Stock Market Software for Mac

We’ve all heard the saying “when you go Mac you never go back”. How true it is.

Just hearing the Windows XP sound as it boots up sends a shiver down my spine. I remember all the “good ‘ole times”.

Banging my head on the keyboard. Waiting for that stupid hourglass to finish dropping. Hitting CTRL-ALT-DELETE  ten times a day. Those memories have all gone since I moved to a Mac.

Apart from the sigh of relief I felt after spending just a few hours with a Mac – as I realised life didn’t have to be so difficult – the first thing I noticed was that the Apple Mac is no where up to speed when it comes to Stock Market software. If the Mac was able to become equal ground in this area I would happily never glance at a Windows computer again. Unfortunately, at least for the next few years, Windows will have to be part of my “diet”.

For a Mac alternative to Metastock, the first and most obvious option in Pro TA.

While I have never used it, it appears to be a very stable and effective piece of charting software. Truth is though, I learnt my skills on Metastock and I will have great difficultly ever changing (or should I say I’m just too lazy to learn an entirely new code!).

If you are new to the Stock Market and you use a Mac, I urge you to try Pro TA first as it appears very good at EOD charting and it will save you having to “relearn” a new charting software formula from scratch (Metastock & Amibroker for example have 2 totally different codes).

If you still want to hold your grip on the Windows operating system, I recommend Parallels.

When it comes to Share Trading, I have tried Parallels 6.0 and Fusion 3.1, and Parallels was definitely faster. Both offer a free trial, so download both and choose the one you prefer. Be aware though that the Fusion updates are generally significantly cheaper than the Parallels updates – so in the long run you’ll probably be paying about $50 a year extra to maintain Parallels. In the scheme of things, this is only one small trade with an average Full Service Broker.

Software I Recommend

Parallels for running Windows

Incredible Charts for ASX EOD Charting – Windows and online only

Pro TA for Mac

Things for Daily Productivity

Evernote for keeping Notes

1Password for keeping all my password, credit card numbers and logins all in one safe place

Twitter so you can keep up-to-date with all the latest Stock Market Tweets (go to the App Store)

iPhone Apps (that I recommend for Australians)

OZ Weather – More accurate than the iPhone default app. It uses the Bureau of Meteorology for its forecasts so is always about 2c more accurate. It’s also much prettier, has more detail and is only $2.49.

Converter Plus – A great little tool for the latest currency prices, length, temp and volume conversions

Shredder Chess – The best iPhone Chess download

Skype – For keeping up-to-date with your friends and contacts overseas. Now supports Face Time.

Don’t Worry! All your favourites like MSN Messenger & MS Office are available for Apple Mac. And with the introduction of the Mac App Store you can download the latest Mac Software all from one place and ensure they are all up-to-date.