Is it possible to show the investment "cash balance" instead of the "market value" for accounts list

Daniel O'Brien
Daniel O'Brien Member ✭✭
edited June 2018 in Investing (Mac)
I use Quicken for Mac 2017, running macOS Sierra, Version 10.12.6.  I am extremely frustrated with my retirement accounts and how my account information is displayed on the account summary panel.  I would like the "cash balance" of my retirement accounts to appear in the account summary panel on the left side of the accounts window, instead of the "market value" which is useless to me.  I have three "retirement" accounts ... two with one broker through my employer, and another through an independent, local broker.  I use the "Update Selected Online Account" feature to download information from the brokers to my Quicken for Mac account.  For reasons I have yet to understand, the one account through my local, independent broker displays the "cash balance" on the summary account panel on the left side of the window.  The other two accounts display the "market value" of my accounts, and not the "cash balance".  I do not understand why this happens, because the "market value" amounts are useless to me ... in addition to rendering the information on the accounts summary panel useless, since my "net worth" is grossly understated.  Does anyone else have this problem, because it appears to me to be a big oversight by the software engineers at Quicken?

Comments

  • jacobs
    jacobs Quicken Mac Subscription SuperUser, Mac Beta Beta
    edited September 2017
    Daniel, I think I understand what you wish it would do, but I'm confused by your statement that your net worth is understated showing the market value of your investment accounts. If it showed only the cash value in your accounts, as you want it to, THAT would understate your net worth (unless your retirement accounts were entirely held in cash). Why would you want to ignore the value of your investments -- which for most people are significantly more than their cash holdings -- in seeing your net worth?

    I don't know of any way to change what displays in the left sidebar; it will always be the value of each account. But it's pretty easy to see the cash value of some or all your investments. Click on the main Investing heading, or the Retirement subheading, or any individual account, in the left sidebar. Now make sure the main screen display is set to Portfolio, not Transactions, at the top. This shows the value of your investments, and below, shows the holdings by type. Scroll down if necessary, and the bottom section of this screen shows the Cash Balance for the account(s) you selected. 
    Quicken Mac Subscription • Quicken user since 1993
  • Unknown
    Unknown Member
    edited August 2017
    Daniel,
    I am very interested in an answer if you get one.  I too am having the exact problem and it is making me crazy.  I want my account list to show my "cash value" not a market projection.
  • Concordman
    Concordman Quicken Mac Subscription Mac Beta Beta
    edited November 2017
    In the Portfolio View select group by type under Portfolio value, the cash balance in the account should be visible in the portfolio Viewimage
  • Unknown
    Unknown Member
    edited August 2017
    Jacobs & Concordman are correct. Jennifer & Daniel are not thinking correctly as to financial records
  • Daniel O'Brien
    Daniel O'Brien Member ✭✭
    edited September 2017
    jacobs said:

    Daniel, I think I understand what you wish it would do, but I'm confused by your statement that your net worth is understated showing the market value of your investment accounts. If it showed only the cash value in your accounts, as you want it to, THAT would understate your net worth (unless your retirement accounts were entirely held in cash). Why would you want to ignore the value of your investments -- which for most people are significantly more than their cash holdings -- in seeing your net worth?

    I don't know of any way to change what displays in the left sidebar; it will always be the value of each account. But it's pretty easy to see the cash value of some or all your investments. Click on the main Investing heading, or the Retirement subheading, or any individual account, in the left sidebar. Now make sure the main screen display is set to Portfolio, not Transactions, at the top. This shows the value of your investments, and below, shows the holdings by type. Scroll down if necessary, and the bottom section of this screen shows the Cash Balance for the account(s) you selected. 

    Hi Jacobs,
    Thank you for your reply.  It turns out, not surprisingly, that I was confused.  I have two investment accounts, and I was able to identify what the problem is by comparing how the two display the "account balance" in the left-hand "Accounts" screen.  The one that's giving me problems has a section labeled "Holdings by Type".  Underneath that heading, there is a line titled "Mutual Fund" and underneath that is the actual fund itself ... a Vanguard Retirement Fund.  On that line, there is a "Value" column, which displays the value of that account.  Now, underneath that fund is another heading titled "Cash Balance", and under that heading is a line titled "Tax-Deferred Annuity Plan: Available Cash".  That line also has a number in the "Value" column, but it is a negative number.  And I think this is where the problem lies ... because Quicken is adding the "Value" from my "Vanguard Retirement Fund" to the "Cash Balance" value and coming up with a very small number ... nowhere near what my actual account balance should be.  And I have no idea why it's doing this, but I have the impression that Quicken is not identifying the "Cash Balance" of my account properly.
    Dan
This discussion has been closed.

Categories