Which Quicken to get to handle an estate ?

akitchens3

Hello,

I just opened an Estate Bank account and wanted to get a software to help manage it. I will need to print checks to pay bills and such. Which software would y'all recommend? I would like to use it on my Mac but have Windows if needed.

Thanks

Boatnmaniac

Hi @akitchens3 . I can find no bank in Quicken nor in a Google search called "Estate Bank"…it simply does not seem to exist. Please advise the full name of the bank.

jacobs

Do you mean "a bank account for an estate" rather than "an account at Estate Bank"? If the former, Quicken Mac should be able to handle your needs for paying bills and printing checks.

You only need Quicken Deluxe; Quicken Premier adds very little, unless you plan to use Quickens Check Pay banking feature (where instead of you printing checks, you submit payments for Quicken's payment partner to print and mail). I've read enough stories of late/missed payments that I would personally not using Quicken's Check Pay and instead print and mail checks myself.

akitchens3

Yes, It's just a checking account for an Estate. Sorry about that.

Boatnmaniac

No problem. If you would tell us the name of the bank we could advise you whether or not you can set up that bank for transactions downloads and perhaps with which kind of bill pay functionality.

BTW, I agree that you would be fine using Deluxe with either QMac or QWin.

If you are interested in saving a little more on the subscription cost you might want to consider Starter but you won't have as much in the way or reporting capability and if the Estate has real estate and investments it would not be a good option for you. When the Starter subscription expires, if the subscription is not renewed, it will become read-only. But Deluxe can continue to be used manually for as long as your system supports the software. Since most estates are settled and closed out 1-2 yrs (or less) after the person's death Starter might be a good option for you to consider, too, provided it is a simple estate.

akitchens3

The bank is Security State Bank

akitchens3

The account is mainly for money coming in and for money going out for the estate. Showing details about bills paid and so on.

Boatnmaniac

There are 37 "Security State Bank" financial institutions in QWin, mostly differentiated by location. I would imagine that QMac will have a similar number.

Which location is the one that you are using?

akitchens3

Security State Bank Pleasanton, TX

Boatnmaniac

In QWin it looks like this branch would use the Security State Bank South Texas online services setup link. Quicken will download transactions via the Express Web Connect (EWC) connection method from the bank for you. (Or you could manually download and import transactions from the bank via Web Connect but why go to that trouble when Quicken will be able to do it for you?)

Perhaps @jacobs would advise if this branch is available for downloading into Quicken with QMac.

You could probably use the Quicken Bill Manager Bill Pay service to pay bills but I, also, think you might be better off paying bills by either logging into the online account and use their bill pay service (most likely a free service) or to write out or print out checks with Quicken and then mail them.

BTW, after further thought, I think your safest bet for the software would be to buy the Deluxe subscription and not go with the Starter subscription. The difference in the full retail price is only $18/yr ($41.88 for Starter, $59.88 for Deluxe) and Deluxe offers so much more with regard to reports and other features and functionality. Also, online retailers often have sale prices for Deluxe that are lower than the full retail price for Start…..like OfficeDepot.com and NewEgg.com are currently selling Deluxe for only $35.99 which is a really good deal.

jacobs

Yes, indeed, Security State Bank South Texas shows up in Quicken Mac. I agree with recommending Quicken Deluxe (not Starter) even though your needs are pretty basic.