Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ: INTU) today announced that American Century Investments will now offer the Online Investment Tracking service through Quicken 98 for Windows software. American Century Investments joins the growing number of top tier investment firms that offer easy access to customers' account information through Quicken software. Quicken continues to lead all competing personal finance software packages in providing access to the greatest number of individual investor accounts at the greatest number of investment firms.
The Online Investment Tracking service offered in Quicken 98 for Windows allows individual investors to connect directly to their account information with participating financial institutions via the Internet through the Open Financial Exchange (OFX) communications specification. Investors can access their transactions, balances, and holdings as well as link to their investment firm's Web site to execute trades. In addition, investors have the ability to take advantage of the reporting and tracking features that have made Quicken the #1 best selling personal finance software, according to PC Data.
"American Century Investments is a welcome addition to the Intuit family of partners. We're very happy to provide their customers with the ability to download investment account information into Quicken, and we believe this will be a truly beneficial relationship for all parties," says Mark Goines, Intuit's SVP of Consumer Products.
"With nearly 60% of the American Century shareholder base already using Quicken to manage their personal finances, the decision to offer Online Investment Tracking was a natural one," says Mary Witwer, American Century vice president of Electronic Commerce. "By offering this capability, we further demonstrate our commitment to providing convenient electronic commerce solutions that help our customers simplify and consolidate their personal finances."
Quicken has over 10 million users, 80 percent of whom have investments, and who represent an extremely attractive market opportunity for financial service companies seeking affluent, educated, and computer-literate customers. Intuit also offers an award winning web site, Quicken.com, which helps consumers make confident decisions in all areas of personal finance management, including investments, insurance, tax and mortgages.
With Online Investment Tracking through Quicken 98 for Windows, Intuit provides financial services companies a new channel to reach and serve their investment customers. Brokers and financial services companies supporting the OFX specification can offer Quicken 98 for Windows users a direct connection via the Internet to retrieve current balances, transactions, and holdings from their investment accounts and automatically update their Quicken accounts.
