Microsoft Money 99 public beta release due soon

Microsoft Corporation will release a public beta of its upcoming Money 99Financial Suite software later this month, giving users a chance to checkit out for free before it is released in November. Due to hit the MicrosoftWeb site on August 27, Microsoft Money 99 Beta 1 will include a redesignedHTML-based interface (Side note: When hasn't Microsoft redesigned theinterface? We've been using Money since day one and every single versionhas sported a new interface. Grrr....), tighter Web integration, and a new"lifetime planner" that lets users set longtime goals. Microsoft workedwith financial advisors at American Express to add new investment featuresto Money.

"We wanted to find out how to incorporate [Amex's] expertise into oursoftware," said Julie O'Brien, a product manager for Microsoft Money