Microsoft Money is a discontinued personal finance management software program by Microsoft, designed for computers using the Microsoft Windows and Windows Mobile operating systems. It had capabilities for viewing bank account balances, creating budgets, and tracking expenses, among other features. From its inception in 1991 until 2009, Microsoft Money was commercial software; in 2010, Microsoft Money Plus Sunset was released as a free replacement, which allowed users to open and edit Money data files but lacked any online features or support.
On June 10, 2009, Microsoft announced that it would discontinue sales of the software on June 30, 2009.[1]
In 2020, Microsoft offered a premium Money in Excel template to Microsoft 365 Family and Personal subscribers; this service was withdrawn effective June 30, 2023.
Localization
There were versions of Microsoft Money for the U.S., U.K., 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 of integrating support for the national online-banking standard, such as HBCI, in Germany.
History
The first version of Microsoft Money dates to 1991 and was originally part of the Microsoft Home series.[2] Microsoft developed Money to compete with Quicken, another personal finance management software.
On Windows Mobile, Money 2000–2006 was available on select versions of Windows Mobile, up to, but not including, Windows Mobile 5.0.
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 website between August 24, 1995, and October 31, 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 (which was distributed in stores) or by 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 those sold in stores. Windows NT 3.51 was also supported. [3]
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 downloads have been removed. You don't need to have any previous version of Money installed 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 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, [4] 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. [5][6] |
| 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 the packaging of the distribution media.
Note that a version 13.x 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. [7]
On June 10, 2009, Microsoft announced that it would be ending development of Money. The company plans to discontinue sales of Money by June 30, 2009 however will continue to support the product until January 31, 2011. [1] 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." [8] 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.
Money Plus Sunset
On June 17, 2010, Microsoft announced the release of Money Plus Sunset, a downloadable version of Money Plus Deluxe and Money Plus Home & Business.[9]. Money Plus Sunset does not require online activation or the installation of any previous version of Money on the user's computer; it should not be installed over the original 2008 version if online services are still required.[8]
Money Plus Sunset comes with most of the functionality that was available in retail versions of Money Plus. The features missing were:
- Money Plus Sunset cannot import data files from non-US editions of Money.
- Money Plus Sunset is missing all of the online services from earlier versions of Money, such as:
- automatic statement downloads initiated by Money (though users may import downloadable OFX and QIF statements from their financial institution into their Money file)
- online bill payments
- online investment quotes (though one can "go to the Portfolio Manager and Update Prices – Update Prices Manually)
A few third-party add-ons were made to overcome the online limitations of this edition. MSMoneyQuotes is a paid tool to update quotes, and PocketSense is a free tool to download bank account statements (via OFX) and quotes.
Money app
In 2012, a new albeit unrelated Money was released as a Windows Store app (originally as MSN Money). It was a news aggregator for personal finance, investing, and real estate, as well as stock tracking across the world markets.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Statement from Microsoft on the discontinuation of Microsoft Money
- ↑ Chronology of Personal Computer Software
- ↑ Microsoft's Money Gets Early Responses
- ↑ System Requirements for Microsoft Money 2006
- ↑ Smart Computing Article - Microsoft Money
- ↑ Err Msg: Msworks Caused an Exception 10H in Module Msworks.exe
- ↑ Full Money 2009 Announcement
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Money FAQ
- ↑ Money Plus Product Page
External links
- What Is Microsoft Money Plus Sunset?
- Microsoft Money Home Page
- Microsoft Money 1.0 Screenshots
- Money Plus Sunset Page
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