Where do I find out layout symbols and fonts

sgtempe

I'm starting to use Quicken again after years with QB... I've spent the afternoon watching videos and looking stuff up and can't find out why some register lines are bolded; some not; what the little blue dots are on the right, etc. Is there a guide anywhere for the user interface?

Chris_QPW

F1 (Help -> Quicken Help) is the best start.  While in a register brings up:


It goes on to explain the "Status column icons", which is that "blue dot" column.

As for why some transactions are highlighted and others not.


Edit:  Making the status column wider will help.  It will show the text as well as the icon.

Chris_QPW

F1 (Help -> Quicken Help) is the best start.  While in a register brings up:


It goes on to explain the "Status column icons", which is that "blue dot" column.

As for why some transactions are highlighted and others not.


Edit:  Making the status column wider will help.  It will show the text as well as the icon.

Chris_QPW

BTW I don't know anything about how Quickbooks handles "reviewing" downloaded transactions, so I can't compare it to Quicken.  Quicken Windows has two modes.  Automatic transaction entry mode (and not).
There is a separate setting for non-investment accounts and for investment accounts.  The default for new users is on for the non-investment accounts and off for the investment accounts.  It is good that the investment accounts have it off because there are some bugs in that mode where if you have a transaction that doesn't exactly match you will find it hard to find (it is hidden in the Downloaded Transactions tab, that is hidden).  (I have it on, but that is because I know how to work around this bug).

With this option on the process is "Review".  As in check the New/New Match is correct and click on the New/New Match status icon to mark it reviewed (you can also review them all and then mark them all reviewed at once).  Note changing a transaction or reconciling that transaction will also clear the status field.  And a warning, don't use the automatic reconcile feature.  It kicks in as soon as the downloaded transactions are put in the register.  A reconcile being correct is only looking at the amounts, not the categories and payees that one should review to make sure they are correct.  And if an automatic reconcile goes through all the New/New Match statuses will be cleared.

With it off the downloaded transactions you will get a "Downloaded Transactions tab" at the bottom of the register.  The process for this mode (which is the old one that has been in Quicken from the start) is you select the transaction in the Downloaded Transaction list, and it shows you it in the register and you hit Enter to accept it into the register.  In this mode that status column never gets New/New Match because you are doing that work before it gets into the register.

sgtempe

This process (of my downloading and setting up Quicken) has been taking place over months and now I have some months that are (supposedly) reconciled and some not. I had already downloaded all the TXs before getting your advice on not letting it do automatic reconciliation. Is there any way to reset all the TXs in a given account to be "raw" so I can go through one by one and get the payee & category like I want and keep track of where I am?

Chris_QPW

Well, there isn't any way to reset the Status column, but you can restart reconciling.

Note that you have reconcile "forward", because Quicken will includes any reconciled transaction in the calculation for a reconcile if there is a reconciled transaction in the register that is past the date you set for the ending date it will through it off.

First how to get out of reconciling automictically.
You need to go to the Account Details -> Online Services tab (one way is to right click on the account name in the account bar and select Edit/Delete account -> Online Services tab)
Deselect Reconcile using online balances -> OK.

Now go to the register and select the first transaction, then go to the end of the register and hold down the shift key and right click on the last transaction (right click is a fast way to do a left click to select the transactions and then bring up the menu).

Select "Reconcile status" -> and select cleared

Now work with sections from old to new, by the month is a good way because you have can use monthly statements for the ending date.  Until you get all the transactions reconcile you should use "statement date".  Note at the end you can just use the current balance of the online account (without any pending transactions).

First go through them and make sure that the payee and categories are how you like the section you are reconciling.  Note for future transactions to correct payees you can add renaming rules.  And for categories you add memorized payees with the correct category.  You will find them both on the Tools menu.  You can also memorize a payee (put it in the memorized payee list) by using the context menu (right click) or Ctrl+M.  Note you can use the filtering at the top of the register to narrow things down and you can use the same click first, and then shift + right click to select Edit transactions to change something like the category of them at the same time.  Also, Ctrl+click will toggle the selecting of that transaction on and off.

Once you have this section of transactions how you like, select Ctrl+R to start the reconcile, and put in the ending date, and amount.  Note in the reconcile window a green checkmark on a transaction means that c/cleared status is set on that transaction, and that it should be included in this reconcile.

Once you are back up to date with reconciling you can now type Ctrl+R and change it to reconcile to the Online Balance, and if you like select "Always use Online Balance for this account.  Don't ask again." so that you don't get this dialog each time you select Ctrl+R, instead it will go right into the reconcile window.

My process is generally, download transactions, review them and make sure they have the right payees and categories. Correct as needed.  If there is any matching to be done to existing transactions (like transfers from paying credit cards off) make sure they are correct, and then do the reconcile.  When that passes it will clear all the statuses.  I don't this instead of clicking on the status icon and selecting Reviewed, but it is up to you if you like doing that better.

On the subject of matching.  It isn't uncommon to have a reminder set for a credit card transfer from the checking account to the credit card account to pay it off, but the amount is a bit different than what is downloaded, so it doesn't match.  So, you need to match them up.

The way to do that is change the amount of the transaction entered in the register by the reminder to match what the downloaded transaction is.  And then click on the "Uncleared" status of that transaction and select "Match to a downloaded transaction".

Note that the flow is like this:

1. You download transactions into the register.
2. Quicken applies the renaming rule is one matches.  This mainly to "normalize" the payee.  As in change "Safeway #$343434" to Safeway.  This is important because the memorized payee has to match exactly except for case.
3. Quicken looks up the payee in the memorized payee list and if it finds it, it uses the category in that entry.  Note that it is possible to have multiple entries for each payee.  Which one will be picked automatically isn't well defined, so the best practice for transactions that you will be doing this (not manually entering) keep only one payee entry, and lock the that memorized payee so that it doesn't change.
4. If the above doesn't find matches this is when Quicken guesses at these.  And there are options to block this.  At the start the guesses tend to be a good thing, but once you have most of your payees set it is better to turn off the automatic/guessing and so you get say a blank category that you can see really quickly and set and then memorize.

sgtempe

Wow... really appreciate your detailed responses... a lot to absorb though, so I'll keep reviewing it over the next day or so. I'm loading in the past 2+ years but focusing on 2021 for tax prep.