Quicken 2008: Sort Investments by Debt/Equity Ratio Incorrect

Posted by John Pollard on September 4, 2007, 8:39 pm

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David A. Lessnau wrote:

> John,

> Specifically on the Return (%) YTD: with my data (two

> identically

> stocked accounts), my data sorts correctly on that field.

> But, I'm

> showing 5 stocks with N/A for their Return (%) YTD. I

> mentioned in

> my other branch of this thread that Quicken won't calculate

> returns

> for periods greater than we've owned a stock.

> But, how can it not calculate a YTD value?

Did you own those stocks on Jan 1, 2007?

>> David A. Lessnau wrote:

>>> In Quicken Deluxe 2008 as well as my previous Q05 Premier,

>>> if

>>> I go to

>>> an investment account, load up the Fundamentals screen, and

>>> then

>>> click on the "Industry Debt/Equity" header or the company's

>>> "Debt/Equity" header, the list of equities appears to sort.

>>> But, the

>>> order is incorrect.

>>> Sorting on any other column (that I tested) works fine.

>> Did you try "Return (%) YTD"; it's off too.

>> The problem has existed with that "column" since at least

>> Q2005,

>> but I can't say that the underlying (reported) cause is the

>> same.

>> It has been reported that when the Porfolio is grouped by

>> Security and sorted by "Return (%) YTD", Quicken adds the

>> Return

>> percentage of the security once for each account in which the

>> security is held, then sorts on that total.

>> While I see that the "Return (%) YTD" percentage does not

>> sort

>> correctly, it's not clear to me that it is off due to the

>> reported cause. A quick glance at my data does suggest that

>> owning the security in multiple accounts may be part of the

>> problem.

>> --

>> John Pollard

>> First initial underscore Last name at mchsi dot com

>> Please reply to newsgroup

--

John Pollard
First initial underscore Last name at mchsi dot com
Please reply to newsgroup

Posted by David A. Lessnau on September 5, 2007, 8:55 am

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John,

No. I didn't own the stocks that are showing as N/A on the first of the
year. That's apparently the problem. I don't know why it would be though.
According to Quicken's description of "Return (%) YTD" (RPY), it's supposed
to be calculated as "[c]hange in value, plus dividends, capital gains, and
return of capital (year to date)." I can put those columns (or the one's
they derive from) on the same report with RPY (except for Return of Capital)
and they all have valid numbers. It's hard to understand why Quicken
doesn't check for a purchase date within the current year instead of just
looking at the start of the year on a YTD calculation.

Dave

> David A. Lessnau wrote:

>> John,

>> Specifically on the Return (%) YTD: with my data (two identically

>> stocked accounts), my data sorts correctly on that field. But, I'm

>> showing 5 stocks with N/A for their Return (%) YTD. I mentioned in

>> my other branch of this thread that Quicken won't calculate returns

>> for periods greater than we've owned a stock.

>> But, how can it not calculate a YTD value?

> Did you own those stocks on Jan 1, 2007?

>>> David A. Lessnau wrote:

>>>

>>>> In Quicken Deluxe 2008 as well as my previous Q05 Premier, if

>>>> I go to

>>>> an investment account, load up the Fundamentals screen, and

>>>> then

>>>> click on the "Industry Debt/Equity" header or the company's

>>>> "Debt/Equity" header, the list of equities appears to sort.

>>>> But, the

>>>> order is incorrect.

>>>

>>>> Sorting on any other column (that I tested) works fine.

>>>

>>> Did you try "Return (%) YTD"; it's off too.

>>>

>>> The problem has existed with that "column" since at least Q2005,

>>> but I can't say that the underlying (reported) cause is the

>>> same.

>>>

>>> It has been reported that when the Porfolio is grouped by

>>> Security and sorted by "Return (%) YTD", Quicken adds the Return

>>> percentage of the security once for each account in which the

>>> security is held, then sorts on that total.

>>>

>>> While I see that the "Return (%) YTD" percentage does not sort

>>> correctly, it's not clear to me that it is off due to the

>>> reported cause. A quick glance at my data does suggest that

>>> owning the security in multiple accounts may be part of the

>>> problem.

