Select any topic link, listed below, for a variety of Quicken Tips & Tricks:Note: If the phrase "Tips & Tricks" is included in a topic link, there's numerous tips & tricks on that particular topic .
Activity Bar/Fly-Over MenusShorten the Length of Fly-Over MenusFor reducing the clutter surrounding the Activity Bar, you can shorten the length of Fly-Over menus.
Now when you click an Activity Bar icon, the options in the resulting menus are abbreviated. For example, rather than show the option Use My Register, the shortened version simply shows Register. BACK TO TOPTurning Off the Activity BarIn the Activity Bar, located at the bottom of the Quicken window, are icons you can use for quick-click access to your most common financial task. If you do not want to see these icons, you can turn off the Activity Bar.
BACK TO TOPTurning Off the Fly-Over MenusIf you prefer, you can keep the Activity Bar active and turn off the display of the Fly-Over menus. When your mouse pointer roams anywhere near an icon on the Activity Bar, the Fly-Over menus, from which you can choose an option, appear. To turn off the Fly-Over menu display:
After you turn off the Fly-Over menus, you must specifically click an icon to access the menus in the Activity Bar. BACK TO TOPCash Flow ReportsQuicken generates a cash flow report that details all your cash inflows (or income) for the month and all your cash outflows (or expenses). The overall total calculated at the bottom of the report shows how much cash you have on hand at the end of the month.
BACK TO TOPCategoriesThe first, most powerful aspect of Quicken is its categories, which are labels for types of expenses and income. When you first start using Quicken--or set up a new Quicken file for yourself or some other user--you see that Quicken has a bunch of categories ready for your use. Some are for home; some are for business. Go ahead and install with both the Home and Business categories. Having them all doesn't clog or slow your system, but it can give you a better chance of having just the right category when you need it. When creating a new Quicken 5 file, follow these steps:
BACK TO TOPNew CategoriesTo recategorize a category
BACK TO TOPShare your Categories, not your DataDo you keep badgering some friend or colleague about the benefits of the Quicken-ized life? Maybe you should go a step further and offer to share with them those carefully crafted categories and accounts you've built--especially if this friend lives in the same area as you and works in a similar business to yours. Having the right categories is half the work of smart Quicken living. Here's how you can share your expertise without giving away your personal data, in Quicken 98 Deluxe:
Be sure to test the result before handing it over. Create a new Quicken file with a new name and then import from the file you just exported. Make sure no transactions are in it. BACK TO TOPSubcategories become Category GroupsWhen you create a budget in Quicken, you see your expenses in categories. That's helpful, of course, and the essence of budgeting: to see what you spend on this and that compared to what you want to spend. If you gathered groups of related expenses into "category groups"--which Quicken used to call Supercategories--you make more sense of expense. Then, for example, you won't just know what you spent on dinners, special clothing, movies, drinks and flowers, but what you spent total on dates. To do this:
BACK TO TOPClosing All Windows SimultaneouslyYou can close all open windows simultaneously by:
BACK TO TOPClosing an Open WindowEach time you open a new window, which happens whenever you switch to another account, generate a report, or even display a list, Quicken adds the name of the window to the Quicken QuickTabs. To close an open window, click the small X that appears in the upper-right corner of the window. To quickly close a window:
BACK TO TOPFile ManagementBack-up CommandQuicken's built-in Backup command saves a copy of all your information to a separate file on disk. You can back up any time you want, and you should regularly. In fact, you should put some of the backups on a disk other than your main hard drive, to protect against total data loss if that drive crashes. If you are in such straits, you can restore your Quicken backup by following these steps:
