How can I get a question answered about a very specific, non traditional type of investment account

budi · March 2017

Q Deluxe 2015 Windows
I have a charitable giving account that has shares and the value changes with share price but there is no ticker symbol to use for updates. I am willing to enter it manually but can't seem to find the correct way.

NotACPA · March 2017

More info needed.
What Q product, product year and product release are you running? What version of Windows?

Then, how do you have that account recorded in Q? Do you download into it? What brokerage actually holds the account?

Unknown · March 2017

Create a "dummy" security. You don't need to provide a ticker or download security prices. You can then manually add a price per day.

You can either add the updated price two ways:

1 TOOLS > Security List > Select the security, then UPDATE > Edit Price History. Add the current price there.

2 I find it more convenient to go to the INVESTING tab, Show : Price Update and just enter the price for the security there. Make sure you select CUSTOMIZE and then select Accounts and then Security to include the account you created and the security you created.

The account with the security should now show in the Price Update (Investing) screen. You can also move the account up or down in the CUSTOMIZE Account screen.

I do this all the time with "non traditional" securities that use unit prices instead of share prices and with several annuities that change value on a daily basis.

budi · March 2017

I actually have it entered twice. The first time it shows the value of the account at the start but won't let me enter price updates as it doesn't show that the value of the account is based on share price. When I tried to update the price using the steps you indicated, the account doesn't show on the security list.
The second time I entered it, I gave it a dummy ticker symbol to be able to enter price updates manually. If it doesn't have a ticker symbol Q won't let me go to the next step to manually enter price updates.I am able to do that but it has shown the value of the account to be zero since I bought the shares using the cash value of that account.
The account value is based on number of shares and share price
I have entered many mutual funds over the years, the same way but have never had it show a zero value after the purchase of shares using the cash in the account.
The second seems like I am more on track but need to get the value to show.
Thanks!

budi · March 2017

As I noted it is Quicken Deluxe 2015 and is R12. Windows 7
The account has shares and value is based on share price but it has no ticker symbol per the help desk at Fidelity Charitable. Since it has no ticker symbol, I can't download the prices
I entered it two different ways. One shows the value but I am unable to update the prices as it doesn't show on the list of securities
The second time I gave it a fake ticker symbol and then manually entered the price/share. In this account, after I purchased shares using the the cash value in the security, the value shows as zero.

NotACPA · March 2017

At Fidelity, what security/fund is the Charitable account invested in? Because my understanding was that the Fidelity Charitable Donation account held regular Fidelity securities ... that it was the Account that was special, not the securities.

budi · March 2017

It is a combination of funds and that is why according to Fidelity, that there is no ticker symbol

NotACPA · March 2017

"a combination of funds" simply means that there's multiple funds in the account.
Push Fidelity harder ... because I'm a client of Fidelity's "Private Client Group", and I've never heard such a thing.
Fidelity's Charitable Accounts are invested in Fidelity funds ... and they have symbols.

Unknown · March 2017

How are you entering the initial purchase "beginning balance"?

Unknown · March 2017

BTW, the Cash SHOULD be zero. If you used the cash to purchase "shares" of the investment, your cash should be zero.

But the Securities Value should be the amount of your total investment.

If you have cash in the account as the "beginning balance", I would just do a BUY transaction for the investment "security".

budi · March 2017

I opened the account with X$ of cash and then used the cash in the account to buy the appropriate number if shares.
The list of securities showed a value of the cash amount until I bought the shares using the cash in that security account.
Since then, in the list of investments, it shows the value as 0 even though there is still a value in the account itself that reflects the number of shares and the price per share.
How can I get the value to show in the list of accounts?

budi · March 2017

I called Fidelity Charitable again...twice actually and got the same answer from both people. Because it isn't a publicly traded 'fund' they don't have a ticker symbol associated with it. They use and in-house calculation based on market movement to determine the price.
apparently I am not the only one that has inquired but they were unable to tell if that would be an option at any point in the future.
Bottom line is no ticker symbol.
I still would like to be able to manually enter the share price and can get that info on line or from my statements but am not able to find a way to enter it in Q to allow me to do that.
Suggestions?

q_lurker · March 2017

I am not clear on your two methods. In order to be entering price/share to track the value of the investment, you need to :
a) Create a security. The security does not require a ticker since you will not be downloading prices for it, but my policy is to have a ticker for every security. A fake ticker is fine,
b) In an account, you need to Buy shares or Add Shares. I don't know your setup well enough to say whether this needs to be a special account (for only these QCD funds) or whether another more general account can be used.

