How do I handle specific investment scenarios?

Track a money market account

It is important to distinguish between money market accounts and money market funds. The former is an account type offered by many financial institutions that is treated like cash, very similar to a savings account but typically with a higher interest rate. The latter is a type of security that is often used to hold cash in a brokerage account before it is used to purchase other shares. Money market funds should be tracked as securities within iBank investment accounts. Money market accounts should be set up as follows:

  1. Set up an account (using Direct Access or direct download if possible) that uses the "Money Market" account type.
  2. When you make deposits and withdrawals, download or manually record "Transfer" transactions to record the cash moving between your other accounts and the money market account.
  3. When you receive interest payments, download or manually record "Deposit" transactions and assign them to the "Interest Income" category (or another category, if you prefer).
  4. To see how much interest you have received during a specific period of time, create a "Category Detail" report and include the "Interest Income" category.

Track a certificate of deposit (CD) account

CD's, offered by many financial institutions, typically have a fixed term after which the investment may be withdrawn with interest. They typically pay higher interest rates than checking, savings, and money market accounts.

  1. Set up an account (using Direct Access or direct download if possible) that uses the "Asset" account type.
  2. After account setup is complete, change the "Starting Balance" transaction to use the "Transfer" type, and enter the name of the account you used to purchase the CD in the category field.
  3. As interest accrues, download or manually record "Deposit" transactions and assign them to the "Interest Income" category (or another category, if you prefer).
  4. When the account matures and you withdraw your investment, record a "Transfer" transaction to move the balance of the account to another account. You may wish to hide the CD account once you have closed it.
  5. If you redeem the CD before maturity, you will likely have to pay a penalty. Record this as a "Withdrawal" transaction in the CD account before transferring the remaining funds out.

Track a retirement account

IRA's and other retirement accounts should be tracked in the same manner as brokerage accounts:

  1. Set up an account (using Direct Access or direct download if possible) that uses the "Investment" or "401k" account type (whichever you prefer).
  2. As you contribute to the retirement fund, download or manually record transactions for each share purchase.
    • Your fund may invest in a single mutual fund or a variety of different securities. If you're not sure which securities your fund invests in, request statements from your financial institution to ensure you use the correct ticker symbols in iBank.
    • Record "Buy" transactions in the retirement account with the funding type set to "Transfer." Enter the name of the account from which contributions are drawn in the category field.
    • For employer-matched contributions, first record a "Transfer" transaction in your contributing account to move cash to the retirement account, and split the transaction to add your employer's contribution. Then record a separate "Buy" transaction in the retirement account with the funding type set to "Cash."
  3. Click the "Update" button on the toolbar to download the latest quotes for your securities, and check the current value of your retirement fund by looking at the account balance in the source list. Set up an "Investment Summary" report to analyze your investment performance in more detail.

Buy and sell stock or mutual fund shares using cash from another account

  1. When you buy or sell shares, record a "Buy" or "Sell" transaction in an investment account. Be sure to enter the appropriate ticker symbol, number of shares, price per share, and commission.
  2. Set the funding/distribution type to "Transfer," then type in the category field the name of the account where cash from the transaction should be withdrawn or deposited. When you save the transaction, you should see that the cash balance of the investment account was not affected.
  3. Set up an "Investment Summary" report to track the changes in the security's market value and cost basis, and to analyze your investment performance in more detail.

Record a gift of shares

  1. Record a "Move Shares" transaction in an investment account. Be sure to enter the appropriate ticker symbol and number of shares received.
  2. For the price per share, enter the average cost per share. This will ensure that the new shares have the correct cost basis, but the cash balance of your accounts will not be affected.

Short a stock

  1. Record a "Sell to Open" transaction in an investment account. Be sure to enter the appropriate ticker symbol, number of shares, price per share, and commission.
  2. To buy back the shares, record a "Buy to Close" transaction.

Record a dividend

  1. Record a "Dividend" transaction in an investment account. Be sure to enter the appropriate ticker symbol and note the cash value of the dividend in the "Sec. Income" field.
  2. By default, cash dividends are deposited into the investment account. To deposit the proceeds into a different account, set the distribution type to "Transfer." iBank will automatically split the transaction so that you can assign a category to the cash you receive as well as specify the account where it should be deposited. Click the disclosure triangle next to the category field to open the split pane, then double-click a split item in the "Category" column. Assign a category to the split item with an amount in the "Income" column, and give an account name to the item with an "Expense" amount.
  3. To reinvest the dividend, set the distribution type to "Reinvest," then enter the number of shares acquired. iBank will calculate the price per share automatically, and the cash balance of your accounts will not be affected.

    Reinvesting a dividend in this manner is equivalent to recording a cash dividend followed by a "Buy" transaction. If you have to pay a commission on the reinvestment, or if only a portion of the dividend is reinvested, you must record two separate transactions.

Record a capital gains distribution

Capital gains distributions are similar to dividends, but instead of paying out a portion of profits, they pay out a portion of proceeds from the liquidation of shares (and are thus taxable to the shareholder as capital gains):

  1. For shares held for a year or more, record a "Cap. Gains Long" transaction in an investment account. For shares held less than a year, use "Cap. Gains Short." Be sure to enter the appropriate ticker symbol and note the cash value of the distribution in the "Sec. Income" field.
  2. By default, cash distributions are deposited into the investment account. To deposit the proceeds into a different account, set the distribution type to "Transfer." iBank will automatically split the transaction so that you can assign a category to the cash you receive as well as specify the account where it should be deposited. Click the disclosure triangle next to the category field to open the split pane, then double-click a split item in the "Category" column. Assign a category to the split item with an amount in the "Income" column, and give an account name to the item with an "Expense" amount.
  3. To reinvest the capital gains, set the distribution type to "Reinvest," then enter the number of shares. iBank will calculate the price per share automatically, and the cash balance of your accounts will not be affected.

    Reinvesting a capital gains distribution in this manner is equivalent to recording a cash distribution followed by a "Buy" transaction. If you have to pay a commission on the reinvestment, or if only a portion of the distribution is reinvested, you must record two separate transactions.

Record a return of capital distribution (also known as a nondividend distribution)

Return of capital distributions are similar to capital gains distributions, but in addition to paying cash to the shareholder, they reduce the cost basis of the existing shares (and thus are generally non-taxable to the shareholder):

  1. Record a "Cap. Distribution" transaction in an investment account. Be sure to enter the appropriate ticker symbol and note the cash value of the distribution in the "Sec. Income" field.
  2. By default, cash distributions are deposited into the investment account. To deposit the proceeds into a different account, set the distribution type to "Transfer," then type in the category field the name of the account where cash from the transaction should be deposited. When you save the transaction, you should see that the cash balance of the investment account was not affected.
  3. Set up an "Investment Summary" report to view the change in the security's cost basis and analyze your investment performance in more detail.

Record a stock split

  1. Record a "Split" transaction in an investment account. Be sure to enter the appropriate ticker symbol and the number of shares gained in the split. For a reverse split, record the number of shares lost.
  2. When you download quotes, iBank will automatically get the new price per share and you should see a jump in the price history chart. If you are tracking the security manually, you don't need to worry about adjusting the prices before the split; simply record the new prices beginning with the date when the split occurred.

Record a stock spinoff

  1. When a company spins off a portion of its shares to form a new company, first record a "Cap. Distribution" transaction in your investment account. Enter the ticker symbol of the primary stock, and type in the amount of the cost basis that should be deducted as a result of the spinoff. Leave the distribution type set to "Cash." Your broker should tell you how much of the cost basis should be deducted.
  2. Next, record a "Buy" transaction to add shares of the new stock. Enter the ticker symbol for the new stock, the number of shares added, and the average cost per share (equal to the cost basis you deducted in step 1 divided by the number of shares of the new stock). Leave the funding type on this transaction set to "Cash," and it will balance out the cash you received in step 1.
  3. After recording these transactions, click the "Update" button on the toolbar to download quotes for the new security. Be aware that iBank considers the acquisition date of the new shares to be the date of the merger, so it will not accurately report short- vs. long-term shares on investment reports.

Record a stock merger

  1. When two companies merge and combine their stock, first record a "Move Shares" transaction in an investment account. Enter the ticker symbol of the stock that is being merged, and type the number of shares you own in the "Shares Out" field. If both stocks are being merged to create a brand new stock, record a second "Move Shares" transaction for the other stock. This will remove the shares from your portfolio, including their cost basis, without incurring a capital gain or loss.
  2. After removing the shares, record a second "Move Shares" transaction to add shares of the merged stock. Enter the ticker symbol for this stock, the number of shares to add, and the average cost per share (equal to the total cost basis you deducted in step 1 divided by the number of shares you are adding). If you're unsure about the cost basis, set up an "Investment Summary" report to see the cost basis reduction associated with the Move Shares transaction(s).
  3. After recording these transactions, click the "Update" button on the toolbar to download quotes for the new security. Be aware that iBank considers the acquisition date of the new shares to be the date of the merger, so it will not accurately report short- vs. long-term shares on investment reports.

Record a share transfer

  1. To move shares of a security from one investment account to another, first record a "Move Shares" transaction in the account that is losing shares. Enter the ticker symbol for the security and type the number of shares to move in the "Shares Out" field. This will remove the shares from your portfolio, including their cost basis, without incurring a capital gain or loss.
  2. Next, record a second "Move Shares" transaction in the other account to add shares of the security. Enter the same ticker symbol and number of shares added along with the average cost per share (equal to the cost basis of the shares you deducted in step 1 divided by the number of shares). If you're unsure about the cost basis, set up an "Investment Summary" report to see the cost basis reduction associated with the Move Shares transaction. Be aware that iBank considers the acquisition date of the new shares to be the date of the merger, so it will not accurately report short- vs. long-term shares on investment reports.

Buy and sell shares of a money market fund

Money market funds, although similar to mutual funds in many ways, are unique because they have very high liquidity and their share prices rarely deviate from $1 per share. To track these in iBank:

  1. When you buy or sell shares, record a "Buy" or "Sell" transaction in an investment account. Be sure to enter the appropriate ticker symbol (money market fund symbols typically end with "XX"), number of shares, price per share (almost always $1), and commission.
  2. To ensure the market value is correct, select "Securities" under "Manage" in the source list. Select the money market fund in the list, and make sure its type is set to "Money Market Fund" so that iBank doesn't attempt to download quotes for it. If there are any entries on the price history chart that deviate from $1, click "Delete Price History" at the top of the list. Next to the price history chart, enter a date that is earlier than your first purchase of the fund, enter