I have used H & R Block Deluxe version since 2016, when I switched from Turbo Tax (used from 2008 to 2015) due to Turbo Tax moving some investment components to a pricier version, which I felt was not worth the added cost. I have been very happy with H & R Block over the years but I have run into one or two issues where it didn’t work correctly but there was always an update that fixed the problem. Once software is installed you just start and it will walk you thru authorizing it, etc. Since I had used H & R block previously it was easy to import the prior year’s tax info. When I switched from Turbo Tax 2016 it also imported my TT tax info from prior year with no issues – so if you are looking to switch it should be pretty painless. You can have the software import your W-2’s and financial info – which I have tried in prior years with varying degrees of success. I have found that just typing in manually works better for me. The software walks you thru every part of the tax form – asking you questions as you go as to what may or may not apply to you. While this can get tedious it has made me remember some things I had forgotten about to be included. It will give you a running total of your federal tax amount as you fill out the forms. Once completed it will go over everything and highlight any areas of concern that may need more info. Once that is all good it will run a “test” as to completeness and your audit chances. Once all is good it will ask you to indicate your state to be downloaded and once selected/installed it walks you thru your states return in same fashion as federal. Once state is completed it runs one more completeness and audit check. If all is good you have the option to e-file federal and/or state. What you may not be aware of if you have never e-filled before, is you can pick the date to pay if you owe. If you file in February you can set a date for funds to come directly from your account anytime from then until 4/15. Overall, I would recommend H & R Block software especially in a price comparison with competitor options. Just be sure you get the version that fits your financial needs.

I have used Quicken Premiere since the 1990s. It haall the features I need in a personal financial management tool and then some. One key attribute is that Quicken lets you store your data where YOU want it, not in a propriety database under their control. (It does provide online storage if you want it, but I like to keep info where I control it.) Plenty of tools to track all your accounts, and the option to use a smartphone app (with a limited store of recent data) so you can keep tracking your money on the go. But again, you control which acvounts interface with the smartphone app. You can choose to download account data from your bank and broker websites, or if you're on the paranoid side, you can do it all with manual transaction entries and reconciling your accounts with paper statements. My only problem with Quicken is that they transitioned to a software-as-a-Service model a few years ago. In the past, you could buy a license that would be supported for at least 3 years. Now you must subscribe annually, or you lose many key usability features. That is why I give it 4 stars instead of 5.

I used to use Microsoft Money for years but due to avalibility I started using Quicken for my banking and investment tracking. It is a bit quirky in that sometimes it has issues connecting to my accounts. Maybe its the financial institutions fault. It also has fairly frequent updates...thats fine for keeping security up to date. Sometimes have issues with the wrong accout information dowloading into my register about a transaction so some manual adjustments are needed but at least I don't have to enter all of the transactions manually. Overall does the job with room for improvement.

Good price on 1 yr subscription to Quicken. Much cheaper than Quicken charges for auto-renewal

This is what I use every year now to track expenditures. It does the job well enough, but I really miss my old DOS program Managing Yor Money.