Fortunately, I found my Money 2000 file backed up and restored normality by removing this threat from my system.

"More bugs than Windows XP.", Bought this when it first came out to replace Quicken (too slow).
More fool me - ghastly interface. More bugs than an ant hill and now it won't let me edit or view downloaded info and I've now got 78 items on one account needing 'previewing'.

I'd move the file back to Quicken but guess MS Money has now ballsed up my accounts so badly I'd be better off starting again.

"Don't waste your money", The only major thing I learned about money from Money 2002 Deluxe is that buying it is a waste of money. It is user unfriendly, has a confusing layout and the "automatic" retrieval of information from the internet worked for less than half the accounts I put in the software.
Another "fun" thing was that the first time I set up all my accounts, budget etc., the Money file was saved to a folder on the LAN network - even though I was not connected to it at the time. I should have realized this, of course, but I didn't. Next time I tried to access the file it was not found, neither on the network, nor on the hard drive.
Money 2002 Deluxe is good for two things:
Cardio exercise - because it will definitely raise your blood pressure and heart rate whenever you use it, and
It will make your wallet a lighter and more comfortable fit in your pocket..

"I'm in love with this program", I have been using Microsoft Money since about 1996. I upgraded to 2002 in the beginning of 2002. I am amazed at what this program can do. It is such a time-saver. I am using the background banking. Even when Money is closed it automatically pulls in my transactions for my credit card and broker account.

I was delinquent in reconciling my checking by 5 months. After I imported the transactions (took about 2 minutes), I was able to reconcile all 5 months in about 2 minutes flat. Somehow, it seemed to know which transactions to associate with the month I was reconciling. The hard part was finding my statements to balance to. If only my credit union would sign up for the direct banking so that I could use background banking.

I love the ease of using the reports. They are easily customizable. Also, if you want to see the transactions behind a certain category you can right mouse click to see the detail.

I cannot understand why so many people are unsatisfied with this product. I find it an intuitive program that contains a powerhorse of tools. It seems like I am constantly discovering new things it can do.

DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT unless you are a glutton for punishment!!!

"The Best Software I Own", I just balanced my checking account in 3 minutes so I felt compelled to put up a review proclaiming how great MS Money is.

First off, I was shocked to see that the overall rating for Money is so low. I tried to use Quicken Deluxe 2001 a while back and aside from hating the UI I just never felt that it worked very well. Things like balancing my account and paying bills online were awkward and I eventually gave up.

Money, on the other hand, has a beautiful, intuitive UI, makes balancing my accounts simple and sometimes automatic, and provides incredibly smooth online integration. The epay feature lets me pay all of my bills through money and they automatically get entered into my credit union's online bill pay system. Anytime something goes wrong, for example if I enter a date that's too early or if I haven't entered an address to send the bill, Money handles it smoothly.

I should note that my experience with MS Money is limited to entering and categorizing all of my transactions, electronic bill pay, and balancing my accounts so I can't comment on any of the reporting or budgeting features.

I noticed that a few of the negative reviews are from people that say they have a hard time managing their finances and it's not surprising these people would be let down. Money can't do everything for you and I spend a significant amount of time making sure everything is kept up to date. However, if you are willing to invest time to track your finances Money is definitely an application you should consider.

"waste of money", very complicated for nothing. i was only looking for a software that'll guide me through a better expense management & reduce debts in a longer term, but this piece of [junk] has so much to offer you and doesn't even respond to your needs! too many useless functions available & worthless data collection that leads you to nowhere!

"Comprehensive", You need 2 computers to use Money 2002. The one with the keyboard and the one on your shoulders

Managing your financial life is an inherently complex process. Integrating and updating constantly changing information from credit cards, bank accounts, loans, mortgages, investments, 401Ks, IRAs, etc. and displaying that information in a coherent and useful way is never going to be "simple". To think that software can do that without substantial effort from you is simple-minded, regardless of whether you use Money or Quicken or any other product. You have to read the manual, spend some time in the Help files and explore the program. If you do, you can make it work the way you want - no Moneyside if you don't want it; no registration nags if you don't want them; no advertising if you'd rather not see it. What you get is a complete and up-to-date picture of your finances presented in a way you can use.

The one complaint I see here that I do think is valid is the way MS has tied Money 2002 to Passport. I don't care for that either, but the rest of the program is sufficiently useful that I am willing to overlook it.

Money 2002 is a comprehensive and effective tool for managing your finances, but you're going to have to bring your brain with you when you use it.

"Basic functions work, but has glitches", For the basic functions of keeping a checkbook type of register, watching stocks, and setting/monitoring a budget, this product has worked fine for me. It has, however, some glitches.

The one glitch that is currently plaguing me is the "Cash Flow" projection graph. This function takes a look at what you have in your scheduled payments/deposits and displays a projected daily balance over a set period (user defined) using a shaded line graph. A nice idea if you diligently have all of your anticipated bills and deposits set up in the program, which I did. Using the Cash Flow review, you could figure out whether you could afford that stereo next month or the following month.

The problem is, apparently, sometimes the bills/deposits file gets corrupted and then the graph will not display at all. I visited the MS site, found the precise problem in the knowledge database, and went through all of the methods MS provided. It was to no avail, and my Cash Flow function is now non-functional. Even a re-install didn't work. The best I can tell, I will have to completely set up a new finance file from scratch, re-enter all of my info, balances, etc., in order to cure the problem (which apparently is a corrupted file).

There are other issues such as a very cumbersome and quirky debt reduction planner, but the Cash Flow graph is my most current, and therefore, my most aggravating. Based on that, I can only give this product two stars. I'll be switching back to Quicken within the next few months.