accounting for stock trades

Herbert Thoma tma@iis.fhg.de
Fri, 03 Jan 2003 21:31:21 +0100


Derek Atkins schrieb:
> 
> Herbert Thoma <tma@iis.fhg.de> writes:
> 
> > Unrealized gain/loss is no "real" money. But realized gain is actual
> > income which I have to pay tax for, realized loss reduces my tax
> > payment. So I have to account for realized gain/loss.
> 
> Sure, but who claims you need to account for it _BY A SPLIT_?

Because I want to see the income/expense in an income/expense account,
don't I need a split for this?

> I have already explained how to account for it through other
> mechanisms (i.e. LOTS).

I don't know the internals of the engine very good. If the accounting
of realized gain/loss shows up in income/expense accounts then
erverything is allright. If not then someone has to modify
the profit/loss report (and probably other reports, too).

> > > > Right now (in GnuCash 1.6) I use a ugly workaround:
> > > > In the stock register I "sell" a stock for the price I bought it,
> > > > the actual amount goes to the cash account, the difference to
> > > > capital_gain or capital_loss.
> > >
> > > This sounds like an ugly kludge; I'm not convinced it's what we want
> > > in the long run.
> >
> > It _is_ a ugly kludge but I know of no better way. Any suggestions?
> 
> Yes.  See my other mail on this topic about LOTs.

OK, I will wait until LOTs are fully functional ... ;-)
BTW, when do you expect this to happen?

 Herbert.

> > > Question: how does quicken keep track of it?
> >
> > I don't know, I never used quicken.
> 
> -derek
> 
> >  Herbert.
> >
> > > >  Herbert.
> > >
> > > -derek
> > >
> > > > >  Each transaction is balanced on each
> > > > > individual purchase/sale.  The lot balances when you sell all the
> > > > > shares out of the lot.
> > > > >
> > > > > The balance of the lot is the sum of the AMOUNTS of the splits in the
> > > > > lot.  The gain/loss is the balance of the the VALUES of the splits in
> > > > > the lot.
> > > > >
> > > > > > Ed
> > > > >
> > > > > -derek
> > > > >
> > > > > > Derek Atkins wrote:
> > > > > >
> > > > > > >Ed Warnicke <hagbard@physics.rutgers.edu> writes:
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >[snip]
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >>What would be the right way to account for this?
> > > > > > >>
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >Using LOTs (which are currently in development) to relate purchases to
> > > > > > >sales.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >>Ed
> > > > > > >>
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >-derek
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > _______________________________________________
> > > > > > gnucash-devel mailing list
> > > > > > gnucash-devel@lists.gnucash.org
> > > > > > https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-devel
> > > > >
> > > > > --
> > > > >        Derek Atkins, SB '93 MIT EE, SM '95 MIT Media Laboratory
> > > > >        Member, MIT Student Information Processing Board  (SIPB)
> > > > >        URL: http://web.mit.edu/warlord/    PP-ASEL-IA     N1NWH
> > > > >        warlord@MIT.EDU                        PGP key available
> > > > > _______________________________________________
> > > > > gnucash-devel mailing list
> > > > > gnucash-devel@lists.gnucash.org
> > > > > https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-devel
> > > >
> > > > --
> > > > Herbert Thoma
> > > > FhG-IIS A, Studio Department
> > > > Am Weichselgarten 3, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
> > > > Phone: +49-9131-776-323
> > > > Fax:   +49-9131-776-399
> > > > email: tma@iis.fhg.de
> > > > www: http://www.iis.fhg.de/
> > >
> > > --
> > >        Derek Atkins, SB '93 MIT EE, SM '95 MIT Media Laboratory
> > >        Member, MIT Student Information Processing Board  (SIPB)
> > >        URL: http://web.mit.edu/warlord/    PP-ASEL-IA     N1NWH
> > >        warlord@MIT.EDU                        PGP key available
> >
> > --
> > Herbert Thoma
> > FhG-IIS A, Studio Department
> > Am Weichselgarten 3, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
> > Phone: +49-9131-776-323
> > Fax:   +49-9131-776-399
> > email: tma@iis.fhg.de
> > www: http://www.iis.fhg.de/
> 
> --
>        Derek Atkins, SB '93 MIT EE, SM '95 MIT Media Laboratory
>        Member, MIT Student Information Processing Board  (SIPB)
>        URL: http://web.mit.edu/warlord/    PP-ASEL-IA     N1NWH
>        warlord@MIT.EDU                        PGP key available

-- 
Herbert Thoma
FhG-IIS A, Studio Department
Am Weichselgarten 3, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
Phone: +49-9131-776-323
Fax:   +49-9131-776-399
email: tma@iis.fhg.de
www: http://www.iis.fhg.de/