Binding: CD-ROM Feature: Benefit from four unique, powerful rules for maximizing control over your money Format: CD-ROM Label: You Need A Budget Manufacturer: You Need A Budget Model: 1.2.6 Platform: Windows Vista Publisher: You Need A Budget Studio: You Need A Budget
Product Features:
• Benefit from four unique, powerful rules for maximizing control over your money • Be up and running in just minutes • Gain financial peace by tracking all of your spending (dining out, groceries, bills) with one simple interface • Save time by importing your bank transactions • Generate reports, schedule recurring transactions, and GAIN CONTROL.
Editorial Review:
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.
Customer Reviews:
Customer Rating: Summary: YNAB PRO = GREAT SOFTWARE WITH AWESOME SUPPORT Comment: The YNAB Pro Software is the best financial software package I have used. I especially like the fact that there is a website forum that the author maintains in order to support his customers where they can ask questions after they purchase the software. The software can also be easily customized when it comes to adding or removing categories. Customer Rating: Summary: YNAB= savings, no overdrafts and real control Comment: This is a great product. Truly. I've tried Quicken, MS Money, even my own tweaked Excel spreadsheet, but could never get them to do what I wanted which was to create a budget based on money I actually have to spend and then have that budget force me to stick to it. If I overspend in a catagory I have to move money around from other catagories to make it work or there is no avoiding the big red negative amounts staring you right in the face! You can't feign ignorance or pretend that you thought you could afford something you can't.
I did want to stress that YNAB is not only for those living paycheck to paycheck. Although if you are, you need this software, you really do. Our family has more then enough money, but I kept overspending and having to ask my husband for "extra" money or transfer it in from savings and investment accounts every few weeks (which I realize is stupid, but if you don't have a problem saving or living within your means then why are you considering this product?). Sometimes I wouldn't time the transfers well and I'd end up with overdrafts. It was a result of not having a firm budget and being just generally unmindful of my spending.
YNAB helped me to create that firm budget and forced me to be organized with my money. Quicken and Money were both great at helping track expenses after I'd spent the money- helpful only if you need a pie chart showing you exactly how you are overspending on kids clothing or trips to Target. Totally useless after the fact. YNAB is great at allowing me to control my spending BEFORE I spend it on stuff I don't need and keeps me mindful of exactly where my money SHOULD be going so that I don't get sidetracked and spend it elsewhere on something new and sparkly. And not to worry if you really like them, YNAB has pie charts too!
Learning to use the software takes a few hours, it's true. You'll need to set aside a chunk of time to really use it right, but there are online tutorials which make it super easy and a helpful forum for other users to offer advice if you can't figure something out. It's way easier then Quicken with its bloated "features" you'll never use, at any rate. Since you are budgeting based on actual money at hand and not guessing about what you'll have to spend in a calendar month it just works way better then Money.
If you really want to get a handle on your finances, YNAB is the best. Hands down.
Customer Rating: Summary: Great piece of software Comment: If you want a fully featured financial software package with all it's time consuming complications, stay with Quicken, it's a fine program.
If you want a simple and effective cash flow budgeting program, try YNAB, you have 60 days to see if it fits you need.
I like it.
Customer Rating: Summary: It is the easiest and most logical software I have used for Budgeting Comment: This is the easiest most intuitive software I have used for Budgeting, and I have tried a few. I finally resolved to use Excel until one day I happened across YNAB. Now my days of hours and hours entering my receipts into categories is over. YNAB allows me to download from any of my credit card or banking accounts. All I do is assign the category and I am done. I also like the theory behind the product and all the free help they give you to get on top of managing your money. There is nothing better out there. Customer Rating: Summary: Excellent Comment: i searched for years for budget software that actually helps you manage money properly. I used them all and this one has to be the best. It is a bit hands on but it is supposed to be. It is meant for you to roll up the sleeves and get intimate with your money. If you can't handle that and don't want to face the ugly truth about how careless and reckless you have been then this isn't the program for you.
I can't say enough good things about this. I went from very in debt to purchasing a new TV AND laptop for cash. It took about 2 years and I'm still working towards several financial goals but this software has helped me keep an eye on my spending and helped me save up for the things we need/want without using credit. There is nothing more satisfying in life than paying cash for big ticket items!
Again...The first few months are a wake up call. This requires a change in lifestyle and attitude. It is well worth it.
After reading some of the negative comments I do want to make clear that this program is about the method of budgeting. It's not an account management piece of software like money or quicken. In fact there are some people who still use those along with YNAB. It is extremely important that you read the manual. You watch the tutorials and understand the what the software is trying to accomplish before you just throw numbers in the spreadsheet. Failing to do so will lead to frustration. I personally don't download anything from the bank. I want to do it manually, This way I feel accountable for every time I use my money. Again, this is the change in attitude I am talking about.