All the lists and transactions from that backup fill Quicken, ready for use. BACK TO TOPFile FormatsSome software upgrades to a newer version--like moving from an older version of Quicken to Quicken 2000--also organize your stored information on disk in a new way. Typically, this means that you can no longer read the new file with an older version of Quicken. Once you upgrade to Quicken 2000 and its file format, you won't be able to use someone else's computer with an older Quicken to read and work on your latest financial data. There is a safety margin built in, however. When Quicken 2000 makes the upgrade, it incorporates all the information from your older Quicken files and then saves your older Quicken files as they are (they won't change any more) into a file in the folder Q99FILES.BACK TO TOPYear-End ArchiveQuicken has a one-step command you can use to back up all of last year's transactions, without depriving you of their detail for any budgeting and tax-prep work coming in the next few months. In Quicken 5:
BACK TO TOPGoing Back in TimeMost people run their Quicken on a calendar year basis, January through December. Most do the same for their taxes and their fiscal year. Some financial events affecting that year occur after it is over, such as estimated tax quarterly payments in January or IRA investments up to April 15. If you close out a Quicken year and use its data for your taxes, make sure you manually enter these amounts with the right dates before you finalize those calculations.BACK TO TOPHelpTroubleshooting Help SectionHaving problems with Quicken? Check out Quicken's Troubleshooting help section. This Troubleshooting section contains a list of more common problems and solutions. To access the Troubleshooting system:
BACK TO TOPHiding AccountsQuicken can follow your instructions to hide away a portion of one of your accounts, such as your Checking account, as planned Savings. The money will still be there, naturally, but it won't show up in the totals you view when you see how much money you have to spend. To hide some money in Quicken 5, follow these steps:
Over time, you can watch how your secret savings has grown. BACK TO TOPInterest RateClose those CostsA lower interest rate is a siren song to anyone making payments on a mortgage. But mortgage lenders aren't in the business for their health. Besides points--a percentage of the mortgage--lenders charge you closing costs, which are broken down into a whole mess of fees that include the service you get, charges for that document, a South Seas vacation. . . no, strike that last one. Anyway, with closing costs, you pay some thousands of dollars above and beyond points. Before you settle on a lender, ask about estimated closing costs. Then negotiate on the particulars, asking whether particular costs can be reduced or waived. You might be surprised by what you can get just by asking. Remember that lenders are trying to sell you something--a mortgage. For that reason, they may try to make their offer more attractive to you than some other lender's offer. BACK TO TOPInterest Rate ChangesFor many, the interest rate associate d with a loan remains fixed over the life of the loan. But for those who have an adjustable rate mortgage, the interest rate can change at least once a year. When the loan rate changes with the next payment:
Quicken uses the next payment dates as the date the rate change takes effect. Back at the View Loans screen, click the Payment Schedule tab and make note of the changes made to both the principal and interest amounts of the loan. Note also that the interest rate change also affects the Remaining Payment and Final Payment Date values. BACK TO TOPKeyboard Shortcuts
BACK TO TOPPaymentsDeleting a Mistaken Loan PaymentWhen you use the Loans feature to record your loan payments instead of entering them as straight transactions, Quicken takes a lot of things into account. For examples, it keeps track of the interest payment, the remaining number of payments due, and other administrative details. The problem is, you cannot easily delete an erroneous loan payment made through the Loans feature. The Delete button, located at the top of the screen, deletes the loan itself. To delete an erroneously recorded loan payment:
BACK TO TOPMaking an Extra Loan PaymentWhen you have extra cash on hand, you may want to make an extra payment on a loan because the extra money goes directly toward reducing the principal amount of the loan. To record an extra loan payment:
Quicken records the extra payment in the corresponding account register. To see the effect the extra payment made on your loan, select the Payment Schedule tab. The extra funds directly reduce the principal amount of the loan. Notice that the extra payment also reduces the remaining payments due and the final payment's due date. BACK TO TOPPaying Off a LoanAlthough it may seem like a lifetime away, at some point, you will finally pay off an outstanding loan. After you pay off the loan, remove the loan from Quicken but save the data for your records. To delete the paid off loan:
Quicken removes the loan information from the View Loans window.
