All Accounts Require Reconnect After Latest Update

mototom

What is going on with Quicken's updates? The latest update blew up all my downloads—it wants me to reconnect everything. It's also asking me to "transition to a new connection method" for BoA. Except I did that many weeks ago.

I spent over an hour reconnecting everything yesterday, only to have to revert to a backup because the Fidelity reconnection wiped out all my transaction history. It tells me it can only do simple account tracking when I've been downloading full transactions for ten years.

Has anyone else experienced this? Quicken download functionality seems to be getting more unreliable.

lhossus

mototom said:

...
I spent over an hour reconnecting everything yesterday, only to have to revert to a backup because the Fidelity reconnection wiped out all my transaction history. It tells me it can only do simple account tracking when I've been downloading full transactions for ten years.

Investment accounts in Quicken (e. g. Fidelity) should be connected using Direct Connect. Unfortunately, Quicken sometimes defaults to the more widely supported Quicken Connect, which then limits the investment account to "simple account tracking".

So do the following:
- Select Fidelity Investments Mac (or Fidelity NetBenefits for a 401k)
- Make sure that Direct Connect is selected as the connection method.

PS: what version of Quicken for Mac are you using? If you need further help, knowing the version will be important as the workflow for setting up connections has changed.

mototom

I'm using the latest version prompted: Version 6.11.3 (Build 611.47347.100). Direct Connect is grayed out and is not an option.

lhossus

A question: What is the EXACT name in Quicken that you are using to connect to "Fidelity"?

Is it "Fidelity Investments Mac"?  If not, then what is it, exactly?

I ask this, because "Fidelity Investments Mac" does support Direct Connect. It should not be grayed out. In fact, when setting up a connection to this Fidelity, the ONLY option is Direct Connect.

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It might be instructive to set up a separate temporary test Quicken Data file. In that file, try to connect to your Fidelity investment account. 

Are you able to establish a Direct Connect connection?
Are you able to download transactions?

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You might want to describe the full set of steps you are going thru to carry out the reconnection. I am concerned that what you are calling reconnecting is something other than what I am used to.

Alternatively, you might want to contact Quicken Support. See Official Quicken® Support - Phone, Chat, or Community 
With Phone support, they can - with your permission - look at your Quicken screen to observe what you are seeing and more quickly troubleshoot the problem. 

mototom

There are four accounts involved. There's an employee stock options account, a 401(k) account, a brokerage account for ESPP and ESO exercise, and an ESPP contributions account. I've tried going to account settings, downloads, and choosing both update login and change connection.

Update login tries to renew the existing connection. The existing connection has been Fidelity NetBenefits and the error report when I update accounts tells me that it is using Direct Connect. When I look at the settings for the account, it tells me the account uses Quicken Connect. So it seems that Quicken has changed the connection type behind the scenes and that connection type is obviously failing because it was never set up that way in the first place.

Fidelity Investments Mac isn't a workaround, as it only includes my non-401k cash account. And the Fidelity 401k connection only allows Quicken Connect now as well.

So it really seems like some of these Fidelity connections have been downgraded.

lhossus

I will again suggest the following actions:

Recommendations:
- Be sure you have adequate backup for your Quicken Data File - just in case
- Turn off Sync (if it is on): Quicken Preferences > Mobile, Web & Alerts tab > Sync slider => Off

1) Set up a test data file in Quicken and then connect Quicken to each of your accounts at Fidelity, using the FI labels Fidelity Investments Mac and Fidelity NetBenefits, as appropriate. You want to avoid using any FI label where the connection method is Quicken Connect - I suspect those alternative labels are for people that just want a summary of their account without the transactions (but I am not privy to any inside information).

Are you able to get satisfactory setups in this test data file that meet your expectations?

2) If not, your best option likely will be to contact Quicken Support as I previously suggested.

3) If yes, then the next step would be to carefully disconnect all Fidelity accounts in your working Quicken Data File. Having done that, then connect these accounts following the same choices as you made in the test data file.