Two things are certain in every life: Death and taxes. While we have yet to find any good freeware tools to help with the former, we've been on a kick to find alternatives to pricy software like Quicken or Microsoft Money. The good news? We were able to find five separate programs that can help you track the money coming in and flowing out. The bad news? It's slim pickings beyond this. We came across plenty of paid-for applications and a proverbial bucket full of online applications that help you track your finances. But when it comes to freeware financing applications, there just isn't a huge market for this kind of stuff.
What it does: This no-frills finance app lets you enter your financial information via your own personal elbow grease, although you can also import data in both CSV and QIF formats (Excel comma-saved values and Microsoft Money/Quicken exports). You can track everything from simple savings accounts to your stock investments, calculating out your gains and losses by factoring in the current share price. Set up your standard monthly bills with reminders for paying each, and generate a budget to ensure that you aren't spending beyond your means.
Download it here!
What it does: We've blogged about this program before, but we would be remiss if we didn't mention one of the top financial programs on the open-source scene. GnuCash supports the importing of CSV and QIF files, as well as the OFX open standard. Better yet, the program will interface with the online accounts of your bank of choice, grabbing (and helping you create) all of your transactions. But that's not all that helps this program shine. Comprehensive reporting and analytical tools will give you a graphical representation of your account habits, and small business owners can even set up customer and invoice databases to help keep track of all that's due.
Download it here!
What it does: If the thought of a complicated financial planning system terrifies you--an honest reaction, as the complexity of some of these applications can be pretty extensive--then you should consider switching to Buddi for all your money tracking needs. It's makes for a very plain way to track your income and expenses. Enter your accounts, followed by your transactions, and the program will keep track of your money even when you're transferring between said accounts. You can pick up Buddi as either an installable program or as a single .EXE file--perfect for slapping on a USB key, if you want to take your finances wherever you go!
Download it here!
What it does: Planning out the ol' retirement fund can be a tricky process. You have to consider the value of what you're intending to dump into your savings accounts on a yearly basis, as well as your various IRA and 401K plans. And you'll want to factor in any big lump-sum investments you have planned, like the sale of the house, car, or newborn. In short, retiring can be a giant financial nightmare. That's where Forecaster comes into the picture. The program takes a comprehensive look at your end-of-career planning and tosses you back reports and spreadsheets that detail, to the year, exactly where your vault of pennies is going.
Download it here!
What it does: This financial application supports more than 150 different currencies, and the program automatically downloads the exchange rates for each to give you the most accurate financial picture possible. Aside from the standard account functions and reporting capabilities, AceMoney Lite also packages in three helpful calculators: for loans, savings, and mortgages. They're a great timesaver to quickly determine just what kind of financial portfolio you'll be sporting years down the road!
Download it here!
Comments are closed on this article
OdryDE27
December 24, 2009 at 6:04pm
Your fantastic topic about this good topic should be free for all students, just because they demand thesis and good dissertation writing service or just thesis papers.
nsk chaos
February 09, 2009 at 4:27pm
ahhh.....how we love the smell of freeware in the well...any time of the day =)
Print
