Been using Quicken for decades. Should I start over in new year?

HaventGotAClue

I used Managing your money for years in my teens / early 20s. I wound up moving to quicken around that time and now I am early 60s. Still using Quicken desktop for windows. I get the next version every couple? years to be able to download bank and broker info.

Over all this time, it's the same data file : ) a bunch of broker accounts that are in there that are closed. Bank accounts too.

I traded (not invest) stocks for decades. and now I am selling covered calls in 6 different accounts on almost weekly basis. (so LOADS of transactions / stock symbols / etc.)

The old stocks / options / accounts are hidden but still in here.

my data file is about 115MB.

Clicking on help, then control + about quicken gets:
65 accounts
164 categories
securities / max ref 1527/1527
transactions: 34438

Most things take a couple or few seconds to do in the program. Not horiffic, but....

Should I just start over with a new data file at the start of the year? If I need to look something up in banking, I open the old data file.

I have to enter the purchase info for stocks that I have. I've not sold any options for 2023 expiration in anticipation of doing something at start of year.

I think I tried starting over in the past... and didn't really see much time improvement with new data file - it's just a slow program?

volvogirl

No.  Most of use recommend to just continue on using the same quicken file and don't split out the years nor Archive them.  Just keep going.  A lot of times people want to put the files back together which is next to impossible.  And you have to remember to keep converting your old years each time you get a new version or update.  

q_lurker

Your numbers (my numbers):
Clicking on help, then control + about quicken gets:
65 accounts (58)
164 categories (206)
securities / max ref 1527/1527 (1527/1527 no not a typo - identical)
transactions: 34438 (69410)

Mine 196 MB (per Windows), 118 MB per About Quicken.  Not sure which your 115 referred to)

Been using this same file since 1990.  Also used MYM for a bit prior. 

I don't store any attachments in Quicken

My answer - an emphatic No.  At some point its conceivable I'd start a new file, but I see no reason to right now.

Chris_QPW

I think you have answered your own question:

HaventGotAClue said:

I think I tried starting over in the past... and didn't really see much time improvement with new data file - it's just a slow program?

Drop the question mark and make it a period or an exclamation point and you have your answer.

jcryanjr

Been a user since 1995. Similar data numbers to yours. Things seemed to be getting slower and slower with the program. Tried to clean things up, verify the data, talked to the tech support folks, etc. Nothing speeded it up. Really didn’t want to lose easy access to the older data if and when I needed it so I dealt with the performance. Had a lightening strike fry my hard drive (despite having a surge suppressor on the PC 😠) and bought a new PC last year to replace the five year old dead unit. Don’t know the age of your box but a new PC with 32Gb RAM and a solid state hard drive made a huge difference in the program performance. Entering a new investment transaction is a second or two versus 15 to 20 on the old box. Haven’t even considered starting over since I got the new PC.

Chris_QPW

@jcryanjr that is an interesting point that I tend to forget since I changed to an SSD years ago.  Having a fair amount of memory (you don't have to overdo it, but these days say about 16GB of more) and running off of an SSD can really make a difference.