Merging two securities on the securites list
I am unable to highlight the two securities I wish to merge using the so-called "command" key. I understand this is the windows key on my PC. How do I highlight two securities?? Thank you
Answers
-
Pls explain your need to highlight these securities. Were you, perhaps, looking at advice for QMac?
Why not simply do 1 for 1 acquisition?
Q user since February, 1990. DOS Version 4
Now running Quicken Windows Subscription, Business & Personal
Retired "Certified Information Systems Auditor" & Bank Audit VP-1 -
@NotACPCA, I am using Windows, not a Mac. The investment involves call and put options for F (Ford Motor) that were re-priced before the expiration date. So for each option my broker created a second security reflecting the new strike price. For each option I now have two securities on the security list instead of one. Quicken has an article entitled "merging two securities into one". That's what I need to do. The article says to "highlight both secuties by using the control key". Unfortunately, I can't find any combination of ctrl, fn, window, or shift key that allows both securities to be highlighted. Other users have posed this question, but I can't find an answer anywhere. Help
-1 -
Please provide a link to that article. Because a 1 for 1 acquisition is the way that I'd go.
Or a JPG of the article.
Q user since February, 1990. DOS Version 4
Now running Quicken Windows Subscription, Business & Personal
Retired "Certified Information Systems Auditor" & Bank Audit VP0 -
If this is the article you read:
That is a MAC article and not applicable to QWin.
It appears to me that having the two securities for the original option and the newly created, newly priced options is correct and applicable. You might need to use the Corporate Acquistion where the new acquires the original.
0 -
The Command key is a MAC function …which is why I asked the questions that I didd=.
Q user since February, 1990. DOS Version 4
Now running Quicken Windows Subscription, Business & Personal
Retired "Certified Information Systems Auditor" & Bank Audit VP0 -
For any other viewers I do NOT recommend the "acquisition" solution discussed above. I tried it and indeed the original option security disappeared from the security list, leaving only the security with the new strike price, but it creates problems in the transaction register. The original transaction with the old option is still in my resgister on the date I acquired it, but on the date of the strike price change the security is "removed" from my register…. and nothing new is added in. That's because the original transaction was a covered call and to add the newly priced option to my transaction register requires a positive number of shares. A covered call generates a short position for the option, so no way to add it to the register on the appropriate date that I can see. I'm left with having to do what I was trying to avoid: erase the original transactions and re-enter transactions using the securities reflecting the new strike price. If Quicken is listening, we need a way to merge two securities, as per the article for Mac users above. Thanks to the two users who tried to help.
0 -
I'm left with having to do what I was trying to avoid: erase the original transactions and re-enter transactions using the securities reflecting the new strike price.
Rather than erase (delete) the original, does it make more sense to close the original at cost (no gain/loss) and then create the new (short) position? Would seem closer to reality (to me).
0 -
Well, the reality is that the original position was short and there was no transaction by me on the day the new securities were issued. Here are exact details for one transaction out of several. I own shares of F. On January 27 I made a "covered call" transaction by selling the February $13.50 call option and collecting a premium. I downloaded the transaction from my broker and entered it on the register as a ShtSell transaction. Expiration date Feb. 17. However, on approximately Feb. 10 Ford announced a special dividend of $0.65/share payable on March 1. So all outstanding options were re-priced and a new security February $12.85 call option was created in my brokerage account. On the download that day, Quicken asked me, "is this security the same as another security on your list"? Words to that effect. I said, "Yes". Nevertheless a new security was somehow created on my securities list, meaning I had the $13.50 option reflecting all reconciled transactions and a new $12.85 security with no transactions. When the option expired on Feb. 17 I downloaded a CvrShrt transaction from my broker for the $12.85 option. But since all previous transactions on my register were still under the $13.50 option I couldn't close out the postion on my register. Entering an "acquisition" transaction as recommended created new problems as I mentioned. First of all there was no acquisition. And there's no way to enter less than 0 shares for the acquired security where I had a negative number of shares. I finally deleted all previously downloaded and reconciled transactions and entered everything anew using the repriced option. But the ideal solution would have been to "merge" the two securities into one on Quicken with a mouse click. And per the Quicken Help Manual there's clearly a way to do it in the program - at least for Mac users. Thank you
0 -
Not to be defensive, but your original posts indicated nothing about short positions or covered calls. Had that situation been evident, I would not have endorsed the Corporate Acquisition approach. Off the top, I do not think any of those types of wizardly macro-transactions handle short positions.
