Quicken 2015 For Dummies

Chapter 2

Introduction to the Big Picture

In This Chapter

Distilling Quicken to its very essence

Setting up additional bank accounts

Adding, removing, and modifying categories

Understanding tags

Before you spend a bunch of time on Quicken, you have to understand the big picture. You need to know what Quicken can do. You need to know what you want to do. And, as a practical matter, you need to tell Quicken what you want it to do.

Boiling Quicken Down to Its Essence

When you boil Quicken down to its essence, it does six things:

• It lets you track your tax deductions.

  This feature makes preparing your personal or business tax return easier for you or your poor accountant, Cratchit.

• It lets you monitor your income and outgo using your computer, a mobile device like a smartphone, or printed reports.

  Usually, this stuff is great fodder for discussions about the family finances. And if you’re running a business or investing in real estate rental properties, this income-and-expense information becomes more than just great conversation fodder; the information also helps you manage your ...