Note that changes you make to memorized transactions do not change existing transactions that were memorized before your edits; your changes affect only new memorized transactions you enter._________________________________________________________________
TIP: FINDING MEMORIZED TRANSACTIONS Instructions for finding a recent memorized transaction:
1. Choose Lists + Memorized Transaction to switch to the Memorized Transaction List. 2. Locate and select the memorized transaction you want to find. 3. Click Report.Quicken generates a payee report, which lists all transactions recorded to the specific payee in the memorized transaction. To view the specifics of a transaction, double-click the specific transaction in the report. Quicken switches to the appropriate register--with the current transaction displayed._________________________________________________________________
TIP: DON'T FORGET TO RIGHT-CLICK As you work in Quicken, get in the habit of right-clicking different locations of the Quicken program. When you right-click, a shortcut menu usually appears, giving you faster access to some common features and commands. For example, when you right-click a transaction in your check register, the shortcut menu displays options for manipulating that transaction. So go ahead. Right-click away. You may be surprised at what you find._________________________________________________________________
TIP: SWITCHING ACCOUNTS If you have many different accounts in Quicken, chances are you can't display them all along the bottom of the register window. Normally, you'd have to use the scroll bars to locate the name of the account you want. But here's a faster way to switch to another account register:1. Right-click anywhere along the bottom of the account register window.
2. From the resulting menu of accounts, select the name of the account register you want to open._________________________________________________________________
TIP: CLOSE AN OPEN WINDOW One of the great things about using a Windows-based program is that you can work with multiple windows open at the same time. Such a feature can be a real time-saver in Quicken, where you work with many different accounts and reports at once. Each time you open a new window (which happens whenever you switch to another account, generate a report, or even display a list), Quicken adds the name of the window to the Quicken QuickTabs. To switch to an open window, simply click the corresponding QuickTab. To close an open window, click the small X that appears in the upper-right corner of the window.Alas, you are limited in the number of QuickTabs windows you can have open at any one time--15 to be exact. So sometimes you have to close one window before you can open another. Switching to a specific window only to close it can be a real pain. But guess what? We have a way to quickly close a window:
1. Right-click the QuickTab of the window you want to close.
2. From the shortcut menu, choose Close: window, where window is the name of the current window. For example, the menu option would read Close: Loans if the current window was the View Loans window._________________________________________________________________
TIP: MORE WINDOWS WONDER In our last tip, we talked about the joys of working with multiple windows. We also told you that Quicken lets you have no more than 15 windows open at any one time. Well, that's not entirely accurate.Quicken does, indeed, prevent you from opening more than 15 windows--if you are using the QuickTab feature. If you turn off the QuickTabs, you can have as many windows open as you want (or can stand). When you turn off QuickTabs, note the appearance of a new menu choice in the main menu, entitled, appropriately enough, Window.
To turn off QuickTabs:
1. Right-click anywhere within the QuickTabs area.
2. Choose QuickTabs Off from the shortcut menu.To switch to another open window, do one of the following:
* Choose Window and then select the name of the window you want to open.
* Click the title bar of any open window to activate that window.
* Press Ctrl + F6 to switch between every open window._________________________________________________________________
TIP: LOWER AN OPEN WINDOW When you've been working with a lot of windows open, you may decide that you'd like to temporarily deactivate a window but not close it. For example, say that you'd like to put aside your check register while you concentrate on your monthly reports. Well, you can achieve this goal by minimizing a window.To minimize a window, click the Minimize button (the boxed underline character in the upper-right corner of the program window).br The title bar of the minimized window appears along the bottom of the main Quicken window. When you want to work in that window again, reactivate (or maximize) it by double-clicking the title bar.
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TIP: INFORMATION AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Just as we recommend that you make use of the Memo field in Quicken's account registers to keep track of your purchases, we recommend that you use the little Info Button located in all account windows. When you click this button, you access a dialog box in which you can post identifying account information--a big help for those times when you can't put your hands on a piece of information itself, such as the credit card bill or bank statement. For example, if you can't find your car loan payment booklet, you can simply look up your account number in the Account Information screen and write it (where else?) in the Memo field on your check so that you can get your bill out on time.To record Account information:
1. Choose Lists + Account.
2. Select the account name from the list and click the Info button located along the top of the screen.
3. In the Additional Account Information dialog box that appears, enter as much information as desired in the required text boxes. Again, the more information, the better. Some key fields may include Account Number, Contact, and Phone Number.
4. Click OK to complete the entry.p Whenever you need an account number or contact name for an account, simply switch to the Accounts List, select the account name, and click the Info button._________________________________________________________________
TIP: PAY BILLS ON TIME Do you have to repeatedly pay late fees because you pay your bills late? If so, you can make sure you send out your payments in plenty of time by setting up a scheduled transaction, which alerts you when it's time to pay a bill.To remind yourself to pay an upcoming bill:
1. Choose Lists + Scheduled Transaction.
2. In the Scheduled Transaction list window, click the New button.
3. Select the Account to use for the transaction (most likely your Checking account).
4. Select Payment in the Type of Transaction field.
5. Enter the Payee information.
6. Enter the due date of the bill in the Next Date field.
7. Select a Category for the bill in the Category field.
8. Enter the amount due in the Amount field.
9. In the How Often field, indicate the frequency of the bill. In most cases, you enter Monthly.
10. In the Record in Register field, select Prompt Before Enter.
11. Leave the Number of Payments option at the current setting of 999.
12. In the Record This Many Days in Advance field, enter the number of days before the actual due date that you want to be reminded of the bill. Twelve days is probably enough time. (Remember: Your payments must be received by their due date in order to be processed.)