0 -
@q_lurker, I appreciate your efforts to help. The details of my personal transactions should be irrelevant to the key issue: How does one highlight two securities on the securities list? - In order to access the drop down menu that allows one to merge them into one. That's the core issue that no one seems to have a solution for. And if you look through the threads other users have posed the same question. I've used Quicken for some 20 years and I recall merging two securities back over 10 years ago on my PC (I've never used a Mac). Somewhere along the way that useful feature has been lost. In my second post I did mention option transactions… and anyone who trades options knows that writing a put or a call essentially creates a short position for accounting purposes. I tried the "acquisition" route not realizing a positive number of shares would have to be entered for the "acquired" security. So, I'm posting in good faith here trying to get a solution. Not sure what you mean by "wizardly macro-transactions". The transactions I'm discussing represent real-world issues the program should be able to handle for anyone with a brokerage account. The accounting should reflect the transactions that actually took place, not a work around. I was skeptical on the acquisition solution because no acquisition actually took place, but I gave it a try. No harm done, but it didn't work in this case. As a side note, I like Quicken and have no plans to change programs. But if anyone is listening I give it low marks in general on the issue of accounting for put and call options - which often impact cost basis in the underlying security for tax accounting purposes. Thank you
0 -
How does one highlight two securities on the securities list? - In order to access the drop down menu that allows one to merge them into one. That's the core issue that no one seems to have a solution for.
In Quicken for Windows, you don't. You picked that idea up from a QMac help topic. It is not applicable in Windows.
I've used Quicken for some 20 years and I recall merging two securities back over 10 years ago on my PC
I've used Quicken for investments for over thirty years - back to the DOS days. I don't beleive the capability to 'merge' securities has ever been there in any fashion similar to the current Mac procedure. The Copropate Acquisition approach (only applicable to long positions) has been around a long time (2007 or before).
Not sure what you mean by "wizardly macro-transactions".
Some selections through the Enter transactions button (Corp Acq, MF Conversion, Shares Transferred, Spinoff, etc.) enter a series of transactions generated "like a wizard" to fit the circumstances as best as possible. I have often refered to those as macro-transactions; some users term the prompting window as a 'wizard'. I was simply trying to say that several of those types will not process any form of short position holdings.
So, I'm posting in good faith here trying to get a solution. … The transactions I'm discussing represent real-world issues the program should be able to handle for anyone with a brokerage account. The accounting should reflect the transactions that actually took place, not a work around.
I am not aware of this circumstance being raised before. That suggests that even though it is a real world, real brokerage occurrence, it is also a rare occurrence. Quicken (the program and the programmers) can't and shouldn't handle everything. Some situations are better left as work-arounds; that is, they are not common enough to justify the programming efort. This one? I can't say.
Now while you are chomping for an ability to 'merge' two securities, that is not what happened real world either. Your brokerage reported this as a new security with a new name et al.
If this arises in the future, I'd suggest you try the path of matching the new option to the prior one it is replacing. That sounds like where you effectively ended up.
Relevant (?) idea (or maybe you want to pist your own in the Enhancements sections with more specifics).
0 -
@q_lurker, I recall somehow being able to highlight two securities in the old days. This issue does arise on occasion and clearly someone at Quicken has thought about it - if only for Mac users. Appreciate your input, I have nothing more to say on this thread. Thank you.
0