You'll find a record of all recorded payment made to the loan. BACK TO TOPTaking A LeadYou make a payment. The payment shows up on your account. The time in between those 2 events is the "lead time". In the snail mail days the lead time could stretch as long as a week or more, though 4 days is typical. In the e-era it can be as little as 1 or 2 days. When you create a new payee, Quicken assumes a lead time of 4 days. If you choose to pay online, Quicken will check to see if that payee accepts direct EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer) of payments. If it does, Quicken will cut the lead time to the appropriate 1 or 2 days. BACK TO TOPQUICKEN.COMYou can gain a wealth of financial information from Quicken.com, Quicken's official web site, to find a .variety of materials aimed at helping you get a better grip on your personal finances
You can access Quicken.com directly from the Quicken application or through Internet Explorer. To access Quicken.com from with Quicken:
BACK TO TOPReport OptionsQuicken has lots and lots of report options--lots of ways to see on-screen or on paper all the details of your finances. But when you don't have time for options, make a QuickReport. In Quicken 5:
Quicken immediately creates a report on all transactions in that category. BACK TO TOPTaxesEstimated Taxes Many small businesses and solo workers have to make estimated state and federal tax payments. Instead of waiting for April 15, they pay quarterly throughout the year. If you fall into this group, use Quicken to help you keep track of your estimated payments. In Quicken, create a special category, named something like Tax:Fed:Est, and link it to the Schedule 1040:Federal Estimated Tax. If you're using Quicken 99, do the following:
Do the same thing with your state taxes: Create a category for them and then link that category to the Schedule A:State Estimated Tax. BACK TO TOPState Taxes In the Quicken Financial Planner (which comes with some versions of Quicken, such as Home & Business 99), you can figure out how much of your income goes to pay state and federal taxes and how what state you live in affects that.
BACK TO TOPState Taxes LinkState taxes paid at the end of the year are deductible from your federal income tax for the year. Unlike federal taxes paid, therefore, you need to link them to a tax form so they'll show up in your calculations. To do this, you need to create a category called Taxes:State:Paid and link it to Schedule A: State and Local Taxes. In Quicken 99:
BACK TO TOPINSTANT INTERNET REMINDERIn the past two tips, we've shown you a couple tricks to make being connected to the Web more convenient. Here's a trick that can make things even easier: Have Quicken remind you at start-up to check for online news and quotes and to see whether there have been any Quicken updates. To trigger a reminder:
The next time you start Quicken, the Update Quicken dialog box appears, asking whether you want to connect to the Internet and update Quicken. QUICKIE REPORTSHave you ever wanted to run a quick report to see how much you've spent on a specific category (say, dinner out) but don't want to be bothered with fussing around with the report options? Here's how to create an instant category report:
Quicken generates a Category report based on the selected category. KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF MY TRANSACTIONS!Do you share Quicken with another member of your household? Are you nervous that past transactions may be altered and your finances will never be straight? Well, you can rest easy. Quicken lets you assign a password to your transactions. When you assign a password, you must supply that password before you can save any changes made to the transactions. To assign a password:
From now on, you have to supply the password each and every time you want to change an existing transaction. To remove the password:
CLONE A QUICKEN FILEIf you find that your Quicken file has just gotten too big to handle or that you'd rather not include financial data from1995 in your current reports, why not relegate past years' data to a separate file? By copying your current Quicken file, you can archive old data and make certain that your current file doesn't get too large--which could cause some problems down the road, particularly when you use the Backup command to back up your data. A large file can also affect the performance of your Quicken session, particularly when you create reports or use the Find command to locate transactions.
