Simple and Effective | You Need A Budget Pro - Personal Finance Software Program

Software & Methodology in one package! | You Need A Budget Pro - Personal Finance Software Program

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	• You Need A Budget Pro - Personal Finance Software Program Windows \| You Need A Budget average customer review:based on 51 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Stress-Free Budgeting

I had been a satisfied Quicken user for the last two years, until earlier this year when my Quicken told me to upgrade to 2008 or else they'd turn off my financial downloads. I don't respond to coercion very well, so I said "f*** this" and started looking at alternatives. I first came across mentions of You Need A Budget on Quicken 2008 reviews as an alternative. Googled reviews for it and found some rave reviews from personal finance bloggers (just google "You Need A Budget review"), so I became intrigued and tried it out.

This software is helpful for getting out of debt, saving money, and stop living paycheck to paycheck, though I didn't need help with any of those things. The only debt I have is a student loan with about $8000 left at less than 2% interest. I have savings about twice that, and I live well within my means. However, I wanted to get back in touch with my budgeting because I mainly do it in my head, and it can get stressful because I "budgeted" by limiting my expenses at all times. I was more in touch when I used to budget in Excel, and got lazy when I started using Quicken.

What really excites me about YNAB is the ability to plan for future expenses by budgeting them for them NOW - e.g. set aside $100 a month for your semi-annual car insurance premiums, or for an upcoming vacation. Basically you can save up money for a future expense, or just increase your savings. When I saw this section in the video tutorials on the YNAB website, I was sold on the spot -- this meant that I no longer have to keep such things in my head or cringe at my credit card bill when a big expense was due. Yes, you could build an excel spreadsheet to do the same thing, but this program just makes things more convenient. When I started using YNAB, it was such a relief because it took my budget out of my head and down "on paper", so I no longer have to think about it! Of course, if you're trying to discipline yourself and get out of debt, you're not likely to have that same experience.

I find that I still like to keep all my financial accounts in one place and updated. I use Yodlee (yodlee.com) for this purpose. YNAB does keep a register of all your accounts and balances, but it doesn't show your net worth. Yodlee does for free everything I did with Quicken, which was keep all the account balances in one place and tell me how much money I spent.

**A helpful note for those who want to try YNAB - don't try to import several years' worth of financial data into YNAB. You could, but it's tedious and pointless. YNAB has a different philosophy from mainstream personal finance software, and it's not about tracking what you spent and when - it's about planning for future expenses. Read some of the creator's blog on the product website, which will explain more. You will have more fun with the program once you get over trying to use it like a mainstream product.

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Simple and Effective

I bought YNAB Pro about 2 weeks ago after being a long-time Quicken user so this review is not based on extensive use of the software at this time. However, I'm not new to financial/budgeting software. I've tried out several. I liked all the bells and whistles of Quicken, but it wasn't working for me as a budgeting tool as it only shows you where you're money went. Quite frankly their budget set-up interface left a lot to be desired, only allowing you to create a general monthly budget.

With YNAB, I was up and running within a few minutes, and after playing with all the features to see what it could do, I was fully loaded with a budget and bank transactions within twenty minutes. It is the most user friendly software I've ever encountered. The YNAB website has comprehensive advice and How-To's in the forums, VIDEO How-To tutorials AND a users manual in PDF format. If that's not enough "Help" you can post a question to forums OR contact the seller via the website.

I have encountered no issues with downloading bank transactions or issues of any other kind. However, if for some reason you're not happy with YNAB there is a 60 day money-back guarantee. ALSO, you will get any future software updates for free. No yearly upgrade fees and YNAB never becomes an obsolete software as so many do. It is a one-time purchase that will last you the rest of your life.

Do not mistake YNAB as a financial tracking system; if that's what you're looking for don't buy it.

YNAB is a hard-core, balls to the wall BUDGETING tool for planning your monthly expenses with the sole purpose of getting a grip on your out of control spending so you can begin saving money and basically build up that nice nest egg; creating financial stability and freedom in your life. This is not for the wishy-washy, faint of heart person who thinks a software application is going to miraculously "fix it". It's for the person who seriously wants to make changes in their spending habits and is willing to work at it. YNAB is the best friend you'll ever have if this is your goal.

The very best feature of this software, in my opinion, is it's ability to be 100% personally customized to your unique budgeting needs. You can add, delete, and rename categories and sub categories as you wish. You do not have to wade through a bunch of pre-determined expense categories to get to the ones that matter to you. Other great features is the bank transaction downloading, transaction scheduler, and the ability to transfer funds from one account to another within the budget. The methodology behind the software is not difficult to understand, but sheer common sense.

Oh, I've never met the software creator or anyone else involved in the YNAB creation. I am a mere consumer who purchased the software and am currently using it.

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Software & Methodology in one package!

I found this software through a budgeting forum, and tried it out. I wasn't expecting much - I've used an Excel spreadsheet, Quicken & Mvelopes before, and didn't have much "success" with them. Those programs worked fine, but I needed to BUDGET my finances, not track where I spent my money after the fact. So, I bought this program, and after a bit of reading (there's a great guide) and surfing their forums for help, I got it figured out! Now, I've got my life budgeted - I can spend money on the fun things in life without worrying that I'm taking money away from something important (you know, like mortgage, car loan, etc.) because I saved for it.

Just a FYI - because the program is based off of the common sense "rules" that the developer created, it might take a bit before you have that lightbulb moment... And, the program isn't designed to let you blissfully automate your spending - you NEED to track your money, and be more aware if you're going over your budgeted amounts.

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The best budgeting methodology out there

I've used Quicken for over 10 years (and still do) but Quicken (and similar personal finance software) is absolutely incapable of doing budgeting. YNAB does budgeting beautifully and fills this glaring gap. The only reason I don't give it 5 stars is because YNAB reporting capabilities are very limited.

You Need A Budget (YNAB) Pro cuts to the chase with your finances. The software focuses you on the foundation of your finances: the Budget. Experience has shown that when your budget is intact, and functioning correctly, everything else takes care of itself (the bills are paid on time, retirement contributions are made, and unnecessary debt is eliminated). The software is built around Four Rules of Cash Flow. These Four Rules will help you maximize the value of every dollar, get out of debt, save for retirement, and reach your other financial goals. Where other software packages tend to be the products of years of feature creep, YNAB Pro offers you exactly what you need: a simple, straightforward system to manage your money.

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