Resolve Different Cash Balances on Account Overview Screen

Gravy
Gravy Member ✭✭
edited April 2022 in Investing (Windows)
In a brokerage account under Investing, when I click on the Holdings button to bring up Account Overview (Value is selected in the dropdown menu), the cash balance shows $500.04. However, just below that under Account Status the cash balance shows $0.04, which I happen to know is the correct cash balance. I'm thinking the problem relates back to the original $500.00 deposit I made to create the account (manually) in Quicken. But for the life of me, I cannot find and resolve the difference/error. Help! :s

Best Answer

  • Frankx
    Frankx SuperUser ✭✭✭✭✭
    Answer ✓
    Hi again @Gravy,

    Yes, you can make it a connected account and avoid at least some (if not all) of the problems you've been having.  However you likely won't be able to download transactions for the full 18 months at this time, depending on the financial institution and whether they make the data available,  What's the name of the investment company?

    Frankx

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Answers

  • Frankx
    Frankx SuperUser ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited March 2022
    Hi @Gravy,

    It sounds like you've already identified the probable cause (i.e. the initial cash deposit into the account).  If Quicken indicates its still there, then you need to look at the transaction(s) that you made (or should have made) when those funds were invested.  Or, maybe more likely, the actual "transfer-in" transaction.  Did you actually transfer in $500.00, or did you just use the amount to get the account "setup" in Quicken so that you could transfer securities from another brokerage into this new account?

    Let me have your thoughts and we'll go from there.

    Frankx

                            Quicken Home, Business & Rental Property - Windows 10-Home Version

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  • Gravy
    Gravy Member ✭✭
    I transferred $500.00 from an outside bank account to the investment company in order to set up the brokerage account. I show the initial transaction for the investment account as Deposit.
  • Frankx
    Frankx SuperUser ✭✭✭✭✭
    Okay so if the correct "cash balance" should now be $0.04 (as you stated above) did you record the transaction - or transactions, in the brokerage account, when you then "invested" the $500.00?  Or am I missing something?

    Frankx

                            Quicken Home, Business & Rental Property - Windows 10-Home Version

                                             - - - - Quicken User since 1984 - - - 
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  • Gravy
    Gravy Member ✭✭
    The initial monthly account statement from the investment company shows $500.00 Funds Received from the bank. As of the same date the statement shows the $500.00 "Sweep in" to the account's money market settlement fund. In Quicken, I do not show any other transaction related to the $500.00. Should there be one?
  • Frankx
    Frankx SuperUser ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited March 2022
    Hi again @Gravy,

    Yes, there should be a transaction showing a "Buy" of the "Money Market" security.  Once you enter that transaction you'll then have the remaining balance of $0.04 as the "cash balance".  Have you considered making this account a "connected" account?  That will make things easier, since these types of transactions will be automatically downloaded into Quicken.]

    Frankx

                            Quicken Home, Business & Rental Property - Windows 10-Home Version

                                             - - - - Quicken User since 1984 - - - 
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  • Gravy
    Gravy Member ✭✭
    I've tried it before, and just now tried it again. No luck. I entered Bought $500.00 money market (settlement) fund (as of Day 1) and manually reconciled the transaction. Now I tap the Holdings button, and with the dropdown menu showing Value, the cash balance now is $0.04. Fine, that's the correct cash balance. However, below that in Account Status, the Cash Balance now shows minus (-) $499.96. Your suggestion of automatically downloading makes perfect sense, it is just that for various reasons I have always preferred to manually enter and reconcile transactions.
  • Frankx
    Frankx SuperUser ✭✭✭✭✭
    Hi again @Gravy,

    When you are in the register for the brokerage account - do you now see two separate buy transactions for the money market fund?  Also what is the "value" of the Money Market fund in that same window - is it $1,000.00 now?

    Frankx

                            Quicken Home, Business & Rental Property - Windows 10-Home Version

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  • Gravy
    Gravy Member ✭✭
    After the original $500.00 Xin from the bank AND the (now entered) $500.00 Bought money market transaction, the Cash Balance shows $0.00. The investment account subsequently received three $0.01 monthly Div actions from the money market fund. The $0.03 in Div increased the Cash Balance to $0.03. I then Bought $447.45 in shares of an ETF, which now shows the Cash Balance a negative -$447.42.
  • Gravy
    Gravy Member ✭✭
    I do see a Value of the MMF at $500.
  • Frankx
    Frankx SuperUser ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited March 2022
    Okay. So now, unless you plan to transfer additional funds into this account, I assume that you'll need to sell $447.45 of the money market fund in order to pay for the ETF purchase.  Do you agree?

    Frankx

                            Quicken Home, Business & Rental Property - Windows 10-Home Version

                                             - - - - Quicken User since 1984 - - - 
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  • Gravy
    Gravy Member ✭✭
    In the register, if I enter a Sold action for the MMF equal to the amount of the Bought action for the ETF, Quicken increases the cash balance in the column at right to $0.03, which was correct at the time. But Cash Balance at lower right in the register then shows a negative -$52.51, and the Market Value column in Account Overview shows Cash as $447.49. Feels like we're going around in circles.
  • Gravy
    Gravy Member ✭✭
    I just checked the company's account statement for that month (end of April 2021), and it shows a balance in the MMF of $52.58 following the purchase of the ETF shares.
  • Gravy
    Gravy Member ✭✭
    The beginning balance in the MMF was $500.03.
  • Gravy
    Gravy Member ✭✭
    How about this? Can I enable this one account to download from the investment company and somehow re-reconcile it with the downloaded data? I've never done it. There is only about 1-1/2-years of transactions thus far.
  • Frankx
    Frankx SuperUser ✭✭✭✭✭
    Answer ✓
    Hi again @Gravy,

    Yes, you can make it a connected account and avoid at least some (if not all) of the problems you've been having.  However you likely won't be able to download transactions for the full 18 months at this time, depending on the financial institution and whether they make the data available,  What's the name of the investment company?

    Frankx

                            Quicken Home, Business & Rental Property - Windows 10-Home Version

                                             - - - - Quicken User since 1984 - - - 
      -  If you find this reply helpful, please click "Helpful" (below), so others will know! Thank you.  -

  • Gravy
    Gravy Member ✭✭
    I believe this financial institution participates. Thank you for your continued interest and comments. Be well! Over and out.
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