If companies slap the word "Deluxe" or "Special Edition" onto a product, consumers rightfully expect something extra. They want unique features, and they want the extra money they're spending put to good use. Quicken Deluxe 5.0 attempts to live up to its "deluxe" billing by offering several features in the Deluxe Gateway that are aimed at helping you better track your investments and assets in tandem with the program's general accounting functions.

To reach the Deluxe Gateway, click its icon in Program Manager. You'll gain access to a variety of specialized Quicken features, including a home inventory program, financial advice, and advice for using Quicken. You can move from the Gateway into your Quicken checkbook register by clicking the yellow dollar sign in the middle of the screen. Of all the features here, we found the Home Inventory program to be the most valuable.

 Take Stock Of Your Stuff

To enter the Home Inventory program, click its icon in the Gateway window. The program lets you travel room by room through your home, listing your belongings and their values, which is extremely valuable if you ever need to make an insurance claim.

The Home Inventory program is fairly easy to use. Select a room in the View By Location box, then select an asset type in the Item Category column. Depending upon the item category you've chosen, the program will display a list of commonly owned items on the right side of the window. Double-click an item, and Quicken will list it among your home inventory, including estimated replacement and resale values. You can edit the item's name (which is helpful for distinguishing between similar items) or its values by clicking the appropriate box.

Entering additional items introduces you to one of the program's strangest quirks. You logically would assume that clicking the Record button saves the information you've entered about an item and lets you enter another item. The Record button nearly always remains dimmed, though, which means you can't use it. If you run into this problem, you can move to the next blank line by double-clicking another item (which automatically skips you to a new line), by clicking the next blank line, or by pressing ENTER twice.