Cash initial balance is wrong.

MarkKWilliams

A few days ago, cash began to show up with an initial value of $0.001518 instead of $1.00. I have tried to edit it, but can't figure out how. This throws off my gains over the years (I've been using Quicken for Windows since 2002). Help!

Tom Young

"A few days ago, cash began to show up with an initial value of $0.001518 instead of $1.00. "

I don't really understand what you're saying here.  Can you provide a screen shot that'll explain what you're experiencing?

MarkKWilliams

I pasted the image below. According to this, the initial value of each $1.00 was $0.001518. $1,000.00 would display an initial value of $1.518 and a current value of $1,000.00. Until this week, it displayed an initial AND current value of $1,000.00.

Tom Young

From the little snippet you posted it looks like you created a Security called "Cash" and I've never heard of that.  Cash is not a security, it's a currency, the coin of the realm, a dollar is always worth a dollar (even if it doesn't buy as much as it used to) and it's value (quote) or cost never changes.  So I have to ask: why in the world would you create a security called "Cash" if you're really dealing with cash?

As far as your oddball number goes, that's a calculated number - apparently you're showing a big gain in Cash - so I'd have to think some entry "upstream" of whenever this started is wrong, throwing that entry off.  You could try doing an Investment Transaction report, limiting it to the "security" Cash if something stands out to you.  It seems like every transaction, every Buy and every Sold, would have a number of shares that's equal to the "proceeds" or the "basis"  (price x # of shares) so I'd look for some entry where that's not the case.

MarkKWilliams

Until this week, cash was cash. $1.00 = $1.00. I haven’t done anything (knowingly) to change this since 2002! That is the problem. How do I get back to cash is cash? $1.00 = $1.00 since the beginning of time (2002)?

Tom Young

Do you have "Cash" defined as a security?  It seems like you do.

Since the average cost is a CALCULATED field I have to think that some transaction(s) have gotten screwed up.  If it's a fairly recent thing you might be able to go back a day at a time looking at the Holdings screen to see when the cost got screwed up and then look at that day's transactions.  It's also possible, of course, that some transaction(s) from way back in time got messed up a few days ago and you would have to work back years to find the error.  In that case you might want to take bigger steps backwards, e.g., months or half years, to try an find the problem.

But, if this "security" really and truly IS cash, I'd be tempted to dump that security, enter the correct amount of cash in the Account, and move on.

MarkKWilliams

Thanks for the answer, but it misses the point. Since 2002, I've had Cash listed with my other investments. It was always valued at $1. Last week something changed and the initial valuation is now $0.00158. I did nothing. I want to have the valuation back to where it has been for the past 20 years.

Tom Young

That's NOT an "initial valuation", that's a calculation.  Specifically, it's (Total Cost Basis/# of shares). 

The Total Cost Basis and the # of shares is a result of all the historical transactions that have taken place in that particular "security."  If something's screwed up in that history dating back to 2002 then the Total Cost Basis and/or the # of shares is wrong.

You can try {Ctrl}-Z in that Account to force a recalculation, you can try Copy & Validate on the whole file with Rebuild Investing Lots checked, maybe that will fix it.  Please post a screen shot of that Cash security in the Holdings view.  I'd expect that the security would show a large gain.  If it doesn't then it would seem that the data file is corrupt and the Copy & Validate would be the first thing to try. 

UKR

You may also want to review the Price History for your Cash "security". It may have gotten corrupted with an entry, old or even future dated, that doesn't show 1.00 ... if there's one or more of those, delete them from the Price History.

MarkKWilliams

I ended up restoring a backup and updating it. I think the problem was caused by the switch (which I didn't cause) to the "Simplified" format for investments. I didn't like it and with the restore, it disappeared. I hope it stays dead because it hides useful information.