Microsoft launches 'Money in Excel' to help users manage finances

In a bid the help people manage their finances efficiently, Microsoft has launched the Money in Excel feature for Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscribers, starting first in the US.

'Money in Excel' is a template and add-in for Excel that allows users to securely connect bank, credit card, investment, and loan accounts to Excel and automatically import your transaction and account information into an Excel spreadsheet.

"If you're a current Microsoft 365 Personal or Family subscriber, simply go to this link to download the template," said Arjun Tomar, Product Marketing Manager, Microsoft 365.

Once downloaded, open the Excel template and follow the on-screen prompts to connect your financial accounts using a secure third-party plugin supported by Plaid (Plaid currently supports most major U.S. financial institutions).

Once your account information is verified, the workbook will be updated with your latest transaction history and is now ready for use.

"Once your financial accounts are connected, Money in Excel will automatically import your transaction information from all your accounts into one workbook. You no longer need to spend hours manually setting up a personal finance spreadsheet from scratch; Money in Excel does it for you in just a few seconds," Microsoft said in a statement on Monday.

Every time you want to update the workbook with the latest transactions, just click the Update button and get the latest snapshot of your transactions and accounts without ever leaving Excel.

Once your transaction information is imported into Excel, it's easy to track your spending habits to help stay on course and get closer to your financial goals, said Microsoft.

With the help of easy-to-read graphs, you can quickly track how your spending compares month over month.

"Money in Excel will alert you to increases in your subscription fees, changes in bank and overdraft charges, or any big purchases that were posted during the month," said Tomar.