New Streamlined Interface Makes Using Quicken Easier and More Customizable for Macintosh Users; Step-By-Step Financial Planners Help Users Create Personalized Action Plans.MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 15, 1996--Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ NASDAQ in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on : INTU INTU Intuit, Inc. (stock abbreviation, AMEX) ) today announced new versions of Quicken A popular financial management program for PCs and Macs from Intuit, Inc., Mountain View, CA (www.intuit.com). It is used to write checks, organize investments and produce a variety of reports for personal finance and small business. and Quicken Deluxe de·luxe also de luxe adj. Particularly elegant and luxurious; sumptuous: deluxe accommodations; a de luxe automobile. adv. for Macintosh with a streamlined interface that makes getting started easier for first-time users and lets more experienced users customize Quicken for greater efficiency in day-to-day use. The new Quicken for Macintosh also includes powerful new financial planners Financial Planner A qualified investment professional who assists individuals and corporations meet their long-term financial objectives by analyzing the client's status and setting a program to achieve these goals. that guide customers step by step through analyzing their net worth and creating action plans for debt reduction and retirement, plus over 30 improvements and shortcuts See Win Shortcuts. that make performing existing Quicken functions faster and more efficient. "As with previous versions of Quicken for Macintosh, this new Quicken was designed specifically for Macintosh users," said Scott Cook Scott Cook (Intuit, Inc.), HBS 1976, started his career at Procter & Gamble, where he learned about product development, market research, and marketing. He soon began using the insights he was learning there to look for an idea for a company of his own. , chairman and co-founder of Intuit in·tu·it tr.v. in·tu·it·ed, in·tu·it·ing, in·tu·its Usage Problem To know intuitively. [Back-formation from intuition. . "We reviewed more than 2,000 customer suggestions, surveyed feedback from hundreds of users and conducted usability tests with more than 150 Macintosh users while developing this latest Quicken. The result is an intuitive, fresh and clean design that gives Macintosh users tools they can use to be even more productive with Quicken." Streamlined Interface Makes Quicken Easier for First-Time Users Quicken's new interface organizes Quicken into five financial activity areas -- Banking, Investing, Planning, Assets/Debt and Reporting. These areas are displayed in an activity bar that is always on-screen on·screen or on-screen adj. & adv. 1. As shown on a movie, television, or display screen. 2. Within public view; in public. , making it easier for users to see what Quicken can do at a glance and get the tools they need with one click. Once users select an activity area, like Banking, an icon bar appears and presents only those tools related to that specific area. The combination of an activity bar representing financial activity areas and an icon bar offering related tools results in a cleaner, simpler interface that helps customers stay organized and focused on their financial tasks. Additionally, the new Quicken offers first-time users a guided start-up sequence that takes the guesswork out of getting started with Quicken. And when users are ready to learn new things, step-by-step instructions track the user through the completion of any task. As a result, users can learn new Quicken functions effortlessly ef·fort·less adj. Calling for, requiring, or showing little or no effort. See Synonyms at easy. ef  fort·less·ly adv. . The New Quicken is Customizable and Flexible For more experienced users of Quicken, the new version allows them to customize Quicken by creating personalized per·son·al·ize tr.v. per·son·al·ized, per·son·al·iz·ing, per·son·al·iz·es 1. To take (a general remark or characterization) in a personal manner. 2. To attribute human or personal qualities to; personify. workspaces in any or all of the five activity areas. Users can lay out windows exactly how they want to see them and modify icon bars to show only those functions they routinely use. For example, the banking area can be customized to include only the check register and online banking and online payment screens. Once users personalize per·son·al·ize tr.v. per·son·al·ized, per·son·al·iz·ing, per·son·al·iz·es 1. To take (a general remark or characterization) in a personal manner. 2. To attribute human or personal qualities to; personify. their workspace, Quicken remembers how it was organized and presents it to users each time exactly as they designed it. And, the personalized workspaces can be customized by users quickly and easily at any time. "During usability testing Usability testing is a means for measuring how well people can use some human-made object (such as a web page, a computer interface, a document, or a device) for its intended purpose, i.e. usability testing measures the usability of the object. , our existing customers told us that this new version is like the Quicken they know, only better," said Cook. "The software is still familiar, but it's easier to use Quicken functions they already know to get work done and even easier to learn the rest." Powerful Financial Planners Create Step-by-Step Action Plans In response to Macintosh customer requests for more robust planning tools, the new Quicken Deluxe includes new net worth, debt reduction, and retirement planners. Rich in functionality yet easy to use, these planners guide users step by step in creating action plans with "what if" analysis to give them more control over their financial lives. The new Net Worth Analysis provides a starting point Noun 1. starting point - earliest limiting point terminus a quo commencement, get-go, offset, outset, showtime, starting time, beginning, start, kickoff, first - the time at which something is supposed to begin; "they got an early start"; "she knew from the for financial planning Financial planning Evaluating the investing and financing options available to a firm. Planning includes attempting to make optimal decisions, projecting the consequences of these decisions for the firm in the form of a financial plan, and then comparing future performance against with a snapshot of where users' finances stand on overall net worth, emergency reserves, and debt as a percent of income. The new Debt Reduction Planner