"Amount Invested" Calculation...Wrong?

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crispybishop
crispybishop Member ✭✭
in Investing (Windows)
Hey All,

In my Portfolio view, the "Amount Invested" column just doesn't add up. I'm aware of HOW it calculates its number, but I can't get it to match. Is this a known issue by chance?

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  • crispybishop
    crispybishop Member ✭✭
    edited September 2020
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    Apologize, as a new user, I can't seem to post a screenshot. Here's a link that should work:
    https://snipboard.io/KESygZ.jpg

    The "Amount Invested" in the portfolio tab doesn't math-up with the actual transaction history. Am I missing something? How did they get $1,420.37 in "Amount Invested" when my INITIAL investment was $2000 as-is?...let alone the subsequent reinvestments?



    [Edited to Include Image]
  • Rocket J Squirrel
    Rocket J Squirrel SuperUser ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Quicken is fussy about Amount Invested where reinvestments are involved.
    If you record a reinvested dividend as two transactions, a Div and a Buy, Quicken will add the amount of the Buy to Amount Invested. Quicken thinks, "hey, it's a Buy, the user must have invested more money."
    If you record a reinvested dividend as a single ReinvDiv transaction, Quicken will not increase Amount Invested. This is the right way to record a reinvestment.
    The same holds true for reinvested capital gains.

    Quicken user since version 2 for DOS, now using QWin Biz & Personal Subscription (US) on Win10 Pro.

  • crispybishop
    crispybishop Member ✭✭
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    That...sounds promising. So if a DIV pays on Monday and my account auto-reinvest on Tuesday, it would be wise to amend that dual transaction to just a single REINVEST transaction. That way Quicken knows it's a REINVEST & not a BOUGHT.
  • Rocket J Squirrel
    Rocket J Squirrel SuperUser ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Yes. My brokerages usually get this right and send a Reinv transaction, but sometimes they don't.
    Fidelity is bad at this at quarter-end when a dividend, short-term gain distribution and long-term gain distribution are all reinvested. Fidelity sends 4 transactions for this, a Div, CGShort, CGLong, and Buy. When this happens, I edit the first 3 transactions to be reinvestments and delete the Buy.

    Quicken user since version 2 for DOS, now using QWin Biz & Personal Subscription (US) on Win10 Pro.

  • Sherlock
    Sherlock Member ✭✭✭✭
    edited September 2020
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    If you haven't already, you may want to confirm you have chosen to Show the return calculations from: Earliest available date in the Portfolio View Options window: select Options > Portfolio preferences...
  • bobbakerarizona
    bobbakerarizona Member ✭✭✭
    edited October 2020
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    I get this error, with the wrong 'amount invested', but just on ONE security.

    I did try to 'set earliest date' idea, but that didn't change it. The buy/sells look correct.
    Does anyone else have this problem?

    Update: Found other posts that explain 'my' "amount invested" definition was different than the way Quicken defines it. (e.g. moved shares between accounts.) OK. I understand this now.

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