I ntuit has announced the release of Quicken 2004 for the Mac. Quicken is the de facto standard for personal finance management software, and the new version includes features designed to help users manage their investments. The company also says that there are enhancements to the built in bill payment features, as well as integration with Appleis iCal calendaring software. That feature will add upcoming bills to your copy of iCal. The extended press release from Intuit:
Intuit Inc. today announced the availability of Quicken 2004 for Mac, unveiling features designed to help consumers make better-informed investing decisions in less time, manage daily tasks more efficiently and improve their financial organization.
New and improved investment features make it easy to monitor an entire portfolio in one place and provide the ability to track net worth with little effort. In addition, the softwareis integration with Appleis iCal helps manage upcoming bills as part of a consolidated calendar. Enhancements to the Quicken Bill Pay service offer users unparalleled flexibility. The Emergency Records Organizer provides the ability to track essential records in one central location.
"Intuit continues to support and develop new products for the Macintosh platform across all its businesses," said Anouk Holleran, Intuit business leader, Macintosh products. "Our newest offering, Quicken 2004 for Mac, fully leverages the power of Mac OS X through its redesigned investment portfolio and its integration with iCal."
Complete Investment Dashboard
Through the updated investment portfolio, customers can easily monitor all their investments in one place and easily view their net worth with very little effort. Customers can download detailed quotes, asset classes and the Morningstar RatingTM of their funds and receive at-a-glance insight into the performance of their investments through twenty-five new performance indicators. News Alerts also add value by leveraging Quicken.com to retrieve news related to specific holdings and display the headlines in Quicken for easy access.Keeping up with the market and staying in control of a portfolio can be difficult for any investor. Quicken 2004 helps customers obtain a clearer picture of their holdings by automatically retrieving the asset class and industry sector for stocks and funds and categorizing the portfolio to assist the customer in rebalancing.
Better Manage Daily Financial Tasks All In One Place
Leveraging the power of Appleis Mac OS X operating system, Quicken 2004 gives customers the flexibility to track important financial events in one combined calendar with their personal and business activities. This new feature, available only in Quicken 2004, adds upcoming bills from Quicken to Appleis iCal.Recent enhancements to the Quicken Bill Pay service offer several advantages compared to services offered by financial institutions. Quicken Bill Pay now enables consumers to enroll online and within minutes begin paying bills and transferring funds from up to 10 accounts.
Quicken Bill Pay also offers the flexibility to set up repeating payments on the web for fixed and variable amounts. "The combination of iCal reminders and Quicken Bill Pay make it easy for people who are on the go to stay on top of upcoming bills and even pay them when theyire away from home," said Harder.
Emergency Records Organizer
The Emergency Records Organizer enables customers to store the essential details and location of important documents such as insurance papers, financial accounts, wills, and medical records. Customers can print reports containing this important information to share with family members. Leveraging Mac OS X, customers may also export it to PDF files.
Quicken 2004 is priced at US$69.95, and Intuit is offering previous users a discount in the form of a rebate. You can find more information on the product at Intuitis dedicated Quicken 2004 Web site. Intuit says the software should be available in stores starting today.