is a step-by-step tool that evaluates users' current debt situation and then helps them create a personalized action plan for getting out of debt. The resulting plan will help users find the least expensive and fastest way to get out of debt. Also new is a Retirement Planner that helps users answer the question "Will I have enough to retire?" and helps them create a plan to get there. The Retirement Planner walks users through a series of questions about current savings, projected contributions and returns, investment allocation, and the effects of taxes and inflation to create a personalized retirement plan. For experienced individual investors, the new Quicken Deluxe includes Investor Insight, an optional investor service that is completely integrated into Quicken's investment portfolio. Investor Insight delivers financial news, historical and current stock prices, including high/low/close prices and trading volume Trading volume The number of shares transacted every day. As there is a seller for every buyer, one can think of the trading volume as half of the number of shares transacted. That is, if A sells 100 shares to B, the volume is 100 shares. , from top sources like Dow Jones Dow Jones the best known of several U.S. indexes of movements in price on Wall Street. [Am. Hist.: Payton, 202] See : Finance and BusinessWire, directly into Quicken with a single click. Over 30 Enhancements That Improve Overall Speed and Efficiency The new Quicken includes over 30 shortcuts and customer-suggested improvements to make some of its most commonly used features faster and more efficient. These include register shortcuts, new and improved graphs and reports, new investment features and additional online banking and payment features. Because the most frequently used feature within Quicken is the checking register, the new Quicken includes register shortcuts such as account, category and calendar pop-up lists to speed data entry. New features make reporting, analyzing, and printing information easier than ever. For example, new Print Preview A software function that displays on screen the way a document will print on paper. Print preview eliminates wasting paper as corrections are made before the document is printed. In addition, network printers are not always close by and easily accessible. and Print to Fit options make printing easier. With new Easy Answer graphs, Quicken answers questions in easily understandable terms and creates graphs automatically. With new Memorized Graphs, users can customize graphs to view their finances in the way that makes the most sense to them. Expanded investment features provide more meaningful ways to track the progress of individual investments. A new Security Detail view captures on one screen all the information in Quicken about a particular stock or mutual fund. A price alert feature lets investors know when a stock or mutual fund rises above or falls below targeted prices. A new Asset Allocation Asset Allocation The process of dividing a portfolio among major asset categories such as bonds, stocks or cash. The purpose of asset allocation is to reduce risk by diversifying the portfolio. graph lets customers see how their investment portfolio compares to broker or newsletter recommendations. Also new are the ability to choose stock lots for tax purposes when selling, and more customization of price history charts. Additionally, the new Quicken adds online payment through banks and other financial institutions to the existing banking service and makes using these services more efficient. For example, customers can now download statements, transfer money, pay bills and send e-mail to their financial institution in a single online connection. Online payment brings bill payment to all Quicken users with checking accounts at any U.S. financial institution. With the addition of online payment and third party processors, the number of financial institutions offering online banking will significantly increase for Quicken for Macintosh customers. Pricing and Availability The anticipated street price for Quicken 7 is $39.95, less a $10.00 rebate for upgraders; for Quicken Deluxe 7, $59.95 less a $20.00 rebate for upgraders. For the Investor Insight service, a monthly fee of $9.95 allows investors to follow up to 500 securities. Both versions of Quicken will be available at leading retail stores in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. in October 1996. Quicken 7 and Quicken Deluxe 7 are also available directly from Intuit by calling 800/624-8742. Intuit Inc., a financial software and Web-based services company, develops and markets Quicken, the leading personal finance software; TurboTax, the best-selling best·sell·er also best seller n. A product, such as a book, that is among those sold in the largest numbers. best tax preparation software; and QuickBooks, the most popular small business accounting software. Intuit's Quicken Financial Network (http://www.qfn.com) offers a variety of news, information and market spaces including the No. 1 mutual fund Web site, NETworth.com, and the most dynamic personal insurance Web site, Quicken InsureMarket.com. Intuit's products and services enable individuals, small businesses and financial professionals to better manage their financial lives and businesses. In addition, Intuit's systems and solutions provide many of the nation's leading financial service providers with communication, sales and marketing opportunities that deliver new customers, better serve existing customers and lower costs. -0- Note to Editors: Intuit, Quicken, QuickBooks, TurboTax, Pocket Quicken, ProSeries, NETworth and MacInTax are registered trademarks of Intuit Inc. or one of its subsidiaries. Quicken Deluxe, Quicken Live, Quicken Family Lawyer, Quicken Financial Planner, Quicken Financial Network, QFN, Financial Newsstand, InsureMarket, Quicken Home Inventory, Quicken Quotes, QuickFill, QuickBooks Pro, QuickPay, ExpensAble, Intuit Marketplace, Investor Insight and OpenExchange are trademarks of Intuit Inc. or one of its subsidiaries. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. CONTACT: Intuit Inc. Liz Einbinder, 415/944-5194 liz_einbinder@intuit.com or Thomas Associates Jill Dixon or Marnee Clement Clement, in the Bible Clement, in Philippians, one of Paul's coworkers. He is traditionally identified with St. Clement of Rome, the likely author of a letter written from there to the Corinthian church in c.A.D. 96. , 415/596-2700 jill@thomaspr.com |
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