Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I've faithfully upgraded my Quicken software every year. I've got to say that this year's 2003 release is NOT one of the better upgrades. Quicken has dummed-down the product so much that it's lost a lot of its great layout flexibility. Worse - if you don't like strong-arm advertising tactics you may want to look elsewhere. Quicken 2003 is a lot easier to use, but it comes at a cost. Tasks/activities now open up in single pop-up windows (the browser type single window/navigation is gone). If you want to keep the pop-up task/activity around while you do something else, you have to first minimize it to get it out of the way (the task/activity is then stored at the bottom of the Quicken screen as a link). This is probably easier for your average user but makes more steps and is more cumbersome to experienced Quicken users. My least favorite change: You can't have Quicken "save" your current/favorite layout and open/launch Quicken to that same layout every time you start Quicken - instead, Quicken always goes back to the default layout on startup. Grrrr. Probably most disappointing is the way Quicken forces their services down your throat. On-screen advertisements are sure to annoy IMMEDIATELY (They can't be removed from the default home page, but you can make your own custom home page sans advertisement if you spend some time reading the manual). The toolbar is by default cluttered/littered with links to "Quicken Brokerage", "Quicken On the Web" and "Quicken Services". All are removable but it's annoying to even have to shut them off in the first place. If you want to use Quicken's on-line bill payment (via your own bank), get ready to be forcibly run through Quicken's registration program which basically makes you enroll in Quicken's own on-line services. The registration will hound you if you don't register, and once you do register Quicken insists that you upload your private bank account information (transactions et al) to their web server so you can "manage your accounts on-line" via the web (NO THANKS! I HAVE ENOUGH TROUBLE PROTECTING MY PRIVATE INFORMATION ON-LINE). Trying to figure out how to get through registration without uploading your checking and saving account transaction/history to Quicken's web site is not obvious (but it can be done). You can work around Quicken's strong arm registration tactics and get rid of most of the in-your-face advertising and up-selling, but it will take up a lot of your time and guarantees to annoy even the most patient. At the end of the day, with Quicken 2003, I can still do everything I could with Quicken 2002. Is it worth upgrading? I have not noticed anything (at all) that is new and useful. New users will find Quicken 2003 to be VERY easy to use. Old users will be a little frustrated by the loss of flexibility caused by this tradeoff. Everyone will be unhappy with Quicken's in-your face approach to getting you to use more of their "services". If you can be patient - it's still probably the best personal financial software available.