SplashMoney from SplashData

You run across that 72” Flat Screen Television that you’ve always wanted and it’s on sale. But did that deposit clear the bank? Did your wife use your ATM card to buy new curtains, draining your account where you can’t afford that primo tv? These may be some of the questions you face from time to time where being able to tap into your financial information would be helpful. WMExperts will be looking at a few of the financial applications available for WM devices to see what could help you better track your finances.

On tap first is SplashMoney ($29.95) by SplashData. This is Windows Mobile Pro application that appears to be a straight forward means to keep track of your checking, savings, credit card and other financial accounts.

According to SplashData, SplashMoney will allow you to manage your accounts anytime from anywhere. Some of SplashMoney’s features include; wireless connectivity to most online banking services, supports checking, savings, credit card, cash, asset, liability, money market and credit line accounts; reconciliation of accounts; print ability for registry and reports; scheduling transactions; currency conversion; category, class and split support; and password protection.

Installation on the Treo Pro was simple using over the air installation as well as installation via Active Sync. When you first open SplashMoney you will find a list of generic accounts that need to be edited before using.

The pop-up Menu will give you various options, including editing of accounts, setting a password, generate reports and edit various listings including payees, categories, classes, etc.

In the Edit Accounts menu, you are able to define each account by name, account number, financial institution, account number and type. This is also where you set up your online banking. When you choose to enable the Online option, you are sent to an Online Setup screen where you can choose your bank, customer ID, password and Account.

SplashData claims it includes connectivity to almost any online bank account and judging from the extensive listing of financial institutions, I wouldn’t challenge that claim. Financial Institutions ranging from 1st Advantage Federal Credit Union to Zions Bank is listed. Motorola Employees Credit Union, Huntington National Bank (new and old), and Fairwinds Credit Union are included in the list as well Capital One, Regions, and Chase. In the long shot that your financial institution is not listed, there isn’t a way to add an institution so you will not be able to utilize the online services of SplashMoney.

However, if you are able to use the online services, SplashMoney connected very smoothly with my financial institution to download transactions and balances. When you “go online” with an account it downloads up to 75 of your last transactions, allowing you to modify each transaction to fit the ledger category or accept them all “as is”.

Transaction entry is simple and straightforward. You simply click on the account from the Home Screen and click on the “plus” sign. From there you simply fill in the blanks and hit “Done”, when the transaction is complete. Each account has various options including reconciliation, generation of income/expense reports, transaction scheduling and budget reports.

SplashMoney doesn’t have the ability to pay bills online. You can add payees to your list but only the name is recorded (e.g. Cheveron, AT&T, Chili’s, etc.).

SplashMoney can be password protected and you have the option to delay the password protection. The locking of the application can be delayed for up to five minutes after exiting or powering off. This may be helpful should you exit the application, only to return a few minutes later to check on balances or enter transactions. Personally, I would rather have my financial information secure as soon as I exit the program.

Overall Impression

I liked SplashMoney ($29.95). It’s a simple program that allows you to keep tabs on your checking, savings, credit card and other financial accounts but on the same hand a very feature rich, detailed application. Being able to download up to date balances and transactions from your banks is a great way to keep track of your account activity.

I would have liked to have seen the ability to add financial institutions that were not included in the massive online banking list. The ability to pay bills electronically would have been nice but, for me, it’s something I can live without. I would rather go directly to my bank’s online services to perform these tasks to minimize the number of hands the transaction is handled by.

If you are looking for an application to track your finances, SplashMoney is definitely worth a look. SplashData offers a 14-day trial version just in case you want to shop around.