Microsoft announced two big changes to Money Plus, their personal finance software, last week.
First off, no more brand new version each year. Microsoft is “moving off of an annual release cycle for Microsoft Money Plus.” In other words, there will not be a “Money 2009″ released this fall. It was apparently getting difficult to convince people to buy a “new” version each year that contained only minor updates.
The other change is even more dramatic. Going forward, Microsoft Money will only be sold online: “Microsoft Money Plus will continue to be available at retail outlets while supplies last. We have stopped shipping new product to retail outlets.”
Both changes make sense. Money’s annual release cycle has always been a bit silly, and buying shrink-wrapped boxes of software at Wal-Mart or Staples started to seem quaint and old-fashioned some years ago. Personally, I’ve been happy with the free versions of Money (and/or Quicken) that came with various PCs and laptops purchased over the years.
