Balance checking account or not??

[Nancyc7]

How do people balance their checking account and all that? I have used Quicken forever.

Quicken is not compatible with Windows 10 and it’s never been great with MacBook and I don’t know where to go next?

I know some people use spreadsheets but I’m terrible at excel.

I’m interested because we are planning to full time in 6 mos and I want stuff figured out as much as possible.

Thanks for any ideas.

[Timtation]

I just go online and see if the bottoms close. I use a credit union and have an arrangement that goes to my savings if checking is negative. Credit card is tied to checking for auto-pay.

[dalford]

Quicken has a software package for Mac. I think it was just released last year and now there is an upgrade.

I have been using it for about a year and it works for what I want to do. It will direct connect to your bank so you can write checks right in your register and it will send the payment instructions to the bank. Plus it downloads all your payment transactions.

I do not use it for investments. I'm happy with it and if you used Quicken you will come up to speed pretty quick...

https://www.quicken.com/personal-fin...icken-mac-2017

[GreenImp]

Quicken is most definitely compatible with Windows 10. You may just need to upgrade to a more recent version. With that many years of "experience" under your belt, this will probably be the easiest answer for you.

[NMWildcat]

Originally Posted by GreenImp

Quicken is most definitely compatible with Windows 10. You may just need to upgrade to a more recent version. With that many years of "experience" under your belt, this will probably be the easiest answer for you.

Very true. Call them up to see how or if your older version data will transfer to a newer version.

[rsdata]

I use Win 10 with Quicken 2015... no problem... however if you purchase Quicken 2017 it will be the last version that is not a yearly "Subscription" version, which means that Quicken next year will start charging yearly fees to be able to work with ONLINE accounts with the Quicken for 2018 version... at least that is what I read recently. Their stated goal has always been to discontinue support for versions that are 3 or 4 years old, forcing you to upgrade every 2-3 or 4 years.

If you have a smartphone, or a computer linked to the internet, I would just do online banking. Some of the online banking apps from the major banks are pretty incredible and a cell phone data link is about as safe to use for uploading/downloading transactions as you can get. I use two local banks and I am very impressed with their phone apps. Going to the bank's online web page you can set "ALERTS" which will send emails and/or texts to your phone alerting you to any number of parameters of your checking/savings accounts... and you set those up to keep you informed of ANY activity within your accounts, helping to counter-act fraud.

When I do have to start "subscribing" to Quicken, I will discontinue it's use and just hang onto it for records. Then I will start looking at other programs like MINT or similar "Quicken" style programs and start with a new database, because my current database in Quicken goes back nearly 20 years and has about 6 or 7 closed and 3 active accounts going.

[JLeising]

On this type of activity, I am a bit of a Luddite. Avoid online banking - identity theft concerns. I trust the Post Office more than the Internet - Post Office may rarely lose one thing at a time, which I will become aware of essentially immediately - vs losing 145 million identities at once and keeping the loss secret for months (re: Equifax).

So, I use Quicken 2005 with no bank or other account links. Works fine on both Windows 10 and Xubuntu (Linux) with Wine. Prints checks in standard formats. Essentially, as I use it, a well set up Excel spreadsheet for maintaining and balancing bank, credit union, and similar accounts.

[rjshiflet]

I use a credit card that pays 2% into my retirement account on ALL purchases - then each week I pay it off via online banking. I also have my credit card account and bank account immediately notify me via email of any withdrawals/charges. It's much easier to dispute a charge with a credit card than a debit card (don't ask how I know). Basically you've got 30 days to dispute it rather an instantly withdrawing from a checking account.

I have used online banking since it first became available and have never had any issue whatsoever.

I haven't truly balanced my checkbooks in years - it too is tied to a savings account but since I don't use it for day-to-day expenses a close estimate is fine.

[eye95]

I just monitor my account online.

As long as I don’t see any transactions I didn’t initiate, and my auto bill-pay won’t be sending me past zero, I get on with my day.

I almost never write checks.

No need for a register or balancing.

[TeachTexas]

Originally Posted by rsdata

I use Win 10 with Quicken 2015... no problem... however if you purchase Quicken 2017 it will be the last version that is not a yearly "Subscription" version, which means that Quicken next year will start charging yearly fees to be able to work with ONLINE accounts with the Quicken for 2018 version... at least that is what I read recently. Their stated goal has always been to discontinue support for versions that are 3 or 4 years old, forcing you to upgrade every 2-3 or 4 years.

If you have a smartphone, or a computer linked to the internet, I would just do online banking. Some of the online banking apps from the major banks are pretty incredible and a cell phone data link is about as safe to use for uploading/downloading transactions as you can get. I use two local banks and I am very impressed with their phone apps. Going to the bank's online web page you can set "ALERTS" which will send emails and/or texts to your phone alerting you to any number of parameters of your checking/savings accounts... and you set those up to keep you informed of ANY activity within your accounts, helping to counter-act fraud.

