Chapter 4: Microsoft Money 2006 – the basics

If you are new to using Money, you can leverage prior experience from other Microsoft products as well as basic computer concepts to quickly begin using the product. Moreover, there are many features that make the product easy to use. The Money home page, navigation bar, icons, and in-product Help are all designed to make using Money quick and simple.

The Money home page

When you launch Microsoft Money, the Money home page appears. This is the "home base" or starting point for all of your money management needs, providing you with an at-a-glance view of your financial picture.


Figure 4-1: Money home page

A few of the sections included by default on the My Money home page include:

  • Favorite accounts. Money works with your financial institution's website to get balances of bank accounts that you have designated as your favorites. 
  • Bills and deposits. Know what’s paid and what’s due, pay bills online, and get updated account balances.
  • Spending by category. Transactions are automatically categorized so you can easily track your spending.
  • Spending Tracker. Money gives you all of the tools you need to handle your finances the way you want. Watch a few expenses—like dining out or utilities—create a complete budget, or see all of your financial details.

Customize the home page

You can set your default home page to the Money home page or to MSN Money News (a page that contains financial news and commentary). If you choose the Money home page, you can customize the information that appears there.

To choose your default home page:

  1. On the Tools menu, click Settings.
  2. Click Program settings, and then under Default Home Page, select your default.
  3. Click OK.

To customize the Money home page:

  1. On the Money home page, click Customize content or layout.
  2. Do one or more of the following:
    • Under Add content, select the content area you want to add, and then click Add.
    • To remove an area, under Change layout, select the area you want to remove, and then click Remove.
    • To rearrange the layout, under Change layout, select the module you want to move, and then click one of the Move buttons located at the bottom of the page.
  3. Click Done.

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