Microsoft Money
Encyclopedia
Microsoft Money was Microsoft
's personal finance
software. It was designed for computers using the Microsoft Windows
operating system
, though versions for Windows Mobile
were also available (available for Money 2000-2006 on select versions of Windows Mobile, up to, but not including, Windows Mobile 5.0).
The last version, released in August 2007, was called Microsoft Money Plus and came in four editions: Essentials, Deluxe, Premium and Home & Business.
On June 10th, 2009, Microsoft announced that it would discontinue sales of the software on 30 June 2009.
Microsoft announced on August 5, 2010 that it is releasing Microsoft Money Plus Sunset (replacements for expired versions of Microsoft Money Essentials, Deluxe, Premium and Home and Business). The software comes with full functionality (sans online services) and allowed unlimited installation/re-installation without the need for activation.
There were also localized versions for other countries, such as Russia, Brazil, Germany and Italy. However, these versions were discontinued due to what was believed to be an insufficient user-base to justify the expense of localization for more recent versions or the expense to integrate support for the national online-banking standard like HBCI in Germany.
series.
To celebrate Windows 95
's release and to promote the advantages of a native Windows 95 application, Money 95 was available as a free web download from Microsoft's web site between 24 August 1995 and 31 October 1995. Users also had the option of paying $9.95 USD plus tax (for US residents) or $14.95 CAD
plus tax (for Canadian residents) for CD-ROM or 3.5" floppy disk media along with a hard copy user's manual during that promotional period. This was requested either through a promotional mail-in card (was distributed in stores) or calling Microsoft directly. The freely downloaded (moneyweb.exe) version was the same as the paid 3.5" floppy disk version but no user's manual was available. The CD-ROM version included Multimedia Catalog (an electronic catalog of Microsoft products available at that time) and an online user's manual. Users who took advantage of this (media cost + freight cost) only version did not receive the retail box, but the contents were the same as the ones sold in stores. Windows NT 3.51 was also supported.
Due to Microsoft's propensity to market product versions using the year number rather than the actual version number, the version number reported in the About dialogue may not actually reflect that of the packaging of the distribution media.
Note that a version 13.x
was never created.
On 10 June 2009, Microsoft announced that it would be ending development of Money. The company plans to discontinue sales of Money by 30 June 2009, however will continue to support the product until 31 Jan 2011. The company cited the changing needs of the marketplace as the reason for Money's demise, stating that "demand for a comprehensive personal finance toolset has declined." Product activation servers used for Money 2007 and up will also be deactivated after January 31, 2011, effectively not allowing these affected versions to be reinstalled after that date.
.
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
's personal finance
Personal finance
Personal finance is the application of the principles of finance to the monetary decisions of an individual or family unit. It addresses the ways in which individuals or families obtain, budget, save, and spend monetary resources over time, taking into account various financial risks and future...
software. It was designed for computers using the Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
, though versions for Windows Mobile
Windows Mobile
Windows Mobile is a mobile operating system developed by Microsoft that was used in smartphones and Pocket PCs, but by 2011 was rarely supplied on new phones. The last version is "Windows Mobile 6.5.5"; it is superseded by Windows Phone, which does not run Windows Mobile software.Windows Mobile is...
were also available (available for Money 2000-2006 on select versions of Windows Mobile, up to, but not including, Windows Mobile 5.0).
The last version, released in August 2007, was called Microsoft Money Plus and came in four editions: Essentials, Deluxe, Premium and Home & Business.
On June 10th, 2009, Microsoft announced that it would discontinue sales of the software on 30 June 2009.
Microsoft announced on August 5, 2010 that it is releasing Microsoft Money Plus Sunset (replacements for expired versions of Microsoft Money Essentials, Deluxe, Premium and Home and Business). The software comes with full functionality (sans online services) and allowed unlimited installation/re-installation without the need for activation.
Localization
There were versions of Microsoft Money for the United States, United Kingdom, France, Japan, Canada and an International English edition for other English speaking countries. However, Microsoft had not updated the U.K., French and international editions since Money 2005. The last Canadian version was Money 2006.There were also localized versions for other countries, such as Russia, Brazil, Germany and Italy. However, these versions were discontinued due to what was believed to be an insufficient user-base to justify the expense of localization for more recent versions or the expense to integrate support for the national online-banking standard like HBCI in Germany.
History
The first version of Microsoft Money dated back to 1991 and was originally part of the Microsoft HomeMicrosoft Home
Microsoft Home is a defunct line of software applications and personal hardware products published by Microsoft. Microsoft Home software titles first appeared in the middle of 1993. These applications were designed to bring multimedia to Microsoft Windows and Macintosh personal computers...
series.
To celebrate Windows 95
Windows 95
Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented graphical user interface-based operating system. It was released on August 24, 1995 by Microsoft, and was a significant progression from the company's previous Windows products...
