Quicken 2015 The Official Guide, 3rd Edition

Quicken 2015 The Official Guide, 3rd Edition

by Bobbi Sandberg
Released December 2014
Publisher(s): McGraw-Hill
ISBN: 9780071845946

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Book description

The Only Official Guide to Quicken 2015 for Windows!

Take control of your personal finances using the best practices and time-saving tips in Quicken 2015: The Official Guide! Find out the most effective methods for tracking your income, expenses, savings, transactions, investments, and so much more.

Endorsed by Intuit, makers of Quicken, this practical resource shows you, step by step, how to take full advantage of the software’s powerful features, including the Quicken mobile app. You’ll also get professional advice to help you reduce debt, stay on budget, save money, invest wisely, and plan for a secure financial future.

  • Customize Quicken for your preferences
  • Track income and expenses
  • Automate transactions and tasks
  • Record bank and credit card transactions
  • Use online banking features
  • Reconcile checking, savings, and credit card accounts
  • Track investments and optimize your portfolio
  • Monitor your assets, loans, and net worth
  • Evaluate your financial position
  • Reduce debt, save money, and plan for retirement
  • Simplify tax preparation and maximize deductions
  • Create Quicken reports

Covers Quicken 2015 for Windows U.S. Editions—Quicken Deluxe and Premier

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Dedication
  5. Contents
  6. Acknowledgments
  7. Introduction
  8. Part One: Learning Quicken Basics
    1. 1 Installing Quicken and Meeting Its Features
      1. What Is Quicken?
        1. Exploring Quicken’s Uses
      2. Getting Started
        1. Installing Quicken
        2. Starting Quicken
        3. Creating Your First Account
      3. The Quicken Interface
        1. Exploring the Quicken Window
        2. Understanding Online Financial Services
      4. Accounts
      5. Using One Step Update and the Password Vault
        1. Setting Up One Step Update
        2. Meeting the One Intuit Password
        3. Understanding the Password Vault
        4. Exiting Quicken
    2. 2 Getting Started with Quicken Basics
      1. How Financial Transactions Are Tracked
        1. Bookkeeping with Quicken
        2. Reviewing Account Types
        3. Exploring the Quicken Window
        4. Understanding Other Quicken Features
        5. Finding Help in Quicken
      2. As You Begin
        1. Understanding Data Files and Accounts
      3. Accounts
        1. Creating Your First Account
    3. 3 Getting Up and Running with Quicken Mobile
      1. Understand Mobile Applications
        1. Appreciating the “Cloud”
      2. Meet Quicken’s Mobile App
        1. About Your Mobile Companion
      3. Beginning with Quicken’s Mobile App
        1. Understanding Your Intuit ID
        2. Getting Started from Your Desktop
        3. Setting Alerts
        4. Showing Your Budget
      4. Using Your Mobile Device
        1. Getting Started on Your Mobile Device
        2. Working with the Quicken Mobile Overview Page
    4. 4 Working with Accounts, Categories, and Tags
      1. Setting Up Other Banking Accounts
        1. Reviewing Account and Transaction Types
        2. Working with Bank Accounts
        3. Adding New Accounts
        4. Working with the Account List Window
      2. Categories
        1. Establishing Categories and Subcategories
        2. Working with the Category List Window
        3. Organizing Categories into Groups
      3. Tags
        1. Using Tags
  9. Part Two: Banking
    1. 5 Recording Bank and Credit Card Transactions
      1. Getting Started
      2. Quicken’s Registers
        1. Using Account Registers
        2. Understanding Splits
        3. Tracking Credit Cards with Quicken
        4. Writing and Printing Checks in Quicken
        5. Printing Quicken Checks
        6. Transferring Money
      3. Working with Existing Transactions
        1. Searching for Transactions
      4. Quicken’s Other Account Features
        1. Adding Notes, Flags, and Alerts
        2. Attaching Checks, Receipts, or Other Images
        3. Watching Your Credit Score
    2. 6 Using Online Banking Features
      1. Online Account Services
        1. Understanding Transaction Download
        2. Introducing Online Payment and Quicken Bill Pay
        3. Setting Up Online Account Services
        4. Checking Online Account Service Status
      2. The Online Center
        1. Using the Online Center Window
        2. Downloading Transactions
        3. Making Online Payments
      3. Bills and Income Reminders
        1. Being Reminded
        2. Creating Reminders from Downloaded Transactions
        3. Working with the Bills Tab
        4. Managing Reminders
        5. Using QuickFill and Memorized Payees
        6. Using the Financial Calendar
      4. Useful Quicken Features
        1. Minding Your Bills
        2. Using the Paycheck Setup Wizard
        3. Creating the Address Book
      5. About Alerts
        1. Viewing Available Alerts Groups
    3. 7 Reconciling Your Accounts and Examining Your Banking Activity
      1. Reconciling Bank Accounts
        1. Starting a Reconciliation
        2. Comparing Transactions to a Paper Statement
        3. Identifying Reconciled Items
        4. Finishing Up
      2. Other Reconciliation Tasks and Features
        1. Reconciling Credit Card Accounts
        2. Printing a Reconciliation Report
        3. Undoing Reconciled Transactions
      3. A Closer Look at the Spending Tab
        1. Exploring the Spending Graph
        2. Using the Spending Register
  10. Part Three: Managing Your Investment Accounts
    1. 8 Working with Investment Transactions and Quicken’s Research Tools
      1. Quicken Investment Basics
        1. Understanding Your Portfolio
        2. Creating Investing Accounts
