How is AMOUNT RETURN column calculated in portfolio view?

Charles Farnell

For one of my stocks the value in this column is higher than the paid dividends + increase in equity value. I cannot understand how this value is derived.

Tom Young

Put your cursor on the title "Return" (there's no "Amount Return" column) and you'll see the following:

"market value plus cash income plus sale income minus dollars invested (since you invested)"

Jim_Harman

Actually the Return column is renamed to Amount Return if Multicurrency support is enabled. I am not sure how this might affect the calculations, if at all.

The Return shown in the Portfolio views depends on the starting date selected in Options > Portfolio preferences. If the starting date is after you purchased the security, Quicken uses the value on the starting date as the dollars invested.

If you held the security in the past and sold it then bought it again and the date range includes the prior holding, the Return will include the amount from the prior holding.  

Charles Farnell

@Jim_Harman you are correct, I am in multi-currency mode. I checked the box to show closed positions in case I had purchased this stock before but I have not. As of a few minutes ago my gain in the position is $3196 and dividends reinvested value is $1209 for a total of $4405. The number in the AMOUNT RETURN column is $4909. I cannot fathom how this was calculated.

Jim_Harman

Note that reinvested dividends do not affect the Return amount separately, they are included in the ending value. 

To better understand the Return calculation, you can run an Investment Performance report for the same period and select just the one security. If you subtract the total Investments from the Returns column at the bottom of the report, you should get the amount in the Return column in the Portfolio view.

Charles Farnell

> @Jim_Harman said:
> Note that reinvested dividends do not affect the Return amount separately, they are included in the ending value. 
>
> To better understand the Return calculation, you can run an Investment Performance report for the same period and select just the one security. If you subtract the total Investments from the Returns column at the bottom of the report, you should get the amount in the Return column in the Portfolio view.

Running this report uncovered that I owned the security in 2007 whereas the portfolio view of closed positions did not. This does support the amount so the mystery is solved!
Thanks @Jim_Harman

Jim_Harman

Aha! Thanks for reporting back.