If you cannot read the information below, click here
Missing Manuals newsletter header
Link to Missing Manuals home Link to Missing Manuals library Link to Missing Manuals screencasts Nav bar background
Content divider
Content divider

Buy 2 Books, Get the 3rd FREE!

Great Deal for Holiday Gift Buying!

Buy two books from oreilly.com and get the third free by using discount code OPC10 in our shopping cart. All orders over $29.95 qualify for free shipping within the US.

Content divider

Let Us Hear From You!

GetSatisfaction icons

Got questions? Need more information? Do you fancy yourself a book reviewer and want to share your thoughts on the Missing Manual you just finished? Did you find an error in your Missing Manual? (Hard to believe, but it's been known to happen.)

Visit our feedback page to find links where you can find answers from the experts, share your opinions, and just plain reach out to fellow Missing Manual readers.
Photo of Peter Meyers

Monthly Memo

A note from the editor

By Peter Meyers, Missing Manuals managing editor

If the last few weeks have driven you to stuff your life savings underneath the rug beneath your mattress (After all, who knows how far south things can go?), then here's one small nugget of advice: If you don't already, start using personal finance software. When it comes to things like budgeting and getting a birds-eye view of your finances, programs like Quicken are really the easiest way to figure out that, say, spending 9 percent of your paycheck at the iTunes Store needs to stop.

On that note, I'm pleased to announce the availability of Quicken 2009: The Missing Manual, which is perched atop BookScan's most recent Quicken bestseller list, narrowly edging out a scrappy competitor (Quicken 2008: The Missing Manual). We must be doing something right with these books, and it's mainly a testament to author Bonnie Biafore. She does an amazing job of not just explaining how the software works, but grounds her guidance in real-world scenarios. Readers come away understanding, for instance, how a married couple can track joint expenses. (My favorite review so far: "It should be illegal to sell Quicken without this book.") And if you're a small business owner, Bonnie's counsel is on its way: QuickBooks 2009: The Missing Manual is off to the printer next week and will be in stores early next month. Now if we can only get her to write about Wall Street — some folks there who could probably use a bit of guidance.

Content divider

Quicken Can Help During Troubled Times

Bonnie Biafore By Bonnie Biafore

The economy isn't pretty these days, so most of us want to use money more wisely and protect the money we have. Here Bonnie offers her Top 10 Tips for wrestling Quicken into submission, so you can focus on how to cut expenses and build up emergency savings.

1. Tracking overdraft protection and home equity loans

If you have overdraft protection for your checking account or you want to track a home equity line of credit (HELOC), Quicken's credit card account type fits the bill. Both of these financial features act like credit card accounts, with credit limits, minimum payments, and interest charged on credit balances.

When you set up a credit card account for overdraft protection or a HELOC, fill in the Opening Balance field with zero and the Credit Limit field with the maximum amount of credit you receive from your bank. Then, when you withdraw money, record that transaction in your Quicken credit card account register. (The withdrawal increases the balance you owe.) When you make a deposit, record it as a payment in the credit card register.

Recording the interest you pay on your HELOC is similar to recording interest payments on a credit card. The only difference is that you use a tax-deductible category for interest, like Mortgage Interest Exp:Bank.

2. Tracking business reimbursements

If you receive expense reimbursements from your company or volunteer association, having a category for tracking reimbursements can help you determine whether you've received all the money you're due. Simply create an income category called, say, Business Reimbursements. (Income categories are usually fewer in number than expense categories, so they're easier to spot.)

Then, every time you spend money on reimbursable expenses (like parking), assign the transactions to the Business Reimbursements category. When you run an Itemized Categories report, the value for Business Reimbursements shows up as a negative number--your cue that you're still waiting for your reimbursement. You can use that Itemized Categories report to prepare your expense report.

When you receive your reimbursement check, assign the deposit to the Business Reimbursements category. You'll know you've been reimbursed for all your expenses when the total for this category is equal to zero or to the amount of any unreimbursed expenses.

Read on to learn Bonnie's secrets and for a chance to win a free copy of her new book.

Content divider

Follow the Money blog

Bonnie Biafore

By Bonnie Biafore

401k accounts, 125 plans, 529 college savings... Need some 911 navigating your personal or small business finances? Our blog can be your financial co-pilot.

Recent posts

It only hurts if you sell

Taming personal finance

Content divider

Follow @MissingManuals on Twitter

Twitter logo

Are you using Twitter? If so, you can see our tweets at http://twitter.com/missingmanuals.

Twitter describes itself as "a service for friends, family, and co-workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?"

For more information on Twitter, you can check out their Frequently Asked Questions page at http://help.twitter.com/index.php?pg=kb.book&id=3.

Content divider

Flash, Apps, and All Things iPhone Dominate the Twitterverse

The Missing Feature requests from Twitter

By Chad Capellman

After searching through Twitter, we've gathered quite a few feature requests. While there were an abundance of requests related to the iPhone, we also found requests for Excel, Facebook, iPhoto, iPod, iTunes, Leopard, Outlook, Photoshop, Typepad, Windows Vista, and Visual Studio.

Read more tips

Content divider

Lesa Snider King Takes a Look at Photoshop CS4

Lesa Snyder King

By Sara Peyton

King, founder of GraphicReporter.com, chief evangelist of iStockphoto.com, and author of our forthcoming Photoshop CS4: The Missing Manual recently posted her thoughts on some of Photoshop CS4's new features and tools. Photoshop aficionados can look forward to some big changes that may take some getting used to. Will they like them? "For the most part, the answer is a resounding yes," she says.

Read more

Content divider

Coming Soon: Live Missing Manuals Webcasts

Exciting news! Missing Manuals is launching a series of Webcasts hosted by Missing Manuals authors and experts. The Webcasts feature live demonstrations of tips and tricks that'll help you get the most out of your programs and gadgets. Afterward, our experts will stick around to answer audience questions.

To see upcoming Webcast topics, click here.

Content divider
We're wondering...

We're Wondering...

What is your favorite place to buy a Missing Manual (your local bookstore, Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Borders, MissingManuals.com, or somewhere else)?
Let us know: emailus@missingmanuals.com