The transition to the Mac platform can be a little scary for some people. One of the questions that many people ask is whether they would be able to do the same things that they usually do on PCs. When it comes to (personal) finances, the answer is: you will be able to do much more. Developers on the Mac usually keep that tradition of great graphics and visually pleasing GUIs(Graphical User Interface) combined with the power of the application itself.

I’m here to tell you about a little program called iBank. I want to review the program and give you some ideas as to how it will help with your productivity on a Mac. I actually found out about the program through the Apple Downloads page under Business and Finance. I hadn’t kept up with my banking lately and realized that I needed something that I would actually like doing. Well this program does that and more, for once I actually don’t mind doing my finances!
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iBank is a personal finance program designed to help you keep track of bank accounts, credit cards, investments and more. It allows you to create charts, reports, personal checks, budgets and everything you can think of when it comes to finances. You can encrypt the file (which I would strongly recommend) which requires you to type a password when you open iBank. Once opened you can add as many accounts as you wish and can get started on filling in the transaction history. It’s as simple as picking the transaction, such as a deposit or charge, and putting in the business name and price. You can then select a category, which are already in the program, and that will keep track of taxable items as well as colors in the charts shown. There is also a memo section so you can explain what it was you bought, and even drag a picture in, which is useful especially with online purchases. This is just the beginning of this great program.

(Click on any picture to enlarge).

 As you can see the chart at the bottom left is nice to get an idea of exactly where your money is being spent. It gives you the total amount spent, and details the exact amount spent in each category. You can also get a more detailed version of this using the chart tool, analyzing week by week, quarterly or annually for example.

A nice feature is that it remembers the businesses you have already entered. For example, you could say Amazon.com was the payee, it will automatically put in the correct category and put in the last price you paid for something. This is especially helpful for things you buy constantly such as gas or food. Also checks are automatically numbered after you place the first one in. Scheduled transactions can be inputed so that you don’t have to insert things like your paycheck every week or two. There is also a budget monitor to help you plan your finances and also see how well you are keeping with them.

iBank can also help you keep track of your investments. When taking care of your finances you can simply put in the same transaction information and it will take care of the rest for you such as overall values and gain/loss. If you have a .Mac account you will be able to back your iBank files up to that. Scheduled transactions are also capable of integrating with iCal.

iBank is simply one of the best programs I have ever used for the Mac. Its simple to use and it actually makes doing your finances fun! (if that is possible for you of course) It is well worth the money ($39.99) and you are able to have a trial period with up to 50 transactions so if you don’t like it, you don’t have to buy it! It is fully functional which is always nice and gives you an exact idea of how the program works. I hope you found this review helpful and happy banking!

iBank can be downloaded at the IGG software website at http://www.iggsoftware.com/ibank/

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