Using Microsoft Money

BertieMeldrew

I'm running MS Money 2004 (I know there are later versions but...). Unfortunately it is USA-oriented - e.g. there are no UK institutions listed etc. (I got the copy of the software on a Microsoft stand at a conference in the US).

Do I have to buy a UK-oriented copy of the software or is it possible to add UK institutions etc?

Also, are there any drawbacks (apart from obviously not having the latest functionality) in continuing to run MS Money 2004?

Thans in advance

Altarf

The version sold in the UK was 'regionalised' for the UK, but is still basically the US version. Very few UK institutions provide automatic links into MS Money (unlike the US), with Nationwide being the only one I am aware of. So if you don't bank with Nationwide then you would have to download and import the files anyway.

As for using the 2004 version, the last UK version was 2005 before Microsoft announced that they were pulling out of the UK market and there would be no more UK versions. To be honest there have been few changes to the product over the years, and nothing really fundamental has been added since about 2001.

If you decided to use a UK version you cannot convert the data files from your US version of MS Money to a UK version of MS Money as the file formats are not the same.

For lots of information about MS Money have a look here http://money.mvps.org/

superscaper

Altarf wrote:

As for using the 2004 version, the last UK version was 2005 before Microsoft announced that they were pulling out of the UK market and there would be no more UK versions. To be honest there have been few changes to the product over the years, and nothing really fundamental has been added since about 2001.

I don't think they've announced anything in that regard. Microsoft customer services: "Unfortunately, we do not have any communications regarding the future releases for the UK market." We only know there isn't going to be a 2007 version http://money.mvps.org/faq/article/435.aspx

BertieMeldrew

I'll stick with 2004...

Altarf

superscaper wrote:

I don't think they've announced anything in that regard. Microsoft customer services: "Unfortunately, we do not have any communications regarding the future releases for the UK market." We only know there isn't going to be a 2007 version http://money.mvps.org/faq/article/435.aspx

OK, so they didn't do a 2006 version, they didn't do a 2007, and there doesn't seem to be anything on the drawing board for 2008, and as Intuit Quicken have walked away from the UK market they have no 'competition battle' to win. There may not have been a formal announcement, but I cannot see them coming back, with all the costs associated with regionalising a low value / low volume product like MS Money.