Quicken creates a new copy of the file, leaving your current file intact. The new file contains only those transactions that you specified. After you create this copy, you may want to remove these past transactions from your current file. Tip-in-a-tip: Before you start fiddling with your current file, make sure that the copy you just created is intact and functioning. You don't want to delete any transactions without making absolutely sure that you have a safe and permanent copy of them first. SQUINT NO MOREAre you having a hard time reading the small lines of data in Quicken, particularly in your check register? If so, you'll be pleased to know that you can get some relief. You can change the font and increase the font size of the text used in the registers and other areas of Quicken:
WHAT'S IN A NAME?When you first created your Quicken file, Quicken automatically named the file Qdata. It's not a very meaningful name now, is it? You can rename your Quicken file to whatever you like and whatever has the most meaning for you. To rename a file:
INSTANT TRANSACTION GRATIFICATIONBy now, we all know that scheduled transactions can save a heck of a lot of time by allowing you to automate regularly scheduled transactions. Well, the Memorized Transaction list can be just as helpful in entering transactions, especially when it comes to transactions that don't occur on a frequent basis but do occur pretty regularly. With the Memorized Transaction function, you can quickly enter a transaction in your register; then it automatically assigns the current date as well as the next check number (or whatever payment method is being used). All you have to do is change the amount of the transaction. To enter a memorized transaction:
Quicken automatically switches back to your check register. Notice that the transaction is entered in your register and the payment field appears highlighted. HAVE IT YOUR WAYIf you've been using your ATM debit card to make your purchases, you've probably noticed that Quicken doesn't have a predefined reference category to track these transactions. To see what I mean, choose Lists + Accounts to open your check register and click in the Num field of any blank transaction line and then click the drop-down arrow. The closest option, ATM, should really be used for cash withdrawals from ATM machines. But you can easily create your own reference item:
GET YOUR INSTANT NET WORTHIn past tips, we've shown you how to generate a Net Worth report to see how much you're worth. But did you know you can also gain an instant sense of where you stand financially? Just do the following:
In the bottom-right corner of the screen, the Balance Total figure is calculated; this is the balance of all your accounts--in other words, your net worth. Pretty simple, huh? BALANCING YOUR NET WORTHIn our last tip, we showed you how to quickly get a sense of your financial net worth simply by viewing information provided in the Accounts list. The Balance Total, calculated at the bottom-right corner of the screen, displays the current balance of all your accounts. In this tip, we show you how to exclude accounts from this Balance Total calculation. That way, you can see where you stand without a particular asset or liability affecting the end result. For example, you can remove a credit card debt balance from the Balance Total to see what effect, if any, it will have on your total net worth. To exclude an account balance from the Balance Total calculation:
When you deselect the View Hidden Accounts option, the Balance Total figure adjusts to reflect the removal of the hidden account. Select the View Hidden Accounts option box again when you want to re-include the account balance in the Balance Total amount. Sentence 2: Suggest changing to "When you want to include the hidden account balance in the Balance Total amount, repeat these steps; this time, select View Hidden Accounts in Step 4." When you're ready to unhide an account, simply choose Lists + Account and click the All Accounts tab; then select the "hidden" account and click the Hide button again. When the hand icon disappears, the account will no longer be hidden. SHORTCUT COMBOS--PART 1 OF 3The mouse is here to stay, folks, whether you like it or not. But you can do without the mouse, at least in some cases. In the next three days we'll show you keyboard shortcut combinations to activate common menu commands--a big plus when you want to keep your hands on the keyboard: Keystroke Combination = Action SHORTCUT COMBOS--PART 2 OF 3Today, we'll show you seven more mouseproof solutions to common menu commands. These keyboard shortcuts combinations help you keep your hands on the keyboard: Keystroke Combination = Action SHORTCUT COMBOS--PART 3 OF 3Today we bring you the final group of keystroke combination shortcuts for everyday Quicken commands: shoo, mouse, shoo! Keystroke Combination = Action USE MULTIPLE REGISTERS AT THE SAME TIMENormally, when you switch to another account, Quicken closes the currently active account in the register and replaces it with the new account--which can be a real pain, especially when you do a lot of work in multiple accounts. Well, guess what? You don't have to live under Quicken's rule. You can stop it from closing one account when you open another account, enabling you to have multiple account registers open at the same time. To work with multiple accounts:
Now, to open multiple registers, choose Lists + Accounts and then double-click the account you want to open. Each account you open has its own tab name in the QuickTabs area to the right of the screen. FILE BE-GONE--PART 1 OF 3At some point, you'll need to delete a Quicken file you no longer use. No problem. Just use the Delete command to remove the file from your PC:
