy money and use the Quicken web site for free. I advise the same.
Money has a more aesthetically pleasing layout,updating my accounts are almost effortlesss and in some cases automatic, and online integration is a major plus considering that i pay more than 90% of my bills online. Money enters all these payments automatically into my credit card or checking account.
The biggest thing that i like about money is the way that you can use it to track your portfolio. You buy you stocks, bonds, ect then update the prices as often as you like with delayed quotes in money. You can also enter them manually if you need to. For example the company i work for has a coperate stock fund that does not have a ticker symbol since it basically market times its own stock and federal bonds, but i can go to my 401k website and it will give me an nav which i can manually enter into money.
Alot of the negative reviews seem to be from people that seem to be a little afraid to take time to learn the system. I admit it does take more than a day or even a week to get the total hang of it, but If you are willing to invest time to track your finances Money is definitely an application you should consider.
Rating:
Summary: Superior to Quicken. Quicken users should switch.
Review: As people who have used both programs know, Money and Quicken are effectively the same as for substantive content. Money has a slightly sleeker look-and-feel to it, consistent with Microsoft products, if that is important to you.The reason I give it such good ratings is that, as a Quicken-user since 1997, I finally got sick of the ever-dreaded Quicken-crashes. I upgraded to Quicken 2002, which is probably the most unstable code Intuit has audaciuosly relased to the market to date. I have found Money *so* much more stable that it WELL WARRANTS the short learning curve frustrated users of quicken will have to make the switch. The common complaint about Money is the ubiquitous advertising. However, these can be turned off under Tools...Options and never heard from again, so I consider a bit of a non-issue (besides it being slightly obnoxious that Microsoft would try to pass them off in the first place). Conversion from Quicken is really quite easy. Even Quicken-purchased checks work seamlessly.
Rating: 
Summary: Integrity of the MS Money file system is dubious
Review: Having skipped all previous versions of MS Money, I thought I would switch from Quicken, which I hate, for MS Money 2002. Given 40 billion reasons to trust this product, I devoted some time to it, but now find I hate it too. Why? Here's my story: Step 1: Install-->> Pass
Step 2: Configure your accounts, download data -->> Pass
Step 3: Configure sub accounts -->> Pass
Step 4: Use routinely and check account information -->> Fail
Step 5: Spend hours troubleshooting, repairing, fixing -->> Fail, couldn' fix a sub-account that would show no data.
Step 6: Either switch to paper/pencil accounting or try out GNU Cash. Maybe the next version has fixed the bugs. For me, I have given up on MS Money 2002.
Rating:
Summary: Why do so many people hate this?
Review: I was amased by the number of bad reviews and almost did not buy this program. I have used previous versions of Money, but in the Deluxe version, and find 2002 Standard an EXCELLENT program. I do not use this accounting software for any online functions and find that it has everything I could want out of a HOME ACCOUNTING software package. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS PURCHASE.
Rating: 
Summary: Crash-o-rama
Review: Like most of the other reviews, this is an upgrade I wish I would have avoided. I upgraded from Money99 (which was rock solid) hoping to use the increased abilities of portfolio management. I have used Money since 95 and have been completely happy until this latest upgrade. I can almost guarantee that it will crash on me a minimum of twice each session. Unfortunately, I have waited too long in giving it "the benefit of the doubt" and am pretty much stuck with it. After this version, I am seriously considering Quicken or some other non-Microsoft money manager. DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT unless you are a glutton for punishment!!!
Rating:
Summary: waste of money
Review: very complicated for nothing. i was only looking for a software that'll guide me through a better expense management & reduce debts in a longer term, but this piece of [junk] has so much to offer you and doesn't even respond to your needs! too many useless functions available & worthless data collection that leads you to nowhere!
Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive
Review: You need 2 computers to use Money 2002. The one with the keyboard and the one on your shoulders Managing your financial life is an inherently complex process. Integrating and updating constantly changing information from credit cards, bank accounts, loans, mortgages, investments, 401Ks, IRAs, etc. and displaying that information in a coherent and useful way is never going to be "simple". To think that software can do that without substantial effort from you is simple-minded, regardless of whether you use Money or Quicken or any other product. You have to read the manual, spend some time in the Help files and explore the program. If you do, you can make it work the way you want - no Moneyside if you don't want it; no registration nags if you don't want them; no advertising if you'd rather not see it. What you get is a complete and up-to-date picture of your finances presented in a way you can use. The one complaint I see here that I do think is valid is the way MS has tied Money 2002 to Passport. I don't care for that either, but the rest of the program is sufficiently useful that I am willing to overlook it. Money 2002 is a comprehensive and effective tool for managing your finances, but you're going to have to bring your brain with you when you use it.
Rating:
Summary: Basic functions work, but has glitches
Review: For the basic functions of keeping a checkbook type of register, watching stocks, and setting/monitoring a budget, this product has worked fine for me. It has, however, some glitches. The one glitch that is currently plaguing me is the "Cash Flow" projection graph. This function takes a look at what you have in your scheduled payments/deposits and displays a projected daily balance over a set period (user defined) using a shaded line graph. A nice idea if you diligently have all of your anticipated bills and deposits set up in the program, which I did. Using the Cash Flow review, you could figure out whether you could afford that stereo next month or the following month. The problem is, apparently, sometimes the bills/deposits file gets corrupted and then the graph will not display at all. I visited the MS site, found the precise problem in the knowledge database, and went through all of the methods MS provided. It was to no avail, and my Cash Flow function is now non-functional. Even a re-install didn't work. The best I can tell, I will have to completely set up a new finance file from scratch, re-enter all of my info, balances, etc., in order to cure the problem (which apparently is a corrupted file). There are other issues such as a very cumbersome and quirky debt reduction planner, but the Cash Flow graph is my most current, and therefore, my most aggravating. Based on that, I can only give this product two stars. I'll be switching back to Quicken within the next few months.
Rating:
Summary: Not even if it was free!
Review: Run Away! I've been using Money99 for three years, have never been impressed, but it was at least adequate. My bank no longer supports Money99 with online banking so I needed to upgrade. Money 2002 is one of the worst pieces of software I've ever evaluated. Thankfully I downloaded the evaluation version before I spent any $. First, it is a far less intuitive version, but I could get used to that. 2nd, they REQUIRE you to sign up for Microsoft Passport, which is another Microsoft ploy to gather personal information about you. and most importantly 3rd, if you use Online bill pay, every time you submit a payment, it immediately submits it to the bank over the internet (and locks the application until finished). What used to take 1 minute over a 14.4 modem connection (to batch submit many payments) now takes 30 seconds PER PAYMENT over a "fast" cable modem connection. You can't enter all your bills and submit them in batch anymore. I'll be looking for a version of Money 2000 or 2001 on E-bay, or wait to see reviews of 2003. 2002 should be thrown immediately in the trash!
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