Typically, you work with one Money file. You can have multiple accounts in a single Money file. Having all your accounts, and those of other family members, together in a single Money file will help you get accurate information for planning and reports. If you have business accounts, add those to your one Money file too.

However, if you track any accounts that are unrelated to your own financial situation, for example, for an elderly parent or a volunteer organization you help with, you can easily create and maintain a separate Money file. Information is not shared between Money filesùthe reports and charts reflect the information only for the file that is currently open.

Another reason to create a new Money file is to experiment with various Money features without affecting your real Money data. But remember, you can have only one Money file open at any one time.

1. On the File menu, point to New, and then click New File.
2. In the Save in box, click the folder where you want to save the new file. Be careful not to store a Money file on a network. If two people try to open a Money file at the same time, the file can become corrupted.
3. In the File name box, type a name for the new file.
4. Money automatically adds the .mny file name extension.
5. Click OK.

   The Money Setup Assistant appears. Work through the Money Setup Assistant to enter the accounts, bills, and paychecks for this file. Or, click Skip the Money Setup Assistant to go directly to the Money Home page. However, if you do this, you will not be able to return to the Money Setup Assistant.

The Money Setup Assistant. For more information, click Getting Started in the left pane of this UserÆs Guide, and then click Create your Money file.