Lifetime Planner options for Mac user?

kinseattle

I migrated from Q4Win to Q4Mac several years ago. I prefer the Mac version but I now need the lifetime planner which is only available in Q4Win.

Query #1 - does Quicken on the web have Lifetime planner?

Query #2 - I can reinstall Parallels and run Q4Win. If I do so, can I continue using Q4Mac and synch to Q4Win? Or do I need to convert data to Q4Win?

Query #3 - assuming I have to convert data from Q4Mac to Q4Win, am I likely to run into problems?

Query #4 - Am I nuts? Should I be looking for an alternative to lifetime planner? And what would that be?

Thank you for any and all recommendations!

Chris_QPW

Note I'm a Windows user, but I know the following:

I'm not sure about your use of 4 In the names as in does Q4Mac mean that you are actually using Quicken 2004 for Mac?  Or something else.  (same for Q4Win)

Because to convert between two such old versions would only be possible using QIF files, and it can be very error prone.

#1  No it doesn't have it.

#2 There isn't any way to "sync" from Windows to Mac or the other way around.  The is a way to do conversion of your data file between the two.  You can of course run Quicken Window in Parallels and such, but there isn't any "automatic" way to keep it in sync with a Quicken Mac data file.

#3 The conversion involves exporting a QXF from Quicken Mac and importing that file into a new Quicken Windows data file.  First off it has been found that there tends to be lots of errors if the latest version (Subscription) of Quicken Mac isn't used.  Second you have to have the Deluxe edition because the Quicken Windows Starter doesn't have the QXF import.  And last, but certainly not least, the Quicken Windows QXF import doesn't support importing investment transactions, so if you have them they will not come through.

#4 Well that isn't for me to judge.   I can certainly understand wanting to use it, for all its faults it does have at least one major advantage and that is that all your data is already in Quicken.  I'm not sure about any such programs for Mac (since I don't use it), but have used a few online ones and found them pretty "lacking" I guess mostly because the user has to enter data, and most people won't take more than say 30 minutes for such an activity, they really don't have a "full data set" to do any real good predictions on.  On the Windows side there is this program that a SuperUser point out a while ago and it is even better than Quicken for predictions, but of course you have to put the data in and maintain it, and it is a bit hard to understand at times of what is needed: http://forecaster4website.azurewebsites.net/default.html

Chris_QPW

Note I'm a Windows user, but I know the following:

I'm not sure about your use of 4 In the names as in does Q4Mac mean that you are actually using Quicken 2004 for Mac?  Or something else.  (same for Q4Win)

Because to convert between two such old versions would only be possible using QIF files, and it can be very error prone.

#1  No it doesn't have it.

#2 There isn't any way to "sync" from Windows to Mac or the other way around.  The is a way to do conversion of your data file between the two.  You can of course run Quicken Window in Parallels and such, but there isn't any "automatic" way to keep it in sync with a Quicken Mac data file.

#3 The conversion involves exporting a QXF from Quicken Mac and importing that file into a new Quicken Windows data file.  First off it has been found that there tends to be lots of errors if the latest version (Subscription) of Quicken Mac isn't used.  Second you have to have the Deluxe edition because the Quicken Windows Starter doesn't have the QXF import.  And last, but certainly not least, the Quicken Windows QXF import doesn't support importing investment transactions, so if you have them they will not come through.

#4 Well that isn't for me to judge.   I can certainly understand wanting to use it, for all its faults it does have at least one major advantage and that is that all your data is already in Quicken.  I'm not sure about any such programs for Mac (since I don't use it), but have used a few online ones and found them pretty "lacking" I guess mostly because the user has to enter data, and most people won't take more than say 30 minutes for such an activity, they really don't have a "full data set" to do any real good predictions on.  On the Windows side there is this program that a SuperUser point out a while ago and it is even better than Quicken for predictions, but of course you have to put the data in and maintain it, and it is a bit hard to understand at times of what is needed: http://forecaster4website.azurewebsites.net/default.html

kinseattle

Thank you. I am on the Premier subscription service. It looks like I should install Parallels, download Quicken for Windows (Q4Win) and convert my historical data. Then I can use the Windows version for planning but continue using the Mac version day to day. If necessary, I can download data directly into the Windows version to update the plan. Seems a nuisance but easier than trying to do the planning without it.