Remember that once you delete a file, IT'S GONE FOR GOOD. No getting it back. No mercy from the Quicken gods. No last minute reprieves. In other words, make sure the file you want to delete is one that you REALLY won't need again. FILE BE-GONE--PART 2 OF 3In our last tip, we showed you how to delete a Quicken file you no longer use: Choose File + File Operations + Delete, select the file, confirm that you want to delete the file, and click OK. Easy enough, wouldn't you say? But here's the annoying part. The deleted file still appears in the Recently Opened Files list at the bottom of the File menu. If you select this filename from the menu, you get an error message saying that Quicken can't open the file. So is Quicken just a hopeless tease, or is there a reason it includes deleted files in the Recently Opened Files list? By default, Quicken automatically displays the names of the last four files you've used, regardless whether you've deleted any of those files. The filename disappears eventually (when the names of more recently opened files replace it). In any case, you can get rid of the filename, but you must mess around with the Quicken.ini file. Instead of messing with the Quicken.ini file, we recommend patience. Just let the other open files replace the deleted file in the list. (And if it makes you feel better, curse up a blue streak if you accidentally try to open a deleted file.) But, if you have the patience of a four-year-old who's been told to wait for dessert, catch tomorrow's tip. FILE BE-GONE--PART 3 OF 3Yesterday, we told you that you can remove the names of deleted files from the Recently Opened Files list, but that doing so requires that you fiddle with the Quicken.ini file. Before you make changes to the Quicken.ini file, first make a backup copy of the file (this is just a safety precaution, and one that you should exercise before you modify any program file on your PC):
After you make a backup, you're ready to modify the Quicken.ini file. To remove a filename from the Recently Opened Files list:
The next time you start Quicken, your deleted file no longer appears in the Recently Opened Files list. STARTING WITH A BLANK SLATEEach time you launch Quicken, it automatically loads the file you had open the last time you used the program--which, for the most part, makes perfect sense. After all, most of us use the same file over and over again. For some folks, however, especially those who share Quicken with other members of their household, it's a real drag. But guess what? We have a solution (as always) to your predicament. It's what we're here for. If, when you launch the program, you'd rather not have Quicken automatically load the last file you had open, follow these steps:
OPEN A SPECIFIC FILE--RIGHT FROM THE DESKTOPIn our last tip, we showed you how to start Quicken without it automatically opening the last file you worked on. The problem is, to open the file you want, you have to use the File + File Operations + Open command. In today's tip, we show you how to use one of the niftier features of Windows 95 and 98--desktop shortcuts. Shortcuts let you open a specific file and its originating application right from the desktop, without having to load the program first. By using a shortcut, all members of your household can launch their own personal finance file with a simple double-click from the desktop. Much more civilized, wouldn't you say? To create a desktop shortcut:
Windows adds the shortcut to your desktop. To launch Quicken with the specified file active, simply double-click the desktop shortcut. JUMPING ON AND OFF THE INTERNET--PART 1 OF 2 By using the Update Quicken 98 command or the Get Online News and Quotes command, you can jump on the Internet for a quick download of today's stock quotes. But have you ever wanted to be able to jump off just as quickly? Well, today's your lucky day. You can set up Quicken to automatically disconnect from the Internet after it has finished its business. By doing so, you don't have to take the time to--or remember to--disconnect when you're done: To automatically disconnect from the Internet:
Now, the next time you use the Update Quicken 98 command or the Get Online News and Quotes command, Quicken connects to the Web, updates the appropriate information, and then disconnects. JUMPING ON AND OFF THE INTERNET--PART 2 OF 2 In our last tip, we showed you how to automatically disconnect from the Web after Quicken has finished its business. In this tip, we show you how to keep on top of an active Web connection by having Quicken alert you if a certain amount of time has passed without activity. (For example, you keep your Web connection running so that you can switch back and forth between Quicken and the Web, but then you get caught up in some Quicken calculation and completely forget that you are even connected.) To have Quicken remind you that you are still connected after the connection is idle for a certain amount of time, follow these steps:
YEAR-END CLOSEOUT We will explain how to use the Start a New year option to create a brand new file and thus remove all the previous year's transactions from the current file. (Remember: Before closing out the file, first make sure that you reconcile your checking account with your latest bank statement.) To close out your current file, using the Start a New Year option, follow these steps:
You will find that your current file no longer contains any of the transactions from the previous year. The file does contain, however, any transactions that have not yet cleared. You'll also find that Quicken has copied over the balance as of the last day of the previous year. KEEP YOUR FINANCES SEPARATE Do you keep two checking accounts--say, one for home and another for business-related expenses? Or maybe you and your partner haven't yet "commingled" your financial life. Or maybe you exclude certain savings accounts from cash flow reports. Whatever the case, you can easily keep track of your own accounts and not have to worry about one account conflicting with another when you generate reports. You see, for every report you create in Quicken, you can indicate exactly which accounts (and their transactions) should and should not be included. To exclude accounts from a report, follow these steps:
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