Once you have the security showing as shares held in an account, you can pull up a portfolio view (Ctrl-U), select a view (Show:) that includes the Quote/Price column. Make sure the As of Date is as desired, then in that Quotes/Price field, type in the correct desired value.

An alternate approach: Click on the security name in that portfolio view to get to the Edit Security Details view; choose the Update / Edit Price History selection. There you can select New to enter date and price data. Repeat as necessary.

NotACPA · March 2017

Budi, CAN you download into Q from that account? Because my wife has a retirement account where the sole security has no ticker ... but still downloads (via Direct Connect) without issue.

budi · March 2017

I have not been able to do that and apparently others haven't been able to either based on the remarks made by eh customer assistance person at Fidelity. He said that people using Quicken as well as other financial software programs have made the same request.

budi · March 2017

To Q.lurker:
I did the two versions of this account several days ago and am not sure exactly what steps I followed . Both show as a brokerage account when I go to the edit security screen.
The first one does not have a ticker attached to it. It does not show in the list when I go to:Invest, portfolio, tools, security list. Since it doesn't show there I can't take the next steps and manually enter the price history. It does show a value in the account list

On the second version of this account I did give it a fake ticker symbol and it does show when I follow these steps: Investing, portfolio, tools,security list and I can enter the price history manually. The problem with this version is I added cash to the account, bought shares with that cash using the share price and number of shares. When I did that, (purchased the shares with the cash balance in the holding) the value of the holding, as shown in the account list shows as zero. The value of the holding was correct until I made the buy
I would like to get the true value of the holding to show.
Suggestions?

Unknown · March 2017

Can you send a screen shot of your account register with the opening transaction and the buy?

Then send another screen shot of the "list of investments". I have no clue what you are talking about on that one.

budi · March 2017

When I referred to the list of investments, I am referring to the list on the left side of the screen that shows all the different accounts: checking, savings, non-retirement accounts, retirement accounts, loans etc and each one shows a dollar amount that it is worth. It is an overview of your net worth. If I recall correctly it has been in that same location in all the versions that I have used
I was unsuccessful in getting the print screen function to paste into this box to send you a screen shot of the register entry for either of the methods I used to enter this item.

q_lurker · March 2017

Skipping the account list for the moment, when you view the Transaction List for the account, toward the bottom will be listings for a) Securities Value, b) Cash Balance, and c) Total Market Value. How do those threes value appear relative to your expectations?

When you look at the transactions in the list, does it show the correct Share Balance on the line when you bought the shares?

When you click the Holdings button (a parallel view to the portfolio views), what price is shown, are the shares correct?

When you edit the security details for this security, and open up the Edit Price History, what is the last price entry and for what date? Delete any unintended entries and any $0 entries.

Now you can go back to your account list, right-click on any white space there, and make sure the setting is to show current values.

budi · March 2017

When I look at the transaction list the invest amt, cash balance are correct. The description shows the number of shares purchased and at what price. The share balance, however, is zero. When I look at the holdings button, it shows NO shares.
The price that shows is the most recent price in the price history which I entered manually. The one at the top is the most recent and the others are correct.
When I click on the account list it does indicate that it is set to show current value.
So the issue appears to be that when the purchase was entered it didn't show the number of shares in the share balance column and thus the holdings button says zero leading to the zero value.
How do I fix it? I don't recall ever encountering this

q_lurker · March 2017

That sounds to me as if there is a hidden placeholder in play. Edit / Preferences for Investment Transactions. Make sure Hidden transactions are checked to be shown. Review the transaction list to look for Adjust Share Balance transactions.

Delete and re-enter from scratch the Buy Shares transaction, if necessary.

Unknown · March 2017

The left side of the screen (or in my case, the right side...because I prefer it there) is the ACCOUNT BAR.

So, you're saying the account bar shows a zero balance despite your BUY of securities from cash? What does that investment account register say?

And I need to see a screen shot of the register in order to help you.

budi · March 2017

I had to delete all the transactions and re-enter them but it solved the problem! Finally!!
Thank you very much!

budi · March 2017

Problem solved! See q.lurker posts.
Thanks for your help

How can I get a question answered about a very specific, non traditional type of investment account

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