Bond cost basis missing in schedule D report

Question

Purchased a Bond in 2024, sold it in 2025. When I run a schedule D report it appropriately shows the bond sale but instead of using the transaction date of the actual purchase, it is using the transaction date of the grayed-out "placeholder" and the cost column in the subsequent report is 0. How do I get it to recognize the actual purchase date transaction instead?

Scalpel1 · Answer

Hello. That worked out OK. I guess I was just looking for permission to delete that placeholder. Currently now trying to figure out how to do a spin-off. Quicken MAC does not make this easy.

John_in_NC · Answer

Hi, @Scalpel1

Let's move away from the Tax report for now: I think the problem lies in the fact you have that placeholder transaction which won't have a cost unless you specifically added it.

If you have the both the Buy and Sell transactions for this bond (do you?), there shouldn't be a placeholder. I am not there to see your data, but is that placeholder needed? I figure if you look in the Portfolio view, it will also have a missing cost basis if still showing.

Save a backup before you do anything, but after examine your Portfolio view, you might realize that the placeholder is invalid so you can delete it. And then I would expect your tax report to work correctly.