For scheduled bills that you normally end up doing that for, check the
option to enter into the registry automatically, a day or two before the
usual download. That way Money will find it there. At worst, it's already
there for matching when you click the change button.

I find if I edit a downloaded transaction in any way, I get the prompt about
matching a scheduled payment more often. Sometimes Money matches the
scheduled bill on its own, but I haven't determined the conditions under
which that happens.
--
Chris Cowles
Gainesville, FL


"Mark Horn" <mark[at]hornclan.com> wrote in message
news:slrndatgpu.2pb.mark[at]home.hornclan.com...
- quote -

Dick and I disagree completely about downloading data, but this is
reasonable advice. It also gives Money time to build up some category
history so it learns which categories link to which payees, in your personal
financial world.

No matter how long you delay downloading, you'll always have to train it how
to associate the downloaded payee descriptions. Raw data from the bank is
often pretty rough with respect to descriptions. Edit the payees after
downloading, and Money will learn how you like them described. That assumes
the bank's descriptions are unique, at least.

If money says it linked a downloaded transaction with something, and you
don't like it, just change it. Money's just trying to make a best guess
based on what you've already recorded. But when you're just starting out it
has no history to go buy, so best guesses can be pretty bad. The more you
train it the better it gets.
--
Chris Cowles
Gainesville, FL



"Dick Watson" <littlegreengecko[at]mind-enufalready-spring.com> wrote in
message news:uqHXboJcFHA.1392[at]TK2MSFTNGP14.phx.gbl...
- quote -

Thank you so much for your time in answering this Mark!

"Mark Horn" <mark[at]hornclan.com> wrote in message
news:slrndatgpu.2pb.mark[at]home.hornclan.com...
- quote -

On 2005-06-14, KJTV <KJTV[at]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
- quote -

When you download transactions, Money enters most of the data that
it knows for you. But it can't enter categories correctly except
to guess. And frequently it guesses wrong. The habit that I've
gotten into is to assume that I have to categorize every transaction
that I download. It takes almost no time.

- quote -

Yeah. I'd guess that you're downloading your statements from your
bank in QIF format. If your bank has OFX as an option, choose
that instead. If it doesn't have that as an option you're going to
run into lots and lots mis-matched transactions (*).

I don't remember exactly how to fix this in Money 2000. In Money 2004
(which is what I use), there's a change button for every downloaded
transaction. I click it and ask it not to match the downloaded
transaction. This button's purpose is to change transaction
matching. Sometimes money matches a downloaded transaction when it
shouldn't have. Sometimes it's the other way around. The solution
to all incorrect transaction matches is the change button.

(*) The reason, in case you're interested, is that OFX supports
unique transaction IDs. This allows money to positively determine
when some transactions should *NOT* match. In particular, money
will not re-match already downloaded OFX transactions with newly
downloaded OFX transactions. QIF does not support transaction
IDs, which will cause money to have to guess whether or not every
transaction must be matched.

- quote -

As far as Money recognizing your scheduled transactions in bills &
deposits, my recommendation is to manually enter these into your
register prior to the download. Money is not always very good
at correctly matching a downloaded transaction to a scheduled
transaction.

Thanks for your response Dick.

I guess, like so many people, time is short, and I know nothing beats old
fashion hard work and persistence, however the idea of being able to import
statements and enter the payees details - which appear almost instantly after
your type the first 3 or 4 letters - which then selects the correct catagory
and expensive type - is quite a nice utility - but the cost seems at this
point in time (until I work it out) that the intuitiveness of the statement
screen does more than what I want - which is matching any amount with the
past amounts and saying it is for something it's not.

There has to be answer for it, perhaps a way to turn of the brains of it and
allow me to enter it in properly.

Failing a solution in the worst case scenerio, I will do the old fashion
by-hand entry.

Thanks again Dick; and if there are any users out there that know the
solution please let me know.

Best regards,

KJTV.

"Dick Watson" wrote:

- quote -

I don't download transaction data. I can't imagine that it could possibly be
worth the trouble. I also recommend new users postpone doing so until
they've entered a range of transactions by hand to understand how Money
works and so they'll know enough to know how to clean up the mess these
kinds of bad matches can create. Kinda like learning to do math by hand
before using a calculator.

Others disagree and swear by downloaded transaction data. Hopefully they can
dive in here and help.

"KJTV" <KJTV[at]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:8C7626DD-6CA0-4133-9479-6E0145BDDBF6[at]microsoft.com...
- quote -

Dear MVP, Dick or Cal,

I have decided to give Money ago - I have an old copy of M$2000 which is all
I need.

I setup Money by importing all my accounts (via a money file exported from
my bank website), and then in the read statement screen I assigned all my
transactions for the last three months into their respective catagories.

This all went well and balanced as you would expect.

I then setup all my forthcoming bills in the bill reminder and even did a
little budget in the budget screen.

Now it has come time to update my account register (as I plan to do every
Sunday) by importing the transactions for the last week via a money file
exported from my bank website - I did so, however when I went to the read
statement screen the result was:

Money imported the full 17 transactions made in this week - which was
correct.
Money then left 10 transactions unassigned out of the 17 - why?
The for the other 7 transactions it said:

'See what cleared in your account'
'The following transaction match transactions already in your Money Account
Register.'

Then it has taken the amounts that were in my new statement, like a $40 cash
withdrawal for example, and then given a name and date from a previous
transactions in the Register, so it appears as:

20/05/05 - Charcoal Chickens - $40 Food: Groceries

When it really should be:

08/06/05 - XYZ Bank ATM Smithville - $40 Cash withdrawal

As you can see, all I want to do is import my statements each week, assign
my own catagories and payee details. Then, when I click the done button in
this screen, I want Money to recognise the payments that where in the bills
reminder schedule and clear them off at the same time - it can do this
right?

Many thanks to all who can help.