's release and to promote the advantages of a native Windows 95 application, Money 95 was available as a free web download from Microsoft's web site between 24 August 1995 and 31 October 1995. Users also had the option of paying $9.95 USD plus tax (for US residents) or $14.95 CAD
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
plus tax (for Canadian residents) for CD-ROM or 3.5" floppy disk media along with a hard copy user's manual during that promotional period. This was requested either through a promotional mail-in card (was distributed in stores) or calling Microsoft directly. The freely downloaded (moneyweb.exe) version was the same as the paid 3.5" floppy disk version but no user's manual was available. The CD-ROM version included Multimedia Catalog (an electronic catalog of Microsoft products available at that time) and an online user's manual. Users who took advantage of this (media cost + freight cost) only version did not receive the retail box, but the contents were the same as the ones sold in stores. Windows NT 3.51 was also supported.
Release history
| Marketed version | Actual version | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Money Plus Sunset | 17.0.150.3817 (Home & Business) 17.0.120.3817 (Deluxe) |
These are the promised releases of the no activation versions of Money Plus 2008. All online services / bank information download has been removed. You don't need to have any previous version of Money installed in order to install the "Sunset" versions. Do not install over the original 2008 version if you are still using the online services. |
| Microsoft Money Plus | 17.0.150.1415 (Home & Business) 17.0.120.1415 (Deluxe) 17.0.80.1415 (Essentials) |
Final release. First and only version to require Product activation Product activation Product activation is a license validation procedure required by some proprietary computer software programs. In one form, product activation refers to a method invented by Ric Richardson and patented by Uniloc where a software application hashes hardware serial numbers and an ID number specific... on those copies installed from CD. Microsoft has announced that they will be releasing an edition of Money 2008 that does not require activation. See Discontinuation below. |
| Microsoft Money 2007 | 16.0 | First version to require Product activation for copies installed from downloaded installation files. |
| Microsoft Money 2006 | 15.0 | Last localized release for Canada. Last version for Windows 98 SE/ME, Windows 2000 SP3, and for Windows Mobile platforms. |
| Microsoft Money 2005 | 14.0 | Last localized release for the U.K., French, and the International edition. |
| Microsoft Money 2004 | 12.0 | Last version to support original version of Windows 98 ("First Edition"). |
| Microsoft Money 2003 | 11.0 | |
| Microsoft Money 2002 | 10.0 | Last version to support Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0 SP5. |
| Microsoft Money 2001 | 9.0 | |
| Microsoft Money 2000 | 8.0 | First edition for Windows Mobile platforms. Last localized release for Italy. |
| Microsoft Money 99 | 7.0 | Last localized release for Germany and Brazil. |
| Microsoft Money 98 | 6.0 | |
| Microsoft Money 97 | 5.0 | Last version to support Windows NT 3.51. |
| Microsoft Money 95 | 4.0, 4.0a | First Win32 version. Free promotional version (downloaded from Microsoft) was available for limited time after Windows 95's initial release. Version 4.0a corrected file import bugs. |
| Microsoft Money 3.0 | 3.0 | Final Win16 version. |
| Microsoft Money 2.0 | 2.0 | |
| Microsoft Money | 1.0 | Initial release for Windows 3.0. |
Due to Microsoft's propensity to market product versions using the year number rather than the actual version number, the version number reported in the About dialogue may not actually reflect that of the packaging of the distribution media.
Note that a version 13.x
Triskaidekaphobia
Triskaidekaphobia is fear of the number ; it is a superstition and related to a specific fear of Friday the 13th, called paraskevidekatriaphobia or friggatriskaidekaphobia.The term was first used by Isador Coriat in Abnormal...
was never created.
Discontinuation of Money
In August 2008, Microsoft announced that it would discontinue the practice of releasing a new version of the product each year, and as such had no version planned for 2009. Additionally, the company announced that they would be no longer shipping boxed versions of Microsoft Money to retail stores, instead selling the product only through online downloads.On 10 June 2009, Microsoft announced that it would be ending development of Money. The company plans to discontinue sales of Money by 30 June 2009, however will continue to support the product until 31 Jan 2011. The company cited the changing needs of the marketplace as the reason for Money's demise, stating that "demand for a comprehensive personal finance toolset has declined." Product activation servers used for Money 2007 and up will also be deactivated after January 31, 2011, effectively not allowing these affected versions to be reinstalled after that date.
Release of Money Plus Sunset
On 17 June 2010, Microsoft announced the released Money Plus Sunset. Money Plus Sunset is a version of Money Plus Deluxe and Money Plus Home & Business that does not require online activationProduct activation
Product activation is a license validation procedure required by some proprietary computer software programs. In one form, product activation refers to a method invented by Ric Richardson and patented by Uniloc where a software application hashes hardware serial numbers and an ID number specific...
.
- Cons:
- Discontinued online services: online quotes, bill payment, statement downloads initiated by Money, data sync with MSN Money.
- No Assisted Support. Online Help is replaced with a local Help file.
- It can not convert & open older non-US versions of Money.
- Pros:
- No need to learn a new money management program or suffer their inadequacies.
- If your financial institution provides OFX or QIF statement downloads, it will allow you to import those statements into your Money file.
- No activation requirement.
- It can convert & open older versions of Money; unfortunately, it can't for non-US versions.
- It's free.