Accounting Software

[skywalker]

Hey playground, my parents' in house accountant (they have two) has retired and they've determined that since I took a basic accounting course last semester, I'm the perfect candidate to search out and then run the accounting software they're getting to replace her.

So, I call on the playground (where I hope there are some accomplished small business types) for advice on what software would be best for my needs. I need a program that is capable of both business and personal finances, first of all. Second, I need a program that can track transactions related to rents and other real estate issues. Finally, I need a program that is capable of running payroll, altho not necessarily out of the box. These are, I think, the three primary requirements.

So, oh hopefully experienced playgrounders, what say you? Thanks in advance.

[Last_resort_33]

I am from the UK, so I'm not sure how applicable these products are in the US, but for general accounting, I would recommend Sage Line 50 combined with Sage Payroll,

If you're going to be doing a LOT of work with lettings, then Winman CFP is very good, but not cheap.

Again, I think that these are both British packages, and I'm not sure of how portable they might be to the US, but that's my 0.02 GBP.

[Jack Squat]

Back when my dad had a business, he used PeachTree (http://www.peachtree.com/) for it. You can try it for up to 60 days free before you buy, so you should be able to see if it fits your needs before you fork over the $2-300.

I know another option is QuickBooks (http://quickbooks.intuit.com/product/accounting-software/free-accounting-software.jsp), but it's definitely business oriented. I've got some CDs laying around of older versions of that, but I haven't seen how it works. The download I linked to is Free.

I've heard Quicken (http://quicken.intuit.com/) is a good choice. It looks like they also have some different choices that could work for what you need (Home & Business [$100] and Rental Property Manager [$150]). This is probably what I'd go with, just so both solutions have similar user interfaces.

[Rawhide]

In Australia, any accountant will tell you that there's only two packages to consider. Quicken/QuickBooks (good, cheaper) and M.Y.O.B. (better, more expensive).