TIP: IN CASE OF EMERGENCY--PART 1 OF 2

Quicken can organize just about every aspect of your life. You can track expenses, keep in touch with friends and family, inventory your home, and keep track of all your important documents; you know--the ones stuffed in the strongbox under your bed. In this tip, we show you how to use the Emergency Records Organizer to keep all your important information in a single, easily accessible place. What's more, you can also generate a number of reports to make available to your family, lawyer, or caretaker, in case of an emergency.

To use the Emergency Records Organizer:

1. From the Toolbar, choose Features + Planning + Emergency Records Organizer.
2. Select the Create/Update Records tab in the resulting window.
3. In the Emergency Records Organizer window, click the Select an Area drop down-list.
4. Select a Topic.
5. Enter the required information.
6. Repeat these steps by entering all the required information for each subsequent topic in the Create/Update Records window. To generate a report, select the Report tab and then select the type of report you want to create. The report appears in the Report area of the screen. Click Print to generate a hard copy.

   In the next tip, we show you how to keep these records safe from snoops.

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   TIP: IN CASE OF EMERGENCY--PART 2 OF 2

   In our last tip, we introduced the Emergency Records Organizer, which helps you track your important documents.
   To get started, choose Features + Planning + Emergency Records Organizer. Select the Create/Update Records tab and select a topic from the drop-down list in the Select an Area section. Enter the required information.

   Although the Emergency Records Organizer makes updating and locating your important documents easy, there's a lot to be said for that old strongbox. For one thing, the nice big lock keeps out snooping eyes. Fortunately, Quicken anticipated your security needs and allows you to assign a password to your file so that only those that know the password can view the contents of the file.

   To keep out snoops:
   1. From the Toolbar, choose File + Passwords + File.
   2. Enter a password in the Password box and then reenter it in the Confirm Password text box.
   3. Click OK. Write down the password and keep it in a safe place.

   The next time you attempt to open the file, Quicken prompts you for the password. Those who are unable to supply the password won't be able to open the file. CAUTION: DON’T FORGET YOUR PASSWORD OR YOU WILL BE VERY, VERY SORRY. YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ACCESS YOUR DATA. Quicken supposedly has a method of opening your files but you must send a copy of your hard drive. What if you haven’t backed it up properly? And who wants to send all their information to strangers? JUST DON’T FORGET YOUR PASSWORD !!!

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   "Keep Readin' Friend, I've Got Lots More Tips"

   TIP: QUICKER DATA ENTRY

   Are you finding data entry more and more tedious as time goes by? Did you know that two simple keys on your keyboard can make a world of difference when you enter transactions? Believe it or not, the plus (+) and minus (-) keys are your quickest route to relieving transactions tedium.

   Here's what happens when you press the plus or minus key in the following fields:
   - In the Num field: Increases or decreases the check number.
   - In the Date field: Increases or decreases the current date.
   - In the Payee field: Selects the next or previous memorized transaction.
   - In the Category field: Selects the next or previous category from the Category list.
   There. Isn't it amazing how these two unassuming keys can make all the difference during data entry?
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   TIP: QUICKER DATA ENTRY--ENTERING DATES

   If you liked our previous tip on how to speed up data entry, you'll love this one. You can use the following keystrokes anytime that you are dealing with dates--including those times when you're entering transactions or working with the financial calendar.
   - Press M to enter the first day of the month.
   - Press H to enter the last day of the month.
   - Press T to enter the current date.
   - Press Y to enter the first day of the year.
   - Press R to enter the last day of the year.
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   TIP: SPRUCING UP A REPORT--PART 1 OF 2

   When you create reports, Quicken uses the same boring font (Arial) for all of the data. So what's the point of having all those fancy fonts on your PC if you can't use them in your reports? Guess what? You can change the heading and body fonts of your reports to anything your heart desires. Just remember, use a little self-control. The last thing you need is a financial report that bares all of your financial future in a frilly font.

   To add some pizzazz to your reports:
   1. First create the report or switch to the report you want to change.
   2. With the report on-screen, choose File + Print Report.
   3. In the Print dialog box, click the Heading Font button to change the font used for the report heading.
   4. Select the font you like from the Font list box.
   5. Select the font style from the Font Style list box.
   6. Select the font size from the Size list box.
   7. Check out how your choices look in the sample box that's just below the Font list boxes. Then continue selecting different fonts, styles, and sizes until you're satisfied.
   8. Click OK when you're done.
   9. Back at the Print dialog box, click the Body Font button to change the font used for the body of the report (which includes everything but, you guessed it, the heading).
   10. Repeat Steps 3 through 7 until you are satisfied; then click OK.
   11. Click OK again to print the report.
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   TIP: SPRUCING UP A REPORT--PART 2 OF 2

   In our last tip, we showed you how to switch from the same old boring typeface in your reports to something with a little more pizzazz. In this tip, we show you how to make those same changes for all of the reports you create.

   To change the fonts used for all reports:
   1. Choose File + Printer Setup + For Reports/Graphs.
   2. In the Printer Setup for Reports and Graphs, click the Heading Font or Body Font buttons as necessary.
   3. Make your selections in the resulting dialog box and click OK.
   4. When you have finished making changes to the report fonts, click OK again.
   Now, every report you create uses these new fonts.
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   TIP: SPEEDY PRINTING

   So you followed our last tip and applied a fancy font style to your report. Looks good, doesn't it? But now you're cursing us for bogging down your print jobs. Well here's a little trick for getting the best of both worlds, at least temporarily. When you find that your reports aren't printing as swiftly as before, you can print your reports in draft mode--at least until you get them the way you want them. When you print in draft mode, Quicken substitutes the current font for a simple one to speed up printing time.

   To speed up your print jobs:
   1. If necessary, switch to or create the report you want to print.
   2. Choose File + Print Report.
   3. Select the Print in Draft Mode option.
   4. Click OK to print the report.

   DRAFT MODE works with most if not all printing jobs in all software programs to speed up printing and also to use less ink when making a copy for your files (Remember the carbon-copies in pre-computer days?)

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   TIP: CATEGORIES UNITE!

   You followed our advice and categorized each and every transaction in your registers. But now you realize that you've been a little overzealous (a category named Food really is the same as Groceries, after all). Or maybe you changed your mind altogether and want to create a single category encompassing a number of different categories. Not to worry. You don't have to reassign each and every transaction to the new category. Instead, you can merge the different categories into a single category.

   The first thing to do is to change the category you no longer need into a subcategory of the category you want to keep (for example, you would make the category named Food a subcategory of Groceries):

   1. Choose Lists + Category/Transfer.
   2. From the Category list, select the Category you no longer want and click the Edit button.
   3. In the Subcategory of Field within the Edit Category box, select the Category you want to keep.
   4. Click OK to return to the Category/Transfer list.
   Next, you delete the category you no longer need:
   1. From the Category & Transfer list, select the category you no longer need. That is, select the category that you just turned into a subcategory.
   2. Click the Delete button.
   3. Click Yes to confirm the deletion.
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