Money Management Software Review: You Need A Budget

I recently purchased the money management program You Need a Budget (YNAB) from YouNeedABudget.com. Over the last 10 years we’ve used both Quicken and Microsoft Money, and I can honestly say YNAB is the hands-down winner. It’s extremely easy to use and is especially helpful when it comes to budgeting and tracking your spending.

When we decided to purchase new money management software, I started with some research. I hadn’t been all that happy with Quicken and wanted to explore other options. There were positive reviews for sites like Mint and Wesabe, but we are much more comfortable with a desktop, rather than online, platform. Plenty of people will tell you that online platforms are perfectly safe, but I’m not fully convinced. After looking at reviews for a variety of desktop-based programs, I found that over and over again, people recommended YNAB.

The website, YouNeedABudget.com, is excellent. It provides screen shots and detailed explanations about what is included in the program. One of the best features is that anything that can be downloaded to Quicken (bank and credit card transactions, for example) can be downloaded into YNAB. It’s fully compatible. The most convincing factor for me, though, was the 60-day money-back guarantee. I knew I’d be able to give it a solid test-run in that amount of time. Needless to say, I won’t be taking advantage of that offer.

Another thing that impresses me about this program is the extensive support offered to help you make the most of its features. The purchase of YNAB Pro comes with the ebook, The YNAB Way, which is a great overview of money management. There’s also a free YNAB University and Live Online Classes. These resources are, of course, optional, but provide a wealth of information should you choose to take advantage of them.

I can’t recommend this program enough. In the spirit of full disclosure, the links to YouNeedABudget.com in this post are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to purchase the program by clicking on these links, YNAB will send a few dollars my way at no additional cost to you. Please be aware that I only recommend products on this site that I personally use and like. I have been using YNAB for a while now and I truly believe it’s an excellent program. It’s already helped us organize our finances and create a clear picture of where our money is going.

As an added bonus, in light of Microsoft declaring their money management program, Microsoft Money, now defunct, Jesse, at YouNeedABudget.com is offering a 10% discount on YNAB Pro through July 15. Just enter the promo code, msmoney, at checkout.

If you’re in the market for money management software, do give them a look. Happy saving.