Money

You can customize many of the reports while they are displayed on the screen. Check the bottom of the screen for a set of fields which may include categories, accounts, investments, and date range. Figure 12-3 is an example from an investment report. Click on any of the boxes to select the information you want to modify on the report.

If you use a report frequently, you can make it a Favorite so it will be available on Money’s Favorites menu at the top of the screen in addition to the My Favorites section of the Reports Gallery. A favorite is a copy of the report, so you can customize it without worrying about modifying the original in the Reports Gallery.

Once you get your reports looking just right for your purposes, you may want to print a copy for posterity, or for more functional reasons, like to submit to a tax preparer, accountant, or financial advisor. Money includes a special Report and Chart Setup screen so that you can indicate exactly how reports should be printed.

You can export your reports to different file formats for use in other software applications, like Microsoft Excel for example. Furthermore, if you have Internet access and an e-mail provider, you can send a report directly to someone else, like a financial planner or tax professional, via the Internet.

If you run a small business, a special version of Microsoft Money called Deluxe & Business is designed to help you manage both your personal and professional finances. In addition to all of the features included in the Deluxe edition of Money, Microsoft Money Deluxe & Business helps you track your receivables, payables, and payroll, maintains a list of your customers and vendors, manages your inventory, displays your company’s cash flow and automatically categorizes your taxes for your Schedule C.

To help you keep track of the companies and individuals you work with, Money maintains lists of your customers and vendors. You can store detailed information for each contact including contact information and payment terms as well as print a statement for the customer or vendor showing recent account activity.

Now that you have a list of vendors, you need to enter your products and services. By entering this information, you can track the sales by item, profitability, and value of your remaining inventory.

If you charge your clients by the hour, Money can help you track the time you spend on projects.

Now that you have created an invoice for your client, it is time to deliver the bill. In Money Deluxe and Business you can print or e-mail your invoices, depending on your level of Internet connectivity and the abilities of your clients.

If you enter and categorize all of your business-related expenses as transactions, he Schedule C Tax Worksheet can help you identify all of your business-related deductions by scouring your Money file for the information.