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 - This was the end of the road (bad)...I have been using TurboTax for many years, and each year their product gets more invasive, less functional, and much harder to install. This year it finally reached the point of being negative utility (i.e., worth far less than the hassle). I am a little suspicious of any program that requires administrator access to run, but that's another matter. Once the TurboTax is running, it opens up all kinds of application ports and tries to phone home, claiming it needs 'updates' to run. Their product did the same thing last year, but this year it's just gotten out of control. Several months ago I upgraded my router to one with a higher-spec firewall, which apparently doesn't allow some of the nonsense that Intuit is trying. Their help says that I have to shut off my firewall to run their software. That sounds so simple, but logically it makes no sense. When I set up the new router, every rule had a reason, for a nice balance of security against restrictive access. This router configuration has worked beautifully without a single problem. I don't want to reconfigure my network for one single application, but what even is TurboTax doing that they would require me to shut off all security, and is zero security the sort of environment where I would want to be processing and transmitting my financial data? That's just crazy. Intuit has clearly gone too far in the wrong direction. I ended up having to download the government forms online, and I did my taxes with a calculator and stubby pencil. TurboTax was a complete waste of time and money (worth less than zero), and if there were any justice not only would I have back the price I paid, but we'd be feeding these folks behind bars. Rating:  - Did the jobStill a slightly clunky interface - feels very Microsoft/Wintel - even on a Mac, but it works. Better than the onlin "free" version and more secure (who do you really want storing your tax data? Them or you?) Better than the other offerings out there last I tried them. Having said that, it's also much better than the paper forms the Federal government provides, to be sure. Rating:  - Best--and only?-- MAC Tax SoftwareFor the past two tax seasons I've used this software, and never has doing this terrible chore been simpler. Other types I've used for Mac had all sorts of glitches--information was lost and I'd have to type it in again over and over; it kept telling me I had to fix errors before my return could be sent, and it was usually stuff I'd already entered. The programs would quit on me. They weren't user friendly and this one is. It might be that all the programs have improved. BUT this is the only one I could find for a Macintosh, and that in itself earns TurboTax a 5 star rating. I'm a computer klutz overall, and so if I say it's a simple-to-use program, you can trust me--it IS. Rating: - TurboTax botches e-file - AGAIN.TurboTax has really gone downhill. After using it for years, it is now riddled with attempts to get you to pay more for add-ons, charges rediculous amounts if you have questions or problems. And then... I spent two days trying to e-file, always getting a Server busy message from Intuit. This is AFTER they got my credit card number and $34. to file the fed and state tax returns. So I had to hand assemble the return and make the trip to the Post Office. Intuit lobbied the Gov to let them keep this big $$$ plum, and then screwed it up. They had this same problem last year, and it is WORSE this year. Time to call all our representatives and get E-File FREE from the IRS. It saves the IRS money, far more than it costs. Why is Intuit allowed to suck this much more from us after making big profits on the package? Rating:  - TurboTax for 2006 returnsSame as last year: It gets the job done. It is fairly intuitive after one gets used to it.
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