Microsoft Updates Money

Microsoft is releasing updates to the several editions of its Money personal finance manager, adding new tools to manage investments and payments along with trial subscriptions to numerous new and enhanced services.

New Features

The updated editions of Money provide many of the same basic cash-management tools; different editions give access to additional services.

The new top-of-the-line edition, Microsoft Money 2004 Premium ($80) targets serious investors; it includes all the new features and services. Money 2004 Deluxe ($60), which handles most daily money-management tasks, features some of the services. Money 2004 Small Business ($90) replaces the current Deluxe & Business version and provides access to several specialized services. Money 2004 Standard ($30) doesn't come with any of the services.

Features common to all versions include a revamped Money home page, which users can customize with such tools as news feeds, alerts, and a task list. The page also acts as a portal to the various online services. MSN Bill Bay is available to all versions through that interface; it costs $71 yearly, but is free for two years with Money Premium and one year with Deluxe.

In fact, the newest functions are trial subscriptions to financial services from Microsoft and its partners--which sprinkle their logos liberally throughout the offerings. The focus on services continues the trend of last year's editions of both Money and archrival Intuit Quicken.

Pushing Services

With Money Premium, you get a free offering of Gainskeeper, a $50-a-year service that tracks capital gains and minimizes associated tax liabilities.

Both the Premium and the Deluxe versions offer a Credit Center built around a free tryout of Experian's $50 credit rating service. It provides various credit- and debt-related tools that users can customize. Also provided are a debt-reduction planner and a cost-of-purchase calculator, to help determine actual costs of a loan or credit purchase.

Another freebie for users of the Premium and Deluxe editions is H&R Block's $25 Web-based federal tax preparation and filing (you still have to pay for your state return), and a financial consultation with American Express.

Money 2004 Small Business adds a free year of PayCycle's $99 payroll service to the Premium bundle.

Mail-in rebates are available for all editions; buyers can get a $10 rebate on Money 2004 Standard, and a $20 rebate on any of the other editions.