How to manually enter HSA investments

Question

I am manually entering my transactions in order to track my HSA investments. How do I do this correctly? I am getting caught up in the reinvestment of dividends. Do I enter the dividend received and then do a 'buy' transaction? Or only use reinvest? Or enter the dividend and then use reinvest? I cannot reconcile correctly at all no matter how I play around with things. I do not have to deal with fees thankfully.

Tom Young · Answer

"That transaction [referring to a downloaded purchase transaction] does not change my cash balance from the company housing my HSA, but if I "purchase" through a 'Bought' transaction within Quicken for $1 a share, Quicken reduces my cash balance. I can't reconcile."

It could be really helpful to get a screen shot of a downloaded purchase transaction showing that the cash balance isn't being reduced to see if someone can spot something in that transaction that's giving you that result.  But I don't understand the second part of the posted statement starting with "but if I, particularly the "can't reconcile."  It seems like if you deleted that downloaded purchase transaction that didn't reduce cash and enter a manual purchase transaction that does reduce cash, everything would be "right."  Are you not deleting the downloaded transaction?

Is this a "sweep" situation with the cash reserves fund, meaning that cash is automatically swept into the fund and automatically swept out of the fund if you use the HSA for medical services?  If that's the case then simply deleting those non-functioning downloaded purchase would also work because there's no real need to distinguish between true "cash" and the "cash reserves fund."

"Do I enter the dividend received and then do a 'buy' transaction? Or only use reinvest?"

Either approach should work and it really doesn't make any difference which you use.

Snoxall · Answer

I played around with it some more! I found that if I use the action "Added" to purchase the cash reserves fund at $1/share, then it works out! When I go to purchase actual investments from that cash reserve fund, then I "remove" the cash from the cash reserves fund at $1/share. Everything else is normal in terms of XIn, Div/ReinvDiv, and Bought/Sold.

Please let me know if there is a better solution, otherwise this is what I'm going to stick with!

Snoxall · Answer

PS I auto transfer from my paycheck, and then it is immediately purchased with the company that holds the HSA, into their cash reserve fund. My statement where my HSA is housed shows two different transactions, one for my contribution from my paycheck which adds to my "cash" balance, and then another with the purchase of the companies cash fund, say XXXXX ticker. That transaction does not change my cash balance from the company housing my HSA, but if I "purchase" through a 'Bought' transaction within Quicken for $1 a share, Quicken reduces my cash balance. I can't reconcile.