        3. Setting Up Transaction Downloads
      2. Working with Investment Accounts
        1. Understanding the Investment Transaction List
        2. Exploring the Account Overview Window
        3. Using the Investment Transaction Dialog
        4. Entering Common Transactions
      3. Working with the Security List
        1. Viewing the Security List
      4. Downloading Quotes and Investment Information
        1. Downloading Online Quotes
        2. Creating a Watch List
      5. Using Investing.Quicken.com for Updates
        1. Exporting Your Portfolio
        2. Utilizing Quote Lookup
        3. Using Online Research
    2. 9 Monitoring Assets and Loans
      1. The Basics
        1. Understanding Assets and Debts
        2. Reviewing Loans
      2. Creating Property and Debt Accounts
        1. Creating Asset and Debt Accounts
      3. Loan Accounts in Quicken
        1. Creating a Loan
        2. Viewing Loan Information
        3. Making Loan Payments
        4. Modifying Loan Information
      4. Other Asset Transactions
        1. Adding and Disposing of Assets
        2. Updating Asset Values
  11. Part Four: Understanding Your Financial Position
    1. 10 Keeping Tabs on Your Net Worth
      1. The Property & Debt Tab
        1. Exploring the Net Worth View
        2. Using the Property View
        3. Opening the Debt View
        4. Accessing Property and Debt Account Registers
        5. Creating Alerts for Property and Debt Accounts
        6. Working with Property and Debt Alerts
    2. 11 Evaluating Your Position
      1. Using the Investing Tab
        1. Working with the Portfolio View
        2. Using the Portfolio X-Ray
        3. Studying Your Performance
        4. Exploring Asset Allocation
        5. Updating Your Investments
        6. Working with Reports
        7. Utilizing Investing Tab Tools
      2. Using Investment Analysis Tools
        1. Using Asset Allocation
        2. Analyzing Your Portfolio
        3. Previewing Your Buy/Sell Decisions
        4. Estimating Capital Gains
        5. Setting Investment Alerts
  12. Part Five: Designing Your Financial Future
    1. 12 Planning Your Future and Using Financial Calculators
      1. Planning for Retirement
        1. Planning Your Steps
      2. Getting Started with the Quicken Lifetime Planner
        1. Setting Plan Assumptions
        2. Viewing Plan Results
      3. The “What If” Alternatives
        1. Setting “What If” Options
        2. Using “What If” Results
        3. Finding More Planning Tools
      4. A Look at Quicken’s Financial Calculators
        1. Learning About Financial Calculators
        2. Accessing the Financial Calculators
      5. Using the Financial Calculators
        1. Working with the Retirement Calculator
        2. Running the College Calculator
        3. Evaluating the Refinance Calculator
        4. Planning with the Savings Calculator
        5. Using the Loan Calculator
    2. 13 Reducing Debt and Saving Money
      1. Reducing Your Debt
        1. Taking Control
        2. Using the Debt Reduction Planner
      2. Budgeting with Quicken
      3. Quicken’s Automatic Budget
        1. Understanding Quicken’s Automatic Budget
        2. Working with Your Automatic Budget
      4. Where Does Your Money Go?
        1. Forecasting for Your Future
        2. Understanding Why We Save
        3. Saving Strategically
        4. Using Savings Goals
    3. 14 Planning for Tax Time
      1. Tax Information in Accounts and Categories
        1. Including Tax Information in Accounts
        2. Connecting Tax Information with Categories
      2. Tax Reports
      3. Online Tax Tools
      4. About TurboTax
        1. Using TurboTax
      5. Planning to Avoid Surprises
        1. Working with the Tax Planner
        2. Creating Scenarios
      6. Meeting the Estimators
        1. Minimizing Taxes by Maximizing Deductions
        2. Utilizing the Itemized Deduction Estimator
        3. Exploring the Tax Withholding Estimator
        4. Understanding the Tax Center
    4. 15 Creating Quicken Reports
      1. Quicken Reports Overview
        1. Reviewing Report and Graph Types
        2. Creating Reports and Graphs
      2. Working with Reports and Graphs
        1. Working with a Report Window
        2. Customizing Reports and Graphs
        3. Working with Subreports
        4. Saving Reports and Graphs
        5. Exporting Your Reports
        6. Printing Reports and Graphs
  13. Part Six: Appendixes
    1. A Managing Quicken Files
      1. Working with Multiple Data Files
        1. Creating a Data File
        2. Opening, Saving, and Copying Quicken Data Files
      2. Password-Protecting Quicken Data
        1. Protecting a Data File
        2. Protecting Existing Transactions
        3. Working with Passwords
      3. Backing Up Your Quicken Data File
        1. Setting Backup Preferences
        2. Backing Up Your Data
        3. Restoring Data Files
      4. Additional File Procedures
        1. Importing Files into Quicken
        2. Exporting Quicken Files
        3. Working with Additional File Operations
        4. Setting Up Printers
        5. Setting Up for Check Printing
        6. Using Keyboard Shortcuts
    2. B Customizing Quicken
      1. Customizing Quicken’s Interface
        1. Creating Custom Home Tab Views
        2. Re-creating the Summary View
        3. Crafting an Analysis & Reports View
        4. Customizing the Toolbar
      2. Setting Preferences
        1. Telling Quicken Your Preferences
      3. Useful Tips
        1. Converting Your Older Quicken Files to a New Computer
        2. Changing Multiple Transactions
      4. Quicken Emergency Records Organizer
        1. Using the Emergency Records Organizer
  14. Index

Product information

  • Title: Quicken 2015 The Official Guide, 3rd Edition
  • Author(s): Bobbi Sandberg
  • Release date: December 2014
  • Publisher(s): McGraw-Hill
  • ISBN: 9780071845946