[GNC] Need better documentation - and maybe more robust functionality - on using Lots

[Alton Brantley]

If you’re a day-trader, I can sympathize, put you would probably find the same issues with other personal accounting programs.

I use Gnucash to manage 7 different investment portfolios, including trading options, and I track commission fees, reconcile the lots, adjust for partial lot sales,  and  reconcile to the penny with my brokerage statement every month.

When opening a transaction for stocks, enter the shares and stock price; for options, enter contractsx100 and option price.
Create a subaccount for commissions under each brokerage account. I consider it a prepaid expense (to be realized when I close the transaction. I call it “Commissions-open.”

When closing a transaction, do the same.

On opening a lot, Go to Action->View Lots, Use “New Lot” button to create new lot, and move the open transaction into it with the double arrows, and “Close” button.
On closing, select the appropriate lot, and do the same.

You’ll get a “Realized Gain/Loss” transaction in your stock account. That will be the “gross gain/loss” based on shares/contracts and prices.
You need to add a split to subtract the “Commissions-open” charges from the realized gain/loss to get your net realized gain/loss. (Note: easy check—rename splits for “Commissions-open” in the transactions to “Commissions-closed”. Commissions-closed should ALWAYS total 0. Commission-open should always hold unclosed positions.”

Once I close out an active security, I move it to a subaccount (Positions-Closed placeholder) under brokerage account.

For partial position closings, apportion the initial commission by replacing the commission split with two apportioned splits.



> I luv GnuCash, but not for investments, certainly not for stock trading. Lot
> selection, forget about it... clearly none of that was a priority for the
> developers and I have zero expectation that will change. Use another program
> for recording and maintaining bookkeeping for those investments.