J & L Financial Planner Professional for Windows

J and L Financial Planner Professional is a powerful program that allows users to predict how certain financial events will affect them in the future. Although the program is jam-packed with features, its overwhelming interface makes it a little hard to get used to.

The trial version of the program allows users to view a sample account, and the first screen of the interface shows three graphs representing net worth and incoming and outgoing funds. The rest of the interface is cluttered with tabs, buttons, and drop-down menus. Users need to take a deep breath and resign themselves to clicking around and perhaps visiting the built-in Help file. There is a lot going on in this program, but users who take the time to get comfortable will find themselves rewarded with a powerful way to plan for their financial futures. The heart of the program lies in its ability for users to analyze how certain financial events, such as mortgages, credit cards, and investments, will affect them in the future. The program also includes a variety of different calculators and the ability to print reports and view many different types of graphs. The program is definitely complex, and is not made for users seeking simple budgeting or other basic financial planning.

J and L Financial Planner has a 21-day trial period and limits the number of accounts that can be included in the trial version. It installs desktop icons without asking but uninstalls cleanly. We recommend this program to intermediate and advanced users who have some experience with financial planning.