accounting for stock trades
Neil Jerram
neil@ossau.uklinux.net
03 Jan 2003 23:37:25 +0000
>>>>> "Herbert" == Herbert Thoma <tma@iis.fhg.de> writes:
Herbert> 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_?
Herbert> Because I want to see the income/expense in an income/expense account,
Herbert> don't I need a split for this?
This probably won't help the argument much, but I find it
interesting...
Consider a simple system where you buy food to eat and do a job. So,
in Gnucash terms, all you have is Expense:Food and Income:Salary (oh,
and Assets:Cash).
Now see it another way. Buying (and eating) food is investing in the
stock known as Yourself. Receiving a salary is selling some of that
stock. In this view the accounts are just Assets:Yourself and
Assets:Cash. Hey, no income/expense accounts!
It seems to me that this kind of duality is always applicable. It's
just a matter of choice (+ convention + accounting rules etc.) which
way you represent things.
(IANAA :-)
Neil