Featured Freeware: AceMoney Lite

The financial implosion that we've been warned about for years is upon us, so there's no time like the present to grab a hold of a piece of freeware to manage your cash flow. Even it flows more like a glacier--pre-global warming, of course--AceMoney Lite will help you keep track of home and small-business expenses.

All commands are accessible from buttons within the interface, as well as in the menus. The program performs all types of calculations, downloads the latest exchange rates from the Internet, and handles online banking. Bank account and credit card information can be protected by passwords to keep your data secure. The difference between the free version and the paid upgrade is that only one profile is supported by AceMoney Lite; all other features are identical.

The download is small, and the installation process runs appropriately quickly for its size. The software is well designed, includes many features, and even supports various languages, including Russian and Slovak. A button link gives you quick access to the developer's site for updates or for help. The Web site is worth mentioning, too, as it provides FAQs, tutorials, and even basic money management advice that goes beyond the obvious, "Don't spend more than you got."

From the feature set to its ease-of-use, there's no reason not to try AceMoney Lite. Just think of it as an economics lesson to teach those corrupt Wall Streeters the true meaning of the word "free."