Starting a new year

[Tommy Trussell]

On 4/23/08, hendrik at topoi.pooq.com <hendrik at topoi.pooq.com> wrote:
> On Wed, Apr 23, 2008 at 12:44:32PM +0200, Manfred Usselmann wrote:
>  > On Tue, 22 Apr 2008 11:47:25 -0400
>  > Derek Atkins <warlord at MIT.EDU> wrote:
>  >
>  > > hendrik at topoi.pooq.com writes:
>  > >
>  > > > I recently started a new file for 2008, after using the previous
>  > > > one since 2005.  The only reason is that over the years some
>  > > > accounts became unreconcilable because of lost statements.  If
>  > > > there was some way of pseudoreconciling transactions from the past
>  > > > so that reconciliation could be done again, I would have had no
>  > > > need to start a new file.  Of course, those pseudoreconciled
>  > > > transactions should be marked in some way so that later I know they
>  > > > weren't reconciled against an actual statment but are just actin as
>  > > > if.
>  > > >
>  > > > I noticed no reduction in startup time when I started using a new,
>  > > > smaller file.  Perhaps I could measure it with the proper tools,
>  > > > but for me it was not significant.
>  > >
>  > > Reconciliation is always from the start of time until the reconcile
>  > > date.  This means that in order to reconcile at date T0 you
>  > > effectively reconcile everything BEFORE T0..  For example, if you
>  > > reconcile on 12/31/2007 that means you've got to have reconciled
>  > > everything prior to that.  If you're missing the April 2007 statement
>  > > then either you guess (based on the May 2007 starting balance) or you
>  > > can never reconcile the account again.
>  >
>  > Or, if you don't care what exactly caused the deviation (what I assume
>  > because you started a new file anyhow) just add an adjusting
>  > transaction with the missing amount and date 31.12.2007 using the
>  > opening / equity account.
>  >
>  > Manfred
>
>
> I do care.  I just don't have the data I need to track it down.  I can
>  add in a transaction to cover the difference and reconcile it, but I
>  want it marked somehow so that I can find it if I ever do have the data
>  I need.  And it also needs to be marked in some way so I know that it
>  isn't "really" reconciled although I'm acting as if it is.  I need to
>  know how much faith to place in the numbers.
>
>  -- hendrik

You could create or use an account whose name tells you it's made up.
And/or you could put Correcting Transaction in the description (plus a
bunch of asterisks or whatever else you think would help you find it).
Then it will be easy to remove once you find the missing data.

(By the way, I have found that banks are happy to send replacement
statements -- though they may charge a fee for the service.)