In an ironic twist, the Founder of Mint.com has sold to the makers of Quicken (Intuit). Some of you may remember my post almost a year ago about how I appreciated Mint’s easy interface and particularly the ability to monitor those expenses that vary from month to month, like groceries, eating out, and household items.
Shortly after I published it, a representative from Intuit commented on the post trying to sell me on their online Quicken product. From her comment, it was obvious she didn’t understand that the problem I had with Quicken, was the one Mint solved. I found it humorous and slightly annoying.
But now, it seems, that Intuit has wizened up and instead of innovating themselves, they’ve bought Mint. I don’t blame them. Buying something you don’t have is a good strategy. And I can’t really even fault the founder of Mint — I couldn’t turn down $170 million either.
But, Intuit? Really? The maker of clunky Quicken? The Mint team is said to remain in tact and will actually take over Intuit’s personal finance division. Time will tell which mind set wins out. I’m pullin’ for ya Mint, but find myself dubious that it will remain as clean and user friendly as it is today.
Read other people’s comments here.
Filed under: Personal finance
Alas!
I now feel I’ve matured in the past year. I actually know what you’re talking about now!
Hey, that clunky bit of software means that in a couple of minutes a month, I have all of our month’s spending in my budget, so I’ve got Quicken’s back. Then again, our budget’s not run of the mill. And I haven’t tried mint.com. And I’m still using a pc. Insert judgments here.
Yeah, for business, the only option really is Quicken.