[GNC] Migrating from AceMoney

[Adrien Monteleone]

Jason,

Some additional things to consider

> On Jan 29, 2019, at 6:39 AM, David Cousens <davidcousens at bigpond.com> wrote:
> 
> 
> 
> Jason,
> No problem.
> 
> The reply All only works if the email message originates from the email list or "gnucash-user at gnucash.org" is in the
> From field in the email you are replying to. If there is any problem and the gnucash-user address above doesn't show up
> in thr To, CC or BCC fields in your reply just include it in the CC and it will go to the list.

Check to see if you are receiving two copies of messages. (sorting by subject might help)

If you are receiving a copy addressed to you from an individual *and* another copy addressed to the mailing list rather than you directly, (gnucash-user at gnucash.org) then you can fix this in your Mailman preferences here: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user (you’ll need to login using the very bottom field to see the preferences.) Then check on the preference labeled 'Avoid duplicate copies of messages?’ and set it to: ‘Yes’ if you *do not* want duplicate copies. Also consider the setting for 'Receive your own posts to the list?’ if you save your own outgoing messages and don’t need to receive your own messages back from the list. And finally consider your setting for 'Receive acknowledgement mail when you send mail to the list?’ if you don’t want to get a notice from the list every time you send a message. (I think the default for this is ’no’ anyway)

> 
> On Tue, 2019-01-29 at 06:27 +0000, Jason Voss wrote:
>> 
>> We've been using AceMoney lite on windows 7 pro... and having trouble finding the same version for running on mac. If
>> I can find one, this may be my simplest way forward. We really don't need many features... just a basic register for a
>> single account, that allows for clearing checks and balancing with monthly statements. This kind of platform change
>> always has unexpected complications... but I anticipate doing this less often now that all my computers will be mac's.

Keep in mind that Gnucash is double-entry accounting. If you are not specifying expense accounts/categories in AceMoney (not sure how it works) and only a payee, you will have to alter your workflow considerably using Gnucash. But don’t let this scare you, it is quite easy and intuitive once you get the hang of it.

With double-entry, money does not appear or disappear. It moves from one account to another. For each transaction there will be two ‘splits’ to show the account the money came from, (presumably your checking account or cash in your wallet) and another on where it went to. (usually an expense account) This means you will at least have an account for checking, salary/wages, and *each* category of expense. (as well as others for credit cards, car, and house loans, if applicable)

If you don’t want to keep such a detailed track of your expenses (highly recommended though) you *could* fudge by either just putting everything to a general ‘expenses’ account, or enter nothing and Gnucash will dutifully balance the transaction for you with a split to an ‘Imbalance’ account.

But I think you’ll find using Gnucash the way it was intended, while more detailed (and some would say complicated) will serve you much better. Otherwise, I’d honestly say a spreadsheet template would be the easiest route with the least learning curve — essentially the same as a paper checkbook register and you can setup a column for reconciliation purposes. (not to discourage using Gnucash, its an excellent tool.)

Be sure to read through the Guide when you start using the app, and refer to the Help document for references on particular functions, fields, buttons, etc.

To aid with grasping the concept of ’splits’ and the details of your transaction entries, I highly recommend the following settings:

Preferences > Register Defaults > Default Style - select ’Transaction Journal’
Preferences > Register Defaults > Other Defaults - select ‘Double Line Mode’

You can always toggle these in the View menu with an account register open to see the differences between what information is displayed and then stick with the settings you prefer.

Also, I personally find seeing most numbers as ‘positive’ and use the following:

Preferences > Accounts > Reversed Balanced Accounts - select ‘Credit accounts’

Or else your liabilities and your income (as well as equity) will normally be shown as negative numbers which can be difficult to wrap your head around. (most people consider getting paid to be ‘positive’.

Regards,
Adrien