There are quite a few software programs available for the small business owner. Some of the expensive software programs of the past were very large and intended for large business concerns. The small business owner was often overwhelmed by the complexity of them and by the cost. Lately, there have been programs that have been designed for the small business owner. Although most of these business programs are broad based and cover all aspects of the small business, some have become directed at specific elements. Forecasting software has been developed that can evaluate trends and predict upcoming investment opportunities. Another more specific software is budgeting software. This type of software helps to design and flesh out an operating budget and then measures performance in maintenance of the budget.

The budget is an essential element of the business process. It allocates the financial resources of the company according to a preset plan and forecasts cash flow. How well the business adheres to the budget and how quickly it can react to deviation from the budget are often determining factors in the success or failure of the enterprise. Budgeting software that can assist in this becomes a great aid to the small business owner. The following are three of the top budgeting software programs available on the market today that are geared for small business.

Microsoft Forecaster is the first. It works well with a variety of general ledgers and coordinates with other Microsoft small business software to automate and simplify the entire budgeting process. It is considered a very intuitive type program, and the fact that it is so similar in its appearance to other Microsoft programs makes it very easy for the small business owner, and his key people to quickly grasp its operation and to benefit from its features.

Budget Maestro by Centage is the second entry. It has a very sophisticated logic that is built into the program and continually tracks the income statement, balance sheet, and the cash position. It allows manager to see the bottom line impact of plans and combines forecasting software and budgeting software into one easy package.

The third on the list is the Applix Budgeting TM1 program. This software has been designed to work well with Excel spreadsheets. It takes the spreadsheet past the limitations of Excel and is also very much a forecasting software with its "what if" modeling features. There are many good budgeting software programs and another's Top 3 list might appear different, but the bottom line is that the small business owner has the help he needs for this important business function.