Microsoft KB Archive/163871

= Frequently asked questions about MSN Money Investing =

Article ID: 163871

Article Last Modified on 1/19/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * MSN Money
 * MSN Money Plus

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This article was previously published under Q163871





SUMMARY
This article lists the frequently asked questions for MSN Money Investing.



Passwords, privacy, and security
Q1: What are "cookies" and do they affect my privacy?

A1: MSN Money Investing uses "cookie" technology, but this is not a problem because we use these anonymously. Cookies are pieces of information that a Web site transfers to your computer's hard disk for record-keeping purposes. Cookies can make the Web more useful by storing information about your preferences on a particular site, such as your preferred chart settings for Investing. Using cookies is an industry standard, and many major Web sites use them to provide useful features for their customers. Most browsers are set to accept cookies. If you prefer, you can set yours to refuse cookies. However, you may not be able to take full advantage of a Web site if you do this.

Q2: Does MSN Money Investing know or use information about my stock portfolio?

A2: No. Your stock portfolio that you keep in MSN Money Investing is only available to you, and MSN Money Investing does not keep track of or use that information.

For more information about issues related to the stock portfolio that you keep in MSN Money Investing, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

163835 How MSN Money Investing stores your Portfolio information

Q3: Is there any way to help protect my portfolio information from other people who might use my computer at home or at work?

A3: Yes. Microsoft Passport Network helps keep your Portfolio protected. If other people have access to your computer, make sure that you sign out of Passport Network account after using it. You must also make sure that you are logged out of Windows or have a password to help protect your Windows logon.

Q4: Does MSN Money Investing know or use information about my online trading through the brokerage links?

A4: No. Your use of the brokerage or mutual fund links is not tracked by MSN and MSN Money Investing does not keep track of or use that information. After you link to your broker or mutual fund company, you are connected directly to their Web site, and your use of that site is strictly between you and that provider.

Q5: How many different passwords will I use in MSN Money Investing?

A5: You must have your Passport Network Password to access Passport Network only areas of Investing. For example, you must have this password to gain access to the Portfolio Manager, Real-Time Quotes, Daily E-mail setup, and My MSN Money. You must have your financial institution credentials to access your account information directly from your Financial institutions in the Banking section of MSN Money. MSN Bill Pay also has separate credentials. For more information, look up passwords in Help.

'''Q6: Where is my portfolio information stored? How can I know for sure that it is kept private?'''

A6. For more information about privacy issues related to the portfolio that you keep in MSN Money Investing, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

163835 How MSN Money Investing stores your Portfolio information

Common browser and ISP problems
'''Q7: I use Microsoft Windows 95 or Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 or later and I cannot access all the features in Portfolio Manager, Historical Charts, or the Stock/Fund Custom Screener. How can I fix this?'''

A7: To access the Deluxe version of the Portfolio, Charting and Screener, you must be using Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1 (SP1) or a later version and Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition, Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me), or Microsoft Windows XP.

'''Q8: I was trying to use MSN Money Investing and got the message "Server Not Available." What's going on?'''

A8: If you experience this issue when you install the Investment Toolbox, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

165954 You receive a "The servers are currently unavailable" error message or you see a red "X" instead of the Investment Toolbox Portfolio when you try to install the Investment Toolbox at MSN Money

Sometimes, because of unanticipated demand, you might temporarily have problems accessing Investing. Typically, you can complete your task if you wait a minute and then try again.

Q9: What time zone does MSN Money Investing use to report times?

A9: In Microsoft Internet Explorer, the Portfolio Manager displays update times In the time zone specified in your Windows Control Panel. Otherwise, times are recorded in the Eastern time zone -- either Eastern Time or Eastern daylight-saving Time (EDT), depending on the time of year.

Common installation problems
'''Q10: I have already installed the MSN Money Investing software but I keep getting prompted to install it again. Why is this happening?'''

A10: The most common cause that MSN Money Investing software is not installed correctly is that your browser is not set to accept cookies. MSN Money Investing uses your browser's cookie to determine whether you have already downloaded the Investing software. When you set your browser so that it does not accept cookies, MSN Money cannot detect that you have already downloaded the required software. Therefore, you will be prompted to download it every time that you access an area of the product where the software is required. The software is not actually re-downloaded every time, but the prompt to start the download still appears.

Q11: Why won't the MSN Money Investing software install even though I am following the instructions?

A11: If your browser is set to High security, the Investing software that includes ActiveX Controls cannot be installed. High security specifies that you want to be notified about any potential security problems from a Web site and disallows any software that has not been certified. To correctly install the Investing software, set your browser security to Medium. With Medium security, you will still be prompted about whether you want to install any Web software before it is placed on your computer. For instructions about how to set security, see the Help for your specific browser.

For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

165954 You receive a "The servers are currently unavailable" error message or you see a red "X" instead of the Investment Toolbox Portfolio when you try to install the Investment Toolbox at MSN Money

Q12: Why will some of my graphics not display?

A12: Probably because your monitor is using a 16-color palette. To see all MSN Money Investing's graphics, you must use at least a 256 color palette. With 16 colors, you can move through most of MSN Money Investing. However, you might have problems using all the features in the Market Update area. If you are using Microsoft Windows, you can check the monitor settings. To do this, click Control Panel, click Display, and then click Settings.

How to use MSN Money Investing data files
Q13: How do I back up my MSN Money Investing data files?

A13: Your Investing data files are stored on your hard disk drive. To back up your portfolio data, in Help, see Back Up My Portfolio. To back up a Finder screen, in Help, see Save and reuse a Finder screen and Export search criteria.

'''Q14: Where did the stocks in my portfolio go? I created my portfolio in Portfolio Manager, but now I cannot find them.'''

A14: For more information about Portfolio Manager contents that are missing, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

213873 The contents are missing, incorrect, or old in MSN Money Portfolio Manager

Q15: How can I set things up so that I see my portfolio on both my work and home computers?

A15: For more information about how to set up your portfolio so that you can access it on multiple computers, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

163868 How to access your MSN Money investing portfolio from two different computers

How to import data from a broker
Q16: Can I download account information electronically from my broker?

A16: Not directly. If you are using Microsoft Money 2003 through Microsoft Money 2006 and have set it up to access your data on the Web, Portfolio Manager can display the data that you imported into Microsoft Money from your broker.

Q17: How is online trading secured?

A17: A number of brokerages and mutual fund companies that are featured in MSN Money Investing's Trading area provide online trading for their customers. These brokerages and mutual fund companies generally secure their sites by using a technology named SSL encryption. This technology encrypts the communications between customers and their brokerage or mutual fund company so that online trading is more private and secure. See your broker's or mutual company's Web site for more information about their security.

Q18: When will my brokerage be available in MSN Money?

A18: Microsoft is working with top brokerage firms to become online trading partners with MSN Money Investing. We're working as quickly as we can to establish a comprehensive team of brokers to meet your online trading requirements. Look for the list of supported brokers to continue to grow in the future.

How to use MSN Money Investing with Microsoft Money and Quicken
Q19: How can I export price quotes to Microsoft Money?

A19: With Microsoft Money, you do not have to export your quotes from MSN Money Investing. If you have Internet access and a Web browser that is compatible with Microsoft Internet Explorer, you can use Online Quotes in Money to electronically download the latest prices for all major stocks and mutual funds.

'''Q20: I cannot see the latest price or change for my mutual fund. Why?'''

A20: Mutual funds are updated after the market has closed. MSN Money typically receives the latest mutual fund prices (NAV) within a few hours after the market closes.

Q21: What is the source of quotes for MSN Money Investing?

A21: MSN Money Investing receives its information from Comstock, Inc, an Internet provider of market information. All data is delayed 20 minutes unless noted. Information is believed accurate but is not warranted or guaranteed by Microsoft or Comstock, Inc.

For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

164066 What is the source of quotes for MSN Money Investing and Money?

Q22: Why is data sometimes returned without a company name?

A22: When MSN Money Investing updates your security information, it returns all the information that is available on the file server. Occasionally, the company name is not available (or is slightly incorrect) at the time that a quote is taken. Typically, company names are up to date and accurate. We are interested in hearing about cases where the company name is incorrect. To report the problem, go to Help, and the click Contact Us.

'''Q23: I thought I assigned new stocks to my ticker, but I do not see them. Where are they?'''

A23: When you assign stocks to the ticker, click Update on the ticker to view the additions. After you click Update, the new stocks should start scrolling across the ticker in several seconds.

International investing
Q24: Can I receive information about Canadian and other international securities?

A24: Yes. You can look up securities on several of the major international exchanges including Canada, Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden. For more information, in Help, see Get Quotes for International Securities. We are monitoring customer requests for additional exchanges and will continue to add international exchanges.

Note There are localized versions of the MSN Money site for Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden. To access them, see the links in the MSN Money Worldwide section on the left side of the MSN Money home page.

Product support
Q25: Cannot find the technical support answer that you need by using our support options (Frequently Asked Questions, Product Support, Knowledge Base, or Peer To Peer Newsgroups)?

A25: Visit the MSN Money Investing Technical Support Site or submit a question through the Web.

Additional query words: MoneyCentral investor INV kbfaq

Keywords: kbinfo kbfaq KB163871

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