>>>

>>> --

>>> John Pollard

>>> First initial underscore Last name at mchsi dot com

>>> Please reply to newsgroup

> --

> John Pollard

> First initial underscore Last name at mchsi dot com

> Please reply to newsgroup

Posted by David A. Lessnau on September 5, 2007, 9:59 am

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I guess it's probably a matter of interpretation. On one hand, if you were
going to compare YTD stock performance, you'd probably want to have that
performance "normalized" over the same period. Otherwise, you might sell a
winning stock just because you've only owned it one day and its YTD number
compared badly to other stock you've owned since the beginning of the year.
OTOH, if you currently own a stock, no matter how short the period, you
probably want to see how it's performing YTD and not just see a big ol' N/A.
I assume anything not owned and merely sitting in a Watch List will suffer
the same problem.

I'm sure this has been hashed to death across the boards since the problem
first reared its head. So, there's no need to continue it here. The
incorrect sorting of whatever numbers do show is definitely an error and
Intuit needs to fix that.

Dave

> John,

> No. I didn't own the stocks that are showing as N/A on the first of the

> year. That's apparently the problem. I don't know why it would be

> though. According to Quicken's description of "Return (%) YTD" (RPY), it's

> supposed to be calculated as "[c]hange in value, plus dividends, capital

> gains, and return of capital (year to date)." I can put those columns (or

> the one's they derive from) on the same report with RPY (except for Return

> of Capital) and they all have valid numbers. It's hard to understand why

> Quicken doesn't check for a purchase date within the current year instead

> of just looking at the start of the year on a YTD calculation.

> Dave

>> David A. Lessnau wrote:

>>> John,

>>>

>>> Specifically on the Return (%) YTD: with my data (two identically

>>> stocked accounts), my data sorts correctly on that field. But, I'm

>>> showing 5 stocks with N/A for their Return (%) YTD. I mentioned in

>>> my other branch of this thread that Quicken won't calculate returns

>>> for periods greater than we've owned a stock.

>>> But, how can it not calculate a YTD value?

>> Did you own those stocks on Jan 1, 2007?

>>>> David A. Lessnau wrote:

>>>>

>>>>> In Quicken Deluxe 2008 as well as my previous Q05 Premier, if

>>>>> I go to

>>>>> an investment account, load up the Fundamentals screen, and

>>>>> then

>>>>> click on the "Industry Debt/Equity" header or the company's

>>>>> "Debt/Equity" header, the list of equities appears to sort.

>>>>> But, the

>>>>> order is incorrect.

>>>>

>>>>> Sorting on any other column (that I tested) works fine.

>>>>

>>>> Did you try "Return (%) YTD"; it's off too.

>>>>

>>>> The problem has existed with that "column" since at least Q2005,

>>>> but I can't say that the underlying (reported) cause is the

>>>> same.

>>>>

>>>> It has been reported that when the Porfolio is grouped by

>>>> Security and sorted by "Return (%) YTD", Quicken adds the Return

>>>> percentage of the security once for each account in which the

>>>> security is held, then sorts on that total.

>>>>

>>>> While I see that the "Return (%) YTD" percentage does not sort

>>>> correctly, it's not clear to me that it is off due to the

>>>> reported cause. A quick glance at my data does suggest that

>>>> owning the security in multiple accounts may be part of the

>>>> problem.

>>>>

>>>> --

>>>> John Pollard

>>>> First initial underscore Last name at mchsi dot com

>>>> Please reply to newsgroup

>> --

>> John Pollard

>> First initial underscore Last name at mchsi dot com

>> Please reply to newsgroup

Posted by John Pollard on September 5, 2007, 11:38 am

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David A. Lessnau wrote:

> I guess it's probably a matter of interpretation.

> On one hand, if

> you were going to compare YTD stock performance, you'd

> probably want

> to have that performance "normalized" over the same period.

That was going to be my comment to your previous post.

