Each Quicken investment account has a transaction list; this is the investment equivalent of a check register. This list shows all the security transactions that you've recorded in your account. In most cases, transactions from your cash management account are included as well.
In the investment transaction list, you can enter new transactions manually or download them directly from your broker or participating financial institution.
Enter an investment transaction
When manually entering investment transactions, you can either work directly in the transaction list or use forms that walk you through the specific type of transaction. When you use the forms, Quicken automatically assigns any necessary investment category and tax line item for you.
Use forms to enter an investment transaction
You can enter investment transactions through forms that are customized to the type of transaction you're working with.
- Open the account you want to use.
- Click Enter Transactions or you can go directly by typing Ctrl + N.
- In the Enter Transaction list, select the type of transaction you want to enter.
- Context-sensitive help is available for specific transaction types. Use the Help button on the form.
Note
Investment transaction lists can also contain special types of transactions that record only your position for a security (the number of shares you own). These are called placeholder entries.
Enter an investment transaction directly into the transaction list
- Open the account you want to use.
- Find the new transaction line.
- Change the date if necessary.
- You can enter a new date directly over the date that Quicken puts in the Date field. You don't have to type the slashes or the year, because Quicken has already entered the current year.
- To enter a date quickly, click the pop-up calendar at the right of the Date field, and then click a date.
- In the Action list, select the type of transaction you want to enter.The transaction line adjusts to display fields and text prompts appropriate to the type of transaction you're working with.
- If this is a security-based transaction (for example, a buy or sell), enter a security.
- Use the fields provided to complete the applicable information for this transaction, such as the number of shares, price per share, memo, and so on.
- Click Enter to record the changes.
Notes
Investment transaction lists can also contain special types of transactions that record only your position for a security (the number of shares you own). These are called placeholder entries.
You can display the transaction list in two-line mode by editing the investment transaction list preferences.
Video Tutorial
Edit an investment transaction
If you need to make a correction to an investment transaction, you can either use forms that are specific to the type of transaction you're working with or edit the transaction list directly (as you would with a register).
The specific fields available for editing an investment transaction depend on the type of transaction you're working with (for example, a buy or a sell). There is limited support for changing the transaction type (for example, from a Buy to a CvrShrt or BuyBond). If the transaction type you need is not displayed in the drop-down list, you must first delete the original transaction and then enter a new one.
Investment transaction lists can also contain special types of transactions that record only your position for a security (the number of shares you own). These are called placeholder entries.
- Open the account you want to use.
- In the investment account transaction list, select the transaction you want to change.
- On the transaction toolbar, click Edit.
- Use the form to change the information as necessary.
Notes
- Alternatively, you can edit the transaction directly in the transaction list.
- You can display the transaction list in two-line mode by editing the investment transaction list preferences.
Update your investing account
Before you can download transactions into an account, you need to activate it for online services. After an account has been activated, it's easy to keep its transactions and balance up to date.
Update a single account
- Open the account you want to update.
- Click
(the Account Actions icon), and then choose Update Now.Note: If you don't see Update Now in the menu, it's probably because the account is not activated for online access yet. Choose Set up Online instead.
- Enter your password.
Note: Depending on how you manage your financial institution passwords, this may be the password for just this account, or the password for the Quicken Password Vault. - In the One Step Update Settings dialog, verify the account to update and bill payments to send (if any). Select or deselect items, as necessary.
- Click Update Now.
- A progress window provides status while your account is updated, and the One Step Update Summary window displays when the update completes.
- Click Close in the One Step Update Summary window when you finish reviewing it.
Update multiple accounts at the same time
- Choose Tools menu > One Step Update. One Step Update is the centralized access point for almost all connected services in Quicken. It makes it easy to:
- Download the latest cleared transactions and balances for all your online-enabled bank, investment, 401(k), and credit card accounts.
- Send or cancel online payments (not supported by all financial institutions).
- Transfer money between accounts at the same financial institution, if you are connected via Direct Connect.
- Sync your data to the Quicken Cloud and use Quicken on your phone or tablet.
- Download security quotes, download currency exchange rates, export some of your Quicken account information to Quicken.com, and obtain product updates for your Quicken software.
- Enter your password(s).
Note: Depending on how you manage your financial institution passwords, this may be the password for each account you want to update, or the password for the Quicken Password Vault.
- Choose what to update. (Optional)
If you are using the Password Vault, click Settings immediately after typing your password to display the One Step Update Settings dialog.
Under the Download Transactions and Balances heading, choose the accounts to update and bill payments to send (if any). Only online-enabled bank, investment, 401(k), and credit card accounts appear in the list.
Under the Online Services heading, choose the connected services and features to update:
- Click Update Now.