When I do have to start "subscribing" to Quicken, I will discontinue it's use and just hang onto it for records. Then I will start looking at other programs like MINT or similar "Quicken" style programs and start with a new database, because my current database in Quicken goes back nearly 20 years and has about 6 or 7 closed and 3 active accounts going.

If your version of Quicken allows you to save the file in QIF format then you can easily import that file into many other programs. Check the features of the new program to see if it will do a QIF import and your set.
Quicken has already started the subscription method on some versions and it WILL be live for all versions next year. If you have a version of Quicken from 2015 to date you may end up with no choice but to subscribe to the new version as there are rumblings(un-confirmed) that they have put a "time bomb" in those years to lock the data in the native file if it is not updated by 2019. So a QIF backup stored in another location may be needed to avoid the situation

[BandJCarm]

Keep records, balance every day online, ignore paper statements.

[N6ZCM]

Originally Posted by JLeising

On this type of activity, I am a bit of a Luddite. Avoid online banking - identity theft concerns. I trust the Post Office more than the Internet - Post Office may rarely lose one thing at a time, which I will become aware of essentially immediately - vs losing 145 million identities at once and keeping the loss secret for months (re: Equifax).

So, I use Quicken 2005 with no bank or other account links. Works fine on both Windows 10 and Xubuntu (Linux) with Wine. Prints checks in standard formats. Essentially, as I use it, a well set up Excel spreadsheet for maintaining and balancing bank, credit union, and similar accounts.

So this is what I told my 80 year old mother... anyone getting into your Online Bank account can only do this.... PAY YOUR BILLS!! it takes days to setup anyway of transferring funds in or out, even then all banks will email you the request and ask you "Did you want to do this?" Banking online is more secure than ever, you can not get a new ATM card sent to another address or change the password without it sending you an email and or text your phone.

More identities are stolen and used from Post Office mail coming to you and mailing a check is one of the worst things to do these days, someone can get the check they will have your account and router number. Mailing a check is like giving someone your ATM card and pin number. It can take weeks to get money back from a check that was cashed with your signature!! They call it washing, then can wash/erase the payee and amount but leave the signature there... then they fill out the amount they want, take it to the bank, the bank will cash it since it does have your signature!!

Even the Equifax breach, even tho you do not have an account with them.... your info is there and they got it, same thing happen to IRS, Target, Walmart, Home Depot or any of the credit cards in your wallet!!! Don't have to have an online account to get your info.

Actually the BEST way to keep track of your Bank Account, Credit Cards is to have an Online account with them... you can set it up to Email and or text you when there is strange activity same on a credit card. You can have your account cleaned out in a matter of hours and days and if you are person who calls them every few days or visit a branch by then it is all gone!!! At least with alerts you can stop it before it is gone!! PLUS you can stop having the statements sent to your house with the info about the card on there!!

Even if someone gets into your online account, it never displays actual card numbers or checking account numbers, so nothing to see!!

[rsdata]

Banking online is more secure than ever, you can not get a new ATM card sent to another address or change the password without it sending you an email and or text your phone.

totally agree

If you have a smartphone and do text messaging then you setup alerts to tell you EVERYTHING happening to your accounts, Savings, checking, credit cards, etc...

Case in point, 2 years ago I was camping in the Everglades, got a txt msg about 11 PM Sat night that $250 was charged to my CCard. Not having a phone service there (txt went thru) I went first thing Sunday morning and sat under a cell tower 7 miles down the road. Called the CCard co and told them I did no such thing. They immediately cancelled the transaction, closed my card number and over-nighted a new card to my sister-in-laws address in Naples, which I picked up on Monday afternoon. Had I not had instant alerts turned on for that card I would have never known that transaction was made, AND another $250 scam was in the pipeline. Turns out some waitress in Ft. Myers restaurant I went to 2 days prior, was scanning card numbers and using them online because she figured I was a tourist and would NOT know for weeks or months later.

[whj77372]

Tha same as above. Online, whenever you want. No paper. Save the trees!

[david_reaves]

Online banking, Quicken 2017, use the computer downloads to reconcile accounts. Works pretty well for me.

I agree with the comments about security being good. My bank (USAA) even sends texts if charges start showing up from a new area and includes great fraud detection and protection.

[MF5270]

Originally Posted by Nancyc7

How do people balance their checking account and all that? I have used Quicken forever.

Quicken is not compatible with Windows 10 and it’s never been great with MacBook and I don’t know where to go next?

I know some people use spreadsheets but I’m terrible at excel.

I’m interested because we are planning to full time in 6 mos and I want stuff figured out as much as possible.

Thanks for any ideas.

The check book has a register where I write down checks and other ins and outs. Then balance with the statement each month. It works. And they can't hack paper.

For about 20 years I just dropped the change from each check. Never knew what the balance was, but always had a good buffer.

Originally Posted by GreenImp

Quicken is most definitely compatible with Windows 10. You may just need to upgrade to a more recent version. With that many years of "experience" under your belt, this will probably be the easiest answer for you.