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Looking for a top-notch personal finance manager? Grab Quicken 2002 before it disappears from store shelves. And if you already own it, don't even think about upgrading to Quicken 2003--unless you've always wondered what archrival Money is like.

Having looked at beta versions of Quicken 2003 Premier (a new high-end edition) and Money 2003 Deluxe, I can no longer tell these programs apart. But in roughly equal measure, each has every tool, wizard, and report you could ask for in a money manager.

The most significant change this season: Quicken has sacrificed its straightforward interface, apparently in hopes of making users aggressive consumers of online financial services (which has long been a Money objective). Both new programs are heavily laden with ads, alerts, and advice links that whisk you away to pages where the extra-cost services of the publishers and their partners are conspicuously available. Of course, you can experience most of these so-called benefits using last year's software if you like. The new versions offer no significant innovations, though a few old features have been slightly tweaked and/or relocated.

Quicken Changes

Those of Quicken's 16 million users who upgrade religiously will spot the interface remodel immediately: According to Intuit, it's now more task-oriented. But the changes aren't always for the better.

Quicken windows that once brimmed with data and made moving to other screens easy are now dominated by active links to other parts of the program--similar to Money's design. The QuickTab Bar for navigating those windows is gone. Instead, you click a link for a task--say, investing--and Quicken assembles the tools and data that it thinks you need. You may not always agree with the program's judgment, however.

Why the change? Intuit says that it wants users to be able to take action more easily. But not coincidentally--at least as far as investing goes--many of the added menu items take you to the new Quicken Brokerage section of the Quicken.com Web site, where you can begin immediately filling in your buy or sell order.

A midpriced service, Quicken Brokerage will sync your financial data with any Deluxe or better version of Quicken, and--for users of Quicken 2003 Deluxe or better--it will forecast the tax consequences of a trade. That's still not a good enough reason to spend $30 to $90 (before rebates) on an upgrade, depending on the version you decide to go with. Quicken offers four: Basic; Deluxe; Premier, with extra investment and tax-related features; and Premier Home & Business, which adds support for some small businesses.

About Money

In contrast, Money--an already effective desktop gateway for now-and-future Microsoft .Net services--got just a nip and a tuck. My favorite tweak is Tax Estimator 2003, which compares last year's tax line items against this year's, side-by-side, and estimates your obligation/refund. The Capital Gains Estimator shows you how your taxes change for different stock sales.

Most of the innovation, however, is reserved for the MSN.com Web site and can be unlocked only if you sign up for a .Net Passport password. Even though Money isn't as insistent about your taking that step this year, it exerts gentle pressure pretty relentlessly. Still, Money lovers set on upgrading will thank Microsoft for not changing the way the program works just to sell this year's models (which go for $35 to $95 before mail-in rebates, depending on the edition: no-frills Standard; full-featured Deluxe; Deluxe & Business, which has Schedule C support; or Suite, with tax and legal software).

Current users of Quicken or Money already have the best money managers available. Both software lines are full-featured, and the easiest program to use is the one you already know. If you haven't chosen yet and you want to buy a lot of online services, you might prefer Money. It's more tightly linked to its partner Web site, and MSN.com's service offerings are broader than Quicken.com's.

SUMMARY

Microsoft Money 2003 Deluxe An advanced money manager, but skip this upgrade unless you need tax and capital gains estimators. List: $65 (Standard, $35; Deluxe & Business, $85; Suite [Money Deluxe, H&R Block TaxCut Deluxe, and Kiplinger Home and Business Attorney] $95). Rebates for all.

SUMMARY

Intuit Quicken 2003 Premier Still a solid product, but interface changes make the market leader look and feel virtually identical to its archrival Money. List: $80 (Basic, $30; Deluxe, $60; Premier Home & Business, $90). Rebates available for upgraders only.

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