Why does moneydance seem like a rip-off?

I am seeing error 2000. And if I am able to download my portfolio, does moneydance automatically update my mutual funds everyday or do I have to keep entering in the information manually? If it's the latter, which it seems like, then it is a rip-off.

Also, I am having problems navigating on the application. I tried referring to the help section but I haven't been able to come up with a solution.

I have no idea what error 2000 is, so I'll let someone wiser than me address that.

As far as automatically updating your mutual funds everyday, are you talking about updates to the share prices? You can get that with the Stock Quote Synchronizer extension, which is an official extension from the Moneydance developer. Go to Extensions > Add, and choose "From the internet," and add the Stock Quote Synchronizer extension, which will update share prices whenever you activate it. You should also get the Stock/Forex Quotes Auto Synchronizer extension, which activates the synchronizer at customizable intervals (every few minutes, at a particular time of day, when you start the app, etc.).

As far as problems navigating the application, again you'll have to be more specific. Is there something you're looking for that you can't find? Or is there some function that seems difficult that you want to figure out how to do more easily?

I still think it is unjustified to throw around insults like "rip-off" about a missing feature when you really don't know for sure whether the features exists or not. The better approach is to get all the facts before leveling such a criticism.

Alright, maybe you're right about stating "rip-off" but after purchasing this package, I found it hard to find solutions to my issues when trying to get started. I am still trying to dl my transaction for my portfolio and am getting error: 2000. Am I able to access my portfolio from moneydance to smith barney? How can I do this correctly? As of now, I am selecting online banking and following the steps. Then I go through download transactions and get the error message when it asks for user id and password/PIN. If I am able to do this, will moneydance automatically show a portfolio for my smith barney accounts? I'm guessing from there, I can do the synchronization steps you described to keep it updated? Can I do the same thing with my bank accounts? If I can figure this out, then I am totally wrong about moneydance and apologize for the "rip off" statements. It's just frustrating trying to set it up after I purchased the application.

So when I try to connect to my online bank account, moneydance says that my password and PIN is incorrect. I tried both of mine a few times and it hasn't worked. Why am I experiencing problems loading my account information from my financial institution? I also confirmed my account number and routing number.

"Am I able to access my portfolio from moneydance to smith barney?"

Smith Barney is on the list of institutions, but I don't have any accounts with them so I don't know how to set it up. You might call their online banking support to see if there's anything special you need to do to access your account from within Quicken (just mention Quicken, they probably won't know about Moneydance). Sometimes it needs to be enabled on their end.

"If I am able to do this, will moneydance automatically show a portfolio for my smith barney accounts? I'm guessing from there, I can do the synchronization steps you described to keep it updated?"

The synchronization extensions only update share prices for stocks and mutual funds. To download the actual transactions, you have to select "Download Transactions" from the Online button in the account register. For now, you have to do it separately for each account. I believe the 2009 version, which is going to be released soon, will let you download transactions for all accounts in one step.

Downloading transactions won't necessarily show your entire portfolio though. You can only download the transactions that the institution makes available, which is usually just a few weeks or months. If your account is older than that, you may have to enter the historical transactions manually. This is true for all personal finance apps including Quicken, not just Moneydance.

"Can I do the same thing with my bank accounts?"

If it is a supported bank, yes.

"So when I try to connect to my online bank account, moneydance says that my password and PIN is incorrect. I tried both of mine a few times and it hasn't worked. Why am I experiencing problems loading my account information from my financial institution?"

Call your bank's online banking support line and ask if there are any special steps you need to take to access your account from within the Quicken software. Also make sure you selected the correct bank from the list of institutions. Some banks have multiple entries for different divisions (like credit card vs. checking account).

"It's just frustrating trying to set it up after I purchased the application."

You know that Moneydance has a free trial version, right? The trial version has all the features of the paid version, is unlimited in time, and lets you import an unlimited number of transactions. The only limit to the trial version is that you're limited to 100 downloaded or manually entered transactions.

Best of luck to you.

I have an account at smithbarney investments, with online banking enabled. I have tried moneydance. I get the same error. You will never be able to get it to work, and you won't get any help at all from the moneydance people, other than the attitude that it must be smithbarney (even though ofx download works with another major but soon to be discontinued pfm program)

Oh, and if you do, let us all know!!