> Otherwise, you might sell a winning stock just because you've

> only

> owned it one day and its YTD number compared badly to other

> stock

> you've owned since the beginning of the year. OTOH, if you

> currently

> own a stock, no matter how short the period, you probably want

> to see

> how it's performing YTD and not just see a big ol' N/A. I

> assume

> anything not owned and merely sitting in a Watch List will

> suffer the

> same problem.

I haven't done a lot of research, but I think there are some
"return" metrics that don't require you to own the security for
any particular length of time.

And I know there is an option to set the "starting date" for
several return calculations which would help allow one to
normalize the results to use in comparing different securities
that had been owned for different time periods.

> I'm sure this has been hashed to death across the boards since

> the

> problem first reared its head. So, there's no need to

> continue it

> here. The incorrect sorting of whatever numbers do show is

> definitely an error and Intuit needs to fix that.

> Dave

> in

>> John,

>> No. I didn't own the stocks that are showing as N/A on the

>> first of

>> the year. That's apparently the problem. I don't know why

>> it would

>> be though. According to Quicken's description of "Return (%)

>> YTD"

>> (RPY), it's supposed to be calculated as "[c]hange in value,

>> plus

>> dividends, capital gains, and return of capital (year to

>> date)." I

>> can put those columns (or the one's they derive from) on the

>> same

>> report with RPY (except for Return of Capital) and they all

>> have

>> valid numbers. It's hard to understand why Quicken doesn't

>> check

>> for a purchase date within the current year instead of just

>> looking

>> at the start of the year on a YTD calculation. Dave

>>> David A. Lessnau wrote:

>>>> John,

>>>>

>>>> Specifically on the Return (%) YTD: with my data (two

>>>> identically

>>>> stocked accounts), my data sorts correctly on that field.

>>>> But, I'm

>>>> showing 5 stocks with N/A for their Return (%) YTD. I

>>>> mentioned in

>>>> my other branch of this thread that Quicken won't calculate

>>>> returns

>>>> for periods greater than we've owned a stock.

>>>

>>>> But, how can it not calculate a YTD value?

>>>

>>> Did you own those stocks on Jan 1, 2007?

>>>

>>>>> David A. Lessnau wrote:

>>>>>

>>>>>> In Quicken Deluxe 2008 as well as my previous Q05

>>>>>> Premier, if

>>>>>> I go to

>>>>>> an investment account, load up the Fundamentals screen,

>>>>>> and

>>>>>> then

>>>>>> click on the "Industry Debt/Equity" header or the

>>>>>> company's

>>>>>> "Debt/Equity" header, the list of equities appears to

>>>>>> sort.

>>>>>> But, the

>>>>>> order is incorrect.

>>>>>

>>>>>> Sorting on any other column (that I tested) works fine.

>>>>>

>>>>> Did you try "Return (%) YTD"; it's off too.

>>>>>

>>>>> The problem has existed with that "column" since at least

>>>>> Q2005,

>>>>> but I can't say that the underlying (reported) cause is

>>>>> the

>>>>> same.

>>>>>

>>>>> It has been reported that when the Porfolio is grouped by

>>>>> Security and sorted by "Return (%) YTD", Quicken adds the

>>>>> Return

>>>>> percentage of the security once for each account in which

>>>>> the

>>>>> security is held, then sorts on that total.

>>>>>

>>>>> While I see that the "Return (%) YTD" percentage does not

>>>>> sort

>>>>> correctly, it's not clear to me that it is off due to the

>>>>> reported cause. A quick glance at my data does suggest

>>>>> that

>>>>> owning the security in multiple accounts may be part of

>>>>> the

>>>>> problem.

>>>>>

>>>>> --

>>>>> John Pollard

>>>>> First initial underscore Last name at mchsi dot com

>>>>> Please reply to newsgroup

>>>

>>> --

>>>

>>> John Pollard

>>> First initial underscore Last name at mchsi dot com

>>> Please reply to newsgroup

--

John Pollard
First initial underscore Last name at mchsi dot com
Please reply to newsgroup