Is there a way to create a cash flow report in Quicken Mac 2019?

Question

A simple report that lists inflows and outflows doesn’t seem to exist in Quicken Mac.  Am I missing something?  Is there a means to do this?  Thanks,  Mark

John_in_NC · Accepted Answer

Look at the Category Summary Report. That will show inflows compared to outflows.

Tom Auer · Accepted Answer

If msrw is going in the direction I'm thinking, there is a way to do it, but it's a bit subtle. Of course, there are reports to track your gross spending and gross income -- but, for most people, those don't track your cash flow. Many people have installment loans, such as mortgages, car payments, or student loan payments. You can be making more money than you spend, but still be running up credit card debt, if your net savings are less than the forced savings resulting from paying installment loans.

The solution is to make what I call a "forced savings" report, which includes transfers to a 401(k) account, the transfer amount that pays against mortgage principal, the transfer account that pays against auto loan principal, etc. Note that interest amounts in loan payments are not included -- that is its own expense, accrued each month.

If the difference between your gross income and your gross spending is greater than your forced savings for a given time period, then you will be able to pay down revolving charge accounts. Honestly, I think this problem is common enough, that it surprises me that Quicken doesn't draw more attention to it.