- A progress window provides status while your accounts are updated, and the One Step Update Summary window displays when the update completes.
- Click Close in the One Step Update Summary window when you finish reviewing it.
Set up scheduled updates
Check for free software updates
Each time you start a One Step Update session, Quicken checks to see if there is an update to the Quicken program. If an update is available, Quicken asks if you'd like to download the update.
Determine if (and how) an account is connected
Permanently exclude an account from One Step Update
To permanently remove an account from One Step Update, deactivate the online account services.
Update an account by downloading and importing a file
This isn't the best way to update an online-enabled Quicken account. It's often time-consuming, and any of the standard Quicken connection methods provide a much faster and easier experience. However, downloading and importing a file can be useful if you are having connectivity problems, or if you want to update an account that isn't online enabled. Here's how:
- Log in to your financial institution's website.
- Navigate to the download page and click the Quicken logo or Download to Quicken. The exact location of the download page is determined by your financial institution. It is frequently in an area of the website identified as the Download or History area.
- Your browser will download a Web Connect file that contains your account transactions (you can recognize such a file by the .QFX extension in its file name).
- Return to Quicken and choose File menu > File Import > Web Connect File.
- Navigate to, and then select the Web Connect file you just downloaded.
- Click OK.
- Give the account a name. Or, if you already have an account in Quicken for these transactions, choose Link and the account name in the dialog that follows.
- After Quicken finishes importing the file, open the account. Quicken will either automatically add them to your register, or you can review and accept the imported transactions, depending on your downloaded preferences.
About Direct Connect, Express Web Connect, and Web Connect
The connection methods available to you depend on your financial institution and your account type.
Express Web Connect (Free)
Express Web Connect provides an integrated way to update transactions and account balances for financial institutions that do not currently connect directly to Quicken. With Express Web Connect, you can use One Step Update to update multiple accounts, and you no longer have to go to a financial institution's Web site to retrieve transactions.
Direct Connect (Fees may apply)
Direct Connect is a service some banks use to connect to Quicken. You will know if you have Direct Connect if you specifically signed up for it and/or your bank sent you a special user ID and password to use with Quicken. Some financial institutions require Direct Connect to use services such as bill pay, or transfers via Quicken.
Web Connect (Free)
Many financial institutions offering Web banking also let you download your Web transactions into Quicken. If you already have a password, and if the website displays the Quicken logo or contains a button or link that says Download to Quicken, this means that your financial institution supports the Web Connect protocol for downloading and importing transactions into Quicken.
To learn more
See Tell me about the connection methods used by online services.
Customize your investment
You can customize many aspects of the Quicken investment transaction lists to suit your own way of working.
Any changes made in the Investment Transaction List Preferences window will apply to all of your investment accounts. These settings change only the way your data is displayed (not the actual data).
Change the name that appears at the top of the transaction list
Show transactions on one or two lines
- Open the investment transaction list preferences window.
- In the right pane, use the List display drop-down to select whether to display your investment transaction lists in one- or two-line mode.
- Click OK to save your changes.
Notes
By default, investment transactions are shown on one line. Switch to two-line display mode if you want to view more information for each individual transaction.
- One-Line Display shows twice as many transactions on the screen.
- Two-Line Display allocates two lines for each transaction, and the Memo fields are visible.
Change the sort order of transactions in the transaction list
- Open the investment transaction list preferences window.
- In the right pane, use the Sort choice drop-down list to display your investment transactions by date in ascending or descending order.
- Click OK to save your changes.
Notes
Alternatively, you can click the Clr, Date, Action, and Security column headings to sort on those columns within a transaction list.
Adjust the width of the transaction list columns
Show any hidden transactions
- Open the investment transaction list preferences window.
- In the right pane, select Show hidden transactions.
- Click OK to save your changes.
Notes
Select this option to view balance adjustments and previously resolved placeholder transactions for your accounts. This gives you greater control of your balance should you need to remove these transactions to correct historical errors. In addition, you can see how your account calculates the balances for your securities and for cash.
Schedule recurring investment transactions
If there is an investment transaction that you enter on a regular basis, memorize it to simplify your work.
Dividend and interest transactions for investment accounts can now be handled as income reminders. For other recurring investment transaction types (such as dollar cost averaging, DRIPs, or other transactions in which there are purchases on a regular basis), set up and manage them using Quicken's Memorized Investment Transaction List.
Although you can't schedule investment transactions on the Financial Calendar, you can memorize them and create transaction groups to enter multiple transactions at once.
Notes
Recording a transaction in Quicken does not execute a real-world trade, transfer, or other transaction. Contact your broker to execute trades or transfers, and then manually record the transactions in Quicken—better yet, download them directly from your participating financial institution.