13. Click OK when you have finished.Now, each time you start Quicken, all scheduled transactions appear in the Reminders window. When a bill comes due, write out the check and mail it. Then select the scheduled transaction from the Reminders window and click the Enter in Register button. Quicken enters the bill payment for you in your checking account.
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TIP: PINPOINT YOUR SPENDING Before you delve into a brand new year of spending, why not first generate a report that shows you the error of your ways--at least last year's errors, anyway? By doing so, you can see where your hard-earned dollars went and resolve never to spend that much on baby clothes again. (Sure, Junior looks cute in those Baby Gap Chinos, but really!)To generate a year-end report:
1. Choose Reports + EasyAnswer Reports.
2. From the list of reports, select Where Did I Spend My Money.
3. In the Details section of the dialog box, select Last Year from the For the Period list box.
4. Click the Show Report button.
5. Click the Customize button.
6. Select the Advanced tab.
7. In the Subcategories field at the bottom of the dialog box, select Hide All.
8. Click Create to generate the report.
9. Click the Memorize button.
10. Enter a name for the report, such as Last Year Cash Flow, and click OK.Now, whenever you want to refer to last year's spending, just choose Reports + Memorized Reports. Then select the name of the report you want to see and click Create. Review your Last Year Cash Flow report whenever you need to get a grip on where you spent your money.
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TIP: STAY ON TOP OF IMPORTANT EVENTS Staying abreast of important financial milestones is just as important to sound financial action as making sure your bills get out in a timely fashion. Here again, Quicken can notify you of dates or other information you need to know. Using the Alerts feature, you can instruct Quicken to sound an alarm when certain conditions--you're about to exceed your credit limit, for example, or your checking account balance is at its minimum--are met.To stay abreast of important events: 1. Choose Features + Reminders + Alerts.
2. From the Select an Alert Area, select the type of alert you want to create. Select Account Min. Balances, for example.
3. In the Enter Values section, enter the conditions that must be met for the alert to appear. For example, enter the minimum balance for the appropriate account; then, in the Remind Me At field, enter the amount the balance must reach for the first reminder to appear. Note that options in this portion of the dialog box vary, depending on the selection you make in Step 2.
4. If you are creating more than one alert, click the Apply button to save the current alert and continue working. Otherwise, click OK to create the alert and close the dialog box.When the conditions for the alert are met (you exceed a minimum balance, for instance), Quicken displays an Alert box informing you of the situation. It also provides additional information about what you can do to remedy the situation. For example, it may suggest that you transfer money into an account that has exceeded its balance. When you see this dialog box, click OK. The next time you start Quicken, the alerts appear in the Reminders window and remain there until you turn them off or remedy the situation.
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TIP: GET A FRESH START It's a brand new year--time to get rid of the old and ring in the new, right? Well, not exactly--at least not when it comes to Quicken. By all means, you should definitely close out obsolete accounts in Quicken, be they savings accounts you no longer use or credit cards whose balances you've finally paid down. But deleting these accounts not only removes the accounts, but it also deletes all transactions associated with the accounts--making it impossible for you to create historical reports. A better solution is to simply hide the account. A hidden account doesn't appear in your Accounts List or register, but you can still include it in any reports you create.To hide an account:
1. Choose Lists + Accounts.
2. Select the account you want to hide and click the Hide button. Quicken places a hand icon to the right of the account name to indicate that it is currently hidden.
3. Deselect View Hidden Accounts to remove the checkmark next to this option. Quicken no longer displays the names of hidden accounts in the Accounts list. The next time you start Quicken, the hidden accounts are also removed from the Register window.To unhide an account:
1. Choose Lists + Accounts.
2. Select the account you want to display and click the Hide button. Quicken removes the hand icon from the account name.________________________________________________________________
TIP: ACCOUNT FOR ALL TRANSACTIONS If you're like most of us, you've probably received a canceled check from the bank and wondered what it was for. Instead of wracking your brain trying to remember, get into the habit of making a notation on your checks' Memo lines, no matter how mundane or obvious the check may be. The same advice applies to the Memo field in Quicken's transactions. These fields not only remind you of the nature of the transaction, but they also can hold any descriptive information you'd like to record. Rather than creating a whole new subcategory to track specific purchases, for example, you can use the Memo field to enter in the items you purchased.For example, if you have a Category named Gifts, you can use the Memo field to enter the name of the individual for whom you purchased the gift. Or if you go to dinner with a friend, you can assign the Dining Category to the transaction and then enter your friend's name in the Memo field. In any case, as you enter transactions, get into the habit of supplying as much information as you can in the Memo fields.
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