How the Quicken-Mint Deal Could Affect Your Finances

The buyout of start-up Mint.com by the parent company of Quicken and TurboTax could affect how users of both sites access their financial information online.

Intuit, which makes Quicken and TurboTax, plans to acquire Mint, a personal finance management site that lets users track data from all of their accounts in one place. (Intuit has its own personal finance management site as well, QuickenOnline.com.) The $170 million deal is expected to close this fall.

Here are five things users of the sites need to know:

1. What changes will I see the next time I log in?

Users will see few, if any, changes to their daily use of Mint.com or QuickenOnline.com. Intuit plans to maintain both services -- Mint as its online personal finance management service, and Quicken Online to interact with its desktop software offerings -- the company said in a press release. Intuit also plans to make Quicken Online eventually look and feel more like Mint.

2. Does the acquisition benefit users?

Intuit's purchase of Mint should offer added stability and security to Mint's users, which the company estimates at more than 1 million. "It ensures Mint is not going to go out of business," says Ron Shevlin, a senior analyst for consulting firm Aite Group. Users can also be confident in the security and privacy of the account numbers and financial data that they're entrusting to the site. "Intuit has always done a very good job of protecting consumers' data," he says. Access to Intuit's other products and relationships with banks should allow Mint.com users to make account moves like paying their bills and assessing their tax liability, says Aaron Patzer, the founder and CEO of Mint.com. (After the deal closes, Patzer will serve as general manager of the company's Personal Finance group.)

Intuit plans to give Quicken Online users access to Mint's savings tool, which uses consumers' data to direct them to bank accounts, credit cards and other financial products that can save them money.

3. Could there be technology problems?

Although mergers of technology companies can often lead to integration problems, Intuit plans to keep Mint and Quicken Online separate, so it's unlikely that the acquisition will result in a major technological breakdown for users of either site, says Gil B. Luria, a vice president at Wedbush Morgan Securities. "My sense is, they don't need to make any changes to Mint," he says. "They bought it for the technology." Mint.com users may see an even smoother user experience thanks to Intuit's software background.

4. Will either site start charging for its services?

Both sites will remain free, says Dan Maurer, the senior vice president of Intuit's Consumer Group. However, it's likely that the company will employ plenty of cross-promotion, urging use of its other pay-for products, which may be annoying for some of Mint's original users.

5. Can we expect other personal finance sites to consolidate?

Intuit is one of the few power players in a field of start-ups, a position it secured by acquiring Mint. But more mergers or collaborations could be in the offing. Earlier this year, Wesabe and Geezeo began offering their services to financial institutions, with users accessing the tools through the bank or credit union's site.