[GNC] Keep the Reconciliation Feature (was Re: Gnucash 4.0 Paper Clip and Link glyphs for file/web transaction associations)

Sat Jul 11 20:58:29 EDT 2020

Of course not. Reconciliation is a basic accounting requirement.

Regards,
John Ralls

> On Jul 11, 2020, at 5:01 AM, Jon Schewe <jpschewe at mtu.net> wrote:
> 
> Sorry for jumping in late on this, but are the developers seriously
> considering removing the reconciliation feature? If it's about space on
> the toolbar, I'd be happy if it was in a menu somewhere for those of us
> that use it.
> 
> I find it quite useful as GNUCash treats reconciled splits differently
> than other splits. I like the fact that once something is reconciled I
> need to go through an extra warning dialog to change it. It tells me
> that I've double checked not only that the split has cleared, but the
> balance was correct up to some point in time. This is particularly
> important when the order of transactions in GNUCash is different from
> the bank due to when transactions were processed. I have cases where I
> enter the transaction and mark it as cleared, but it doesn't show up on
> the monthly statement yet, but a transaction that I entered after it
> does show up on the statement. So in this case I want to know that the
> bank and I agreed on the set of transactions that happened on that
> statement. 
> 
> On Sat, 2020-07-04 at 12:27 -0700, John Ralls wrote:
>> But all of those accounts should be periodically reconciled unless you never post anything except by importing it. Regardless, that's a perfectly fine use-case, but I don't think that it's a common one or even that GnuCash is the best solution for it. 
>> 
>> Regards,
>> John Ralls
>> 
>> On Jul 4, 2020, at 9:50 AM, <pyz01 at cox.net> <pyz01 at cox.net> wrote:
>> 
>> John -- I understand your point and I agree -- but in GnuCash I have real estate values, mortgages, brokerage accounts, 401K accounts, car payment loans, etc. to track all accounts in one package.   So while you are correct in your description (I am not really keeping a separate book for my bank account per se), I still need GnuCash to keep track of all assets and liability accounts because these are all from different banks or brokerage companies. 
>> 
>> So -- specific just to checking account reconciliations in my situation -- it is really no longer needed.  As long as I have online access to and can see my online transactions and account balance, the bank's record is my record - because I have instant access to the balance 24/7.  It is analogous to my mother-in-call who calls every week.  I can log in daily and always know what my balance is and what has cleared.  As you said -- nothing really to reconcile to.  GnuCash is just keeping the record of what has transpired.   Now... if online banking goes away... that's a whole different story! 
>> 
>> Ken
>> 
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: John Ralls <jralls at ceridwen.us> 
>> Sent: Saturday, July 4, 2020 9:17 AM
>> To: pyz01 at cox.net
>> Cc: Michael Hendry <hendry.michael at gmail.com>; Chris Good <goodchris96 at gmail.com>; Gnucash <gnucash-user at gnucash.org>
>> Subject: Re: [GNC] Keep the Reconciliation Feature (was Re: Gnucash 4.0 Paper Clip and Link glyphs for file/web transaction associations)
>> 
>> You're confusing reconciliation with processing paper statements. Regardless of how you get the information from the bank the fact remains that there are two sets of books--yours in GnuCash and the bank's--and they need to be reconciled periodically to ensure that they agree. One could, of course, keep one's GnuCash book by downloading transactions from the bank. In that case you're not keeping a separate book and there's no point to reconciliation. But why bother with GnuCash if you're going to do that?
>> 
>> Regards,
>> John Ralls
>> 
>> 
>> On Jul 4, 2020, at 5:38 AM, pyz01 at cox.net wrote:
>> 
>> Michael -- again - it is a matter of personal preference.  Every instance you talk about is absolutely true for banking in the old days.  I, too, used to think that bank rec's were absolutely necessary -- in fact, as an auditor for 30 years - I recommended them as a must have!
>> 
>> But, with easy, on-line, instant access to balances and statements, all-electronic payments (I maybe wrote 3 checks all of last year), and better and faster electronic payment systems, the need for monthly reconciliations has gone the way of the horse and buggy - for many people (not all - and certainly not for businesses who write hundreds of check).  It does get you where you absolutely need to go -- it just is an old and tired mode of transportation that have been surpassed by better and faster ways to get to the same place! 
>> 
>> Ken
>> 
>> (PS -- my mother-in-law still uses bank by phone to call the bank for 
>> her balance instead of going online to see her balance.  She does not 
>> get paper statements because all banks charge for them now.  She still 
>> keeps a paper register as well.  She reconciles manually once a week. 
>> See the analogy?)
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: gnucash-user <gnucash-user-bounces+pyz01=cox.net at gnucash.org> On 
>> Behalf Of Michael Hendry
>> Sent: Friday, July 3, 2020 11:53 PM
>> To: Chris Good <goodchris96 at gmail.com>; Gnucash 
>> <gnucash-user at gnucash.org>
>> Subject: [GNC] Keep the Reconciliation Feature (was Re: Gnucash 4.0 
>> Paper Clip and Link glyphs for file/web transaction associations)
>> 
>> On 4 Jul 2020, at 02:45, Chris Good <goodchris96 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>> Hi Ken,
>> 
>> I'm afraid I'm in the group that finds reconciling very useful. I 
>> want to know if anyone is charging me when they shouldn't be, without 
>> having to check my phone all the time. Admittedly it happens so 
>> infrequently I could probably do without it, but I sleep better with it.
>> 
>> I know a developer is considering restructuring the columns to make 
>> better use of wider displays. Maybe that will help you in future.
>> Myself, I don't really want to use the whole screen, but who knows, I 
>> often find I automatically dislike change but end up liking it.
>> 
>> Regards,
>> Chris Good
>> 
>> 
>> I agree with Chris that reconciliation is very useful, and I’d go so far as to say essential.
>> 
>> Without it, my reaction to an incoming bank or credit card statement couldn’t be more precise than “that looks about right”, with a gradual slide away from synchronisation.
>> 
>> A few examples:
>> 
>> My pension is paid net of tax and I set up a Scheduled Transaction (Sx) at the start of the financial year. My tax code varies through the year, and the net payment is tweaked during the year to get the whole-year tax-take correct - reconciliation allows me to knock these small differences into line.
>> 
>> Similarly, my mobile phone bill includes most of what I need in a fixed monthly payment, recorded by Sx, but occasionally adjusted to deal with surcharges for out-of-contract services.
>> 
>> Apart from my personal accounts, I deal with the bookkeeping for two small charities, whose accounts have to be certified by a qualified accountant for submission to the Office of the Scottish Charity Register. “About right” is not sufficient for this purpose, and as our accountants charge nominal sums for the service it is a matter of common courtesy to minimise (if not abolish altogether) any queries. One particular example from last year was an unpresented cheque which had been sent to another charity for a joint project and recorded through our books some months before the end-of-year.
>> 
>> Regards,
>> 
>> Michael Hendry
>> 
>> 
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