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From: R. C. White on 8 Apr 2010 21:28
Hi, No Name.

To ratify what the others have said: The Basic version disappeared a few
years ago. I've been using Quicken since about 1990. At first, I bought
the most expensive version; after all, I'm a CPA (now retired), so I need
the most sophisticated version, right? But I learned after a few years that
all the basic (not a pun, just the facts) functionality is in the
lowest-priced version. The higher versions offer little more than advice
and "tips": tutorials, planners, reports, etc. There are a few exceptions
that are very important to SOME users, such as employment taxes and
depreciation calculations that can be very valuable to a small business.
But since I no longer was in practice, these features were useless to me.
The Basic version handled my stocks, CDs and other investments, along with
my checkbooks, which was the main reason for such an application in the
first place, and produced the numbers I needed for my tax returns. As time
went on and computing generally became more capable, the Basic edition
became able to handle online transactions, just like the more expensive
packages.

So I began buying only the Basic version when updating Quicken every couple
of years, and I never felt the need for a higher version. I don't recall
exactly when the Basic version was discontinued - I thought it was earlier
than 2008 - but I've used Deluxe ever since.

There is a chart on the back of each retail box that shows the bells and
whistles added to each version; for 2010 those versions are Deluxe, Premier
and Home & Business - in addition to the Starter version. I wouldn't call
Starter "useless", but it is intended for those who have never used Quicken
before. One of its major weaknesses is that it will not import your data
file from your prior year's Quicken, since you have no prior files to
import, of course.

One trick that I've noticed is that retailers often HIDE the Deluxe version!
Best Buy, Office Depot, Office Max...and all the others, I suppose, will
have a large display of Quicken Premier and H&B Editions. But you will have
to ask someone or look behind the counter or lower on the shelf to find the
almost-hidden boxes of Deluxe. Even on Quicken's website, the Deluxe
version was hard to find the last time I looked (not recently). But it was
there.

Oh, Intuit uses the same tactics to sell more-expensive versions of
TurboTax, too, but the Basic version of that is all you need - at least, if
you live in Texas, which has no state income tax. ;^}

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
(Retired. No longer licensed to practice public accounting.)
rc(a)grandecom.net
Microsoft Windows MVP
(Using Quicken Deluxe 2010 and Windows Live Mail in Win7 x64)

"no name no spam" <donthave(a)email-address.none> wrote in message
news:ApWdnTrnxZvTTyrWnZ2dnUVZ_v6dnZ2d(a)posted.isomediainc...
>
> Hello,
>
> I have been using quicken since the 90's and have
> been quite dismayed by how the software quality
> gets worse every version. I have Quicken Basic
> 2007 which is about to expire. I don't see a
> basic 2010 version now. I do see a 2010 starter
> but everything I read about this new version
> says is sucks horribly and does not even have the
> functionality the basic version I have does.
>
> on amazon it is rated 2 stars and would be lower
> accept for some inuit home town reviews.
>
> Average Customer Review
> 2.1 out of 5 stars (27 customer reviews)
>
> Is there really a version 2010 basic hidden somewhere
> on there site that I can't find or is everything
> I am hearing true ?

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