New Quicken 2005 Offers Faster Account-Setup Feature

Intuit (Nasdaq: INTU) today released Quicken 2005 for Mac, the latest version of its popular personal finance software, introducing a new Express Setup feature to speed creation of new account setup.

The Express Setup feature means fewer set up steps and faster downloads for customers, the company said in a statement. The product also includes a new Home Inventory feature that enables users to easily keep a digital photo catalog of their belongings.

"We created Express Setup in response to one of the top requests of our customers: Make it easier to get up and running with Quicken," Anouk Holleran, Intuit business leader for Macintosh products, said. "It also makes it easier for more financial institutions to support Quicken for Mac and offer downloads to their customers," he added.

Quicken for Mac connects readily with more than 1,100 financial institutions nationwide, Intuit said in its statement.

Financial Institution Web Sites

The prospect of setting up accounts and manually entering transactions has prevented many people from automating their finances, the company said.

Express Setup makes setting up accounts as easy as visiting a financial institution's Web site. There are no paper statements to gather and no tedious columns of figures to enter. Data from checking, savings and credit card accounts downloads automatically into the program, the Intuit statement said.

Ron Okamoto, Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL) vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations, said, "With Quicken 2005 for Mac, managing your personal finances has become even easier, creating a more efficient and organized financial life for Mac OS X users."

By compiling and aggregating data from multiple accounts and institutions, Quicken 2005 for Mac provides a more complete financial picture. Financial institution Web sites typically only offer an overview of individual or linked accounts, such as checking and savings.

Tax Planning

Quicken 2005 for Mac also includes an updated tax planner that easily estimates tax liabilities, helping prevent surprises on April 15. Full integration with TurboTax (sold separately) makes transfer of relevant financial data to state and federal tax forms a breeze.

In addition to minding financial assets and tax liabilities, Quicken 2005 for Mac helps organize other important aspects of a user's life. The Home Inventory feature works with Apple's iPhoto to create and maintain a photographic inventory of valuables and other nonfinancial assets.

Quicken 2005 for Mac requires Mac OS 10.2.8 or higher.

Quicken 2005 for Mac is available in retail stores or directly from Intuit. The suggested retail price is $69.95. It is currently selling online for $59.95.

Intuit is a provider of business and financial management software for small and midsized businesses, consumers and accounting professionals.

Founded in 1983, Intuit had annual revenue of more than $1.6 billion in its fiscal year 2003.