Personal Finance Software Takes On Advisory Role Intuit Quicken, Microsoft Money keep close eye on shopping, instantly tell you what you can afford.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)(COMPUTERS MADE PLAIN)

Byline: Nancy Gondo

Chances are, you've used personal finance software to balance your checkbook and track stocks. But if you need help with tougher financial problems, you'll find such software has its limits.

New versions of the top personal financial programs -- Intuit Inc.'s Quicken Deluxe 2002 and Microsoft Corp.'s Money 2002 -- try to expand their capabilities by acting like a digital financial adviser.

How? Both programs track your entire financial situation -- down to the penny. You type the data into the software yourself or download transactions from your bank or broker.

Quicken and Money are smart enough to look for patterns once the data are entered into the software. They then give warning signs of bad money habits.

Best of all, both software programs jump onto the Web when needed. So you're always getting fresh information relevant to your situation.

The software can actually help you make good decisions. Consider Quicken Deluxe's revamped stock portfolio tracker. Even before you sell a stock, the software will warn you if you're close to qualifying for the lower, long-term capital gains tax. At a glance, you can see that by hanging on to the stock for just a few more weeks, you can save thousands of dollars.