REDMOND, Wash., Sept. 19, 2000 — Microsoft Corp. today announced the global expansion of the award-winning MSN® MoneyCentral™
online personal finance service to four key international markets. To help consumers worldwide realize the Web lifestyle, MoneyCentral will launch new versions of the service customized for France, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom during the coming months.
Internet usage stands at more than 315 million people worldwide.* With the expansion of MoneyCentral into the above four countries, 55 percent of the world’s online population will have access to a localized version of the award-winning finance service from MSN. By providing these enhanced versions, MoneyCentral will enable Internet users in these countries to review, understand and improve their financial situations through the use of a comprehensive collection of customized tools and information. The international versions will be designed to meet the needs of each country’s users.
“We are dedicated to helping people make smart financial decisions online wherever they are — in the United States or abroad,”
said Erik Jorgensen, general manager for MSN MoneyCentral at Microsoft.
“The global expansion of MoneyCentral builds on our mission to help consumers streamline their everyday personal finance tasks by providing the highest-quality financial tools and information available worldwide.”
MoneyCentral further empowers investors to make smarter decisions in today’s global marketplace by providing visitors to its U.S. Web site with access to stock quotes, company information, analyst ratings and earnings estimates for public companies in France, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom — all in one place.
New U.S. Version of MoneyCentral Available Today
A comprehensive everyday financial Web resource for both novices and savvy users, an enhanced version of the U.S. MoneyCentral site ( http://moneycentral.msn.com/ ) also was introduced by Microsoft today. The new version includes several new tools, resources and services to help consumers better manage their finances – any time, any place and from any device.
“The new version of MoneyCentral reflects two rapidly emerging trends in online finance: international expansion and access to information any time, anywhere,”
said Chris Jolley, lead product manager for MSN MoneyCentral at Microsoft.
“MoneyCentral is at the forefront, delivering cutting-edge tools and information to meet the needs of consumers in this ever-expanding global marketplace.”
New features include the following:
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MSN Messenger stock alerts enable consumers to receive alerts whenever a stock they are tracking goes above or below a certain price threshold — without the user even being on the MoneyCentral site. The alerts can be customized on actual or percentage increases or decreases, as well as by volume.
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MSN-wide stock list allows investors to set up a stock list just once and then track favorite holdings any time, any place across the MSN network of Internet services — including the new MSN Explorer, MSN Messenger Service, My MoneyCentral and the Portfolio Manager, as well as mobile devices such as Web-enabled cell phones and handheld devices.
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International financial data empowers consumers to make smarter global financial decisions with access to stock quotes, company information, analyst ratings and earnings estimates for public companies in France, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom — all in one place.
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Wireless access empowers consumers to stay on top of their finances any time, any place. Consumers can receive stock quotes and view their portfolio account balances via MSN Mobile.
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Online Seminars allow consumers to access multimedia presentations of important concepts about managing money. The first of the online seminars, which are available in an easy-to-learn format on the Community Page, guides consumers through the MoneyCentral site and teaches them how to take full advantage of the vast resources available.
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Pane Help is a new context-sensitive
“smart”
help section that guides consumers through MoneyCentral and provides them with an excellent way to find the answers they need quickly and easily. -
MoneyCentral Loan Center provides assistance for users who seek mortgage loans, automobile loans or credit cards by offering a complete selection of financing services, including comparison shopping for low rates and great terms. The new Loan Center features mortgage options from HomeAdvisor Technologies Inc. and car loans and credit cards from LendingTree Inc.’s online loan marketplace.
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The award-winning Portfolio Manager now enables consumers to see the latest news, community posts and alerts regarding their investments without their having to leave the portfolio page.
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The Enhanced My MoneyCentral section offers consumers their own
“mission control,” a personalized Web page where they can get an at-a-glance view of their entire financial picture in one place. Consumers can check their portfolio, checking, savings or credit card balances, receive notifications on new e-bills, and view breaking market news and news related to their holdings. In addition, consumers can customize this page to view the latest message board posts and Advisor FYI™
alerts for the stocks they are tracking, as well as set up a customizable stock ticker.
About MSN MoneyCentral
MSN MoneyCentral, located at http://moneycentral.msn.com/ , is a complete online personal finance service delivering leading financial tools and information in areas ranging from investing and retirement planning to taxes, mortgages and loans and bill payment. The award-winning site offers consumers the ability to complete a wide range of everyday financial tasks, such as paying bills, viewing account balances, tracking investments and staying informed on the latest financial news, in one convenient place online – any time, any place. MSN MoneyCentral
helps enable people at all levels of experience to take control of and feel comfortable with their finances, helping them make smart financial decisions.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software — any time, any place and on any device.
* Source: Microsoft internal reporting, August 2000
Microsoft, MSN, MoneyCentral and Advisor FYI are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
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