Stock shares disappeared with Q2018

Unknown

Quicken Premier 2018 for Windows, upgraded from 2017. In an Investment account I had multiple lots of one security (a stock) and two additional holdings (CDs purchased through Fidelity). After the 2018 upgrade, the account shows zero shares of the stock, even though I can see the transactions to buy/add them. When I do an Update, Quicken complains that the share counts don't match (duh!) and offers to create a placeholder. Fine. But when I go to enter the cost and lot info for the placeholder, it won't let me enter transactions earlier than August 8, 2017, even though ALL of the missing transactions are before that date. The message says I should edit the older placeholder, which does not exist.

I tried to manually re-add the transactions (even though they show in the register),  but while they appear in the register they don't show as shares owned.

A possible relevant fact is that many of these shares were ESPP purchases, though Quicken has traditionally been obtuse about recognizing that these are the same security as Fidelity is reporting.

I've now sold some of these shares and am at a loss to see how to reconcile the sale transaction, since Quicken insists I don't have any shares of that stock. I tried a repair of the file, to no effect. What else can I do?

mshiggins

The buy ESPP transactions are in the investment account register but the account shows zero shares? Where are you looking that you see zero shares?

Sherlock

If you haven't already, I suggest you check for hidden placeholder transactions (select Edit->Preferences..., Investment transactions, check Show hidden transactions, and select OK) in the investment account.

Unknown

Sherlock said:

If you haven't already, I suggest you check for hidden placeholder transactions (select Edit->Preferences..., Investment transactions, check Show hidden transactions, and select OK) in the investment account.

Thanks - that helps a bit. Now I can see a bunch of placeholders that weren't being shown to me before. It will take me some time to sort through these, but it looks promising. I think Quicken's artificial distinction between ESPP and non-ESPP shares for the purposes of downloads is responsible. I understand it wanting to track these separately, but it fails see that my broker's holding of 100 shares of XYZ corp are the same as 100 ESPP shares of XYZ corp, and this gets worse when shares are moved from one broker to another.

I'll write back after I go through the previously-hidden placeholders.

Unknown

mshiggins said:

The buy ESPP transactions are in the investment account register but the account shows zero shares? Where are you looking that you see zero shares?

The register balance suddenly showed zero shares after a DIV entry, the Holdings list omitted the stock, and the account value also failed to include the stock. As Sherlock suggested, hidden placeholder entries may have been a culprit. (These didn't show in the register nor in the Placeholder Entries tab.)

Unknown

Sherlock said:

If you haven't already, I suggest you check for hidden placeholder transactions (select Edit->Preferences..., Investment transactions, check Show hidden transactions, and select OK) in the investment account.

Yep, that did it. After I deleted all the placeholder transactions that were previously hidden, I could fix up the rest and now everything matches. Thanks!