[GNC] I just don't understand reconciliation

[Adrien Monteleone]

> On Jun 18, 2019, at 7:11 PM, ToddAndMargo via gnucash-user <gnucash-user at gnucash.org> wrote:
> 
> 
>> Long delivery times make tracking charges/clearings more cumbersome, but not impossible. Reconciliation isn’t concerned with that though.
>> The *purpose* of reconciliation is not to reconcile the transactions, it is to reconcile the ENDING BALANCE as of the statement date.
> 
> I am going to ignore that as it throws me back into a state of confusion.

It would help considerably if you understood what ‘reconciliation’ means with respect to bank/charge accounts. You’re going to be taking that rock and banging it into granite until you do.

It is apparent you are seeing this as a transaction clearing process when it is not.
> 
> I will just think I can't "Finish" the reconcile until
> it appears on my statement, even if it is a month late
> arriving.

Nothing wrong with that. But what do you mean by ‘month late?’ Do you not get your paper statements within 7-10 days of the end of the closing date?
> 
> Part of this is that I am involved in computer security.
> I do not do any on line banking as I has seen the
> result.  (By the way, use a charge card, not a debit card.
> You have no protection with a debit card and if it gets
> hacked, they have your bank account too.)  So you
> are expecting me to know my statement in "real time",
> not once a month.

Not at all. This process was built on once-per month statements. The ‘clearing’ function is separate from reconciliation and *can* happen daily/weekly/whatever, or happen as *part of* the reconciliation process.
> 
> Just out of curiosity, when you don't balance and
> you know the bank is right and you are wrong, but
> can find your mistake, can you use that spurious entry
> as an "adjusting journal entry”?

If you “can” find your mistake, you should fix it, then Finish the reconciliation.

If you “can’t” find your mistake, then yes, you can use the `Balance` button as a shortcut to create a balancing transaction so that you can `Finish` the reconciliation. (recall my suggestion to use an Expenses:Miscellaneous:Balancing account for this if you like). That is the sole purpose of the `Balance` button.

Regards,
Adrien