investment data entering

[Derek Atkins]

Hi,

Bill Suit <bsuit at bellsouth.net> writes:

> Using v.1.8.4. I'm using the online manual to set up my investment
> accounts.
> 
> Assets-investments-brokerage accounts-vanguard-mutual funds-522 is the
> example I'll use.522 is the fund identifier used by vanguard and is what
> I have named my account after.

Let me use more GnuCash speak here, just to make sure.  You setup the
account hierarchy:

        Assets:Investments:Brokerage Accounts:Vanguard:Mutual Funds:522

In other words, you've got 6 levels of accounts here..   Not that this
is a problem, but I'm just making sure.

First, make sure that the "522" account is of of type "mutual fund"
and ALSO make sure that the account commodity is configured to be the
proper VX___ symbol for your vanguard account.

> I've noted Fredrik Persson's July 1st post on the topic and don't fully
> understand exactly what he did.

Well, what about it confused you?

> To keep this simple. On 09/16/02 I gave vanguard $5,000.00. In return
> they gave me: 432.90 shares, priced at $11.55 per share of fund #522.

Well, that's simple.  You enter a transaction dated 9/16/02 where you
buy 432.90 "shares" at a "price" of 11.55 -- it should auto-compute
the "buy" as "4999.99".  That extra penny is down in the 4th decimal
place of shares if the price is really $11.55 (5000/11.55 = 432.9004329...)

> How and where should I enter this information. All of the permutations I
> could think of have (appeared to) failed.I say appeared to fail, as
> maybe what it's done is correct and I just don't recognise it TIA, Bill

Open up your "522" account and enter it.  How did the permutations
fail?  If they fail by recomputing the price at $1, then you failed to
set the account commodity.  If it complains about the $5000 and tells you
you're out of balance, that's because of the math issue I just showed
above (how many significant digits does vanguard keep?).

I hope this helps.

-derek
-- 
       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 at MIT.EDU                        PGP key available