Sounds like you are running either Money Essentials (MEss) or "Essential
Register". Neither of these have the notion of a real two account Transfer.

"Techlifter" <Techlifter[at]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:80146A45-178D-41E9-B995-8D8EE6A64CB7[at]microsoft.com...
- quote -

My apologies for not including the version, but I'm using MS Money 2007 Trial
Version.

Moreover, when I click on a transaction and get the droplist to categorize
the transaction, Transfer/Special is not available. The two main headings are
Expense and Income, with subheadings like "Household," "Groceries," "Pet
Care," etc

Hence, my continuing confusion. Does the additional info help?

"Techlifter" wrote:

- quote -

I did not say earlier that if both sides of the transaction download
simultaneously into separate accounts, categorize the debit card part
first. You'll use splits to do that.

After creating the transfer part of the debit transaction, go to the
savings account. "Change" the downloaded savings deposit and match it to
the transfer you created in the checking account. Do that before accepting
the savings transaction.

If the savings are accrued and recorded as a periodic lump sum deposits,
you may have to create a third in-between account to put the checking
transfers into. Categorize the savings as a transfer from that account. As
some point the in-between account should balance at zero.

If that is the case, title the third account 'BoA interest-free float'
because that's what it would be. Think of the amount of money they get to
use for free, considering the thousands of account holders participating in
the program.
--
Chris Cowles
Gainesville, FL


"Techlifter" <Techlifter[at]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:73002389-4795-470A-B0AB-AFD49D2551E3[at]microsoft.com...
- quote -

You don't specify version or edition. This complicates answering.

Are you using Money Essential (MEss) or Essential Register? That complicates
any solution.

In general, assuming you pass the above gates, you use the "special
category" Transfer:[name of the other account]. As to downloading, you
should categorize the first of the two halves as Transfer:[name of other
account]. The second half should recognize it matches the first half--which
will already be represented in the account from the Transfer above--or you
may have to tell it that it does.

A Transfer is a very magic and powerful thing and is useful in all kinds of
cases where you are moving money effectively from one pocket to the other.
As you may intuitively grasp, these cases are neither Income nor Expense.
Thus the "Special Category" Transfer. A Transfer puts a debit in one account
and a credit in the other. It's there just for cases like this. (And paying
credit cards and so forth.)

As to the round-up savings thing, what I'd do (aside from finding a better
way to save) is categorize my transactions as "Split" transactions with the
basic part categorized appropriately and the round-up as a Transfer:Savings.
E.g., a $36.01 Food:Groceries would become a $37.00 transaction split into
$36.01 Food:Groceries and a $0.99 Transfer:Savings. How they represent this
in the downloaded data may be a whole other matter. If they present it as a
whole bunch of regular transactions and one accumulation of the savings
component, just make that last savings component a Transfer:Savings.

"Techlifter" <Techlifter[at]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:73002389-4795-470A-B0AB-AFD49D2551E3[at]microsoft.com...
- quote -

If you're not using Money Essentials, there are 'Special' categories at the
bottom of the drop-down picklist. Select "Transfer: [savings account]"
where [savings account] is the name of the account to which it's
transferred.

Because the credit card transactions are mostly expense with a little bit
of savings, use the Split button. Categorize the actual expense to whatever
category applies, such as groceries or gasoline. Categorize the change as a
transfer.

If you're using Essentials, it may not permit transfers. I've never seen
the program so cannot say. If you are using Essentials and it does not
support transfers, I suggest you upgrade to Deluxe. It's pretty cheap at
Sam's, similar discount stores, and office stores.
--
Chris Cowles
Gainesville, FL



"Techlifter" <Techlifter[at]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:73002389-4795-470A-B0AB-AFD49D2551E3[at]microsoft.com...
- quote -

I'll probably find out that this was somethgin simple all along but: How do
you categorize transfers from Checking to Savings, if you automatically
download all of your transactions from your bank?

I have $100 automatically transfer from my checking account to savings,
every friday. In effect, paying myself about $400 a month that just gets put
away. I don't follow whether that should be counted as Income or Expense.
What type? Is it an expense from checking and treated as income in Savings?

Similarly, I'm enrolled in the Band of America "Keep the Change" program.
Basically, any time I use my debit card to pay for something, the change
rounded up to the nearest dollar gets transfered from my checking account to
my savings (similar to the automatic transfer I have scheduled).

Any help anyone could offer would be greatly appreciated as I've only been
baffled by the MS Money Help and haven't been a whole lot more successful
with google.