Trial Balance Report with Investment Transactions

[David T.]

John, 
I truly don't understand what you're saying. The commissions are entered once. I'm not expensing them, as far as I understand it. Everything I have read says that capital gain in the US  is discovered by the formula:Sale price - purchase price - commissions. 
In my example, for 100 shares,  I have:* a purchase cost of $11.90
* a sale of $3480* sale commissions of $64.05, entered as splits on the sale transaction
Gnucash wants me to report gain of $3468.10My broker and I both get $3404.05
Please tell me how GnuCash's number is right (especially since my broker is willing to report my number to the IRS).
Moreover, it appears that the trial balance is perfectly happy to balance out when the gains transactions are duplicated (e.g., if I scrub the account, and end up with my gain of 3404.05 AND gnucash's 3468.10). I'm not sure how that is supposed be right. 
David

 
 
  On Mon, Feb 13, 2017 at 9:28, John Ralls<jralls at ceridwen.us> wrote:   
> On Feb 11, 2017, at 1:10 AM, David T. via gnucash-user <gnucash-user at gnucash.org> wrote:
> 
> Chris,
> 
> I took a look at what you had to say on the bug, and I have to say, I strongly disagree with your assessment of the problem.
> 
> The trial balance report is wrong when using a standard method of documenting commodity sales. When I receive a statement from my brokerage house, it lists these fees and commissions separately. It is perfectly normal to expect that entering a stock sale with commissions and fees documented would result in an accurate gain record on the GnuCash reports.
> 
> It is absurd to say that the TB report works perfectly well when using the GnuCash-approved method of accounting (which eliminates user ability to document how their money is spent, BTW). 
> 
> The only place I have heard "Gross pricing" used for calculating commodity sales information is in the GnuCash lists themselves. Everywhere else I look indicates accounting that includes documenting these transactions. The GnuCash way requires the GnuCash user to enter into a GnuCash fantasyland where the stock they are selling has a GnuCash value that incorporates fees and commissions. Explain to me how that is right.
> 
> If a GnuCash user chooses to enter their fees and commissions into their data file accurately, and to enter their gains transactions manually accurately, then the GnuCash Trial Balance report DAMN WELL needs to report that information correctly—or the report shouldn’t be included in the application. 

David,

If you think that it's perfectly normal to count the same money twice by both expensing it and deducting it from the capital gain then you need to go have a think. It can't possibly balance:
  sale price - expenses = basis + capital gain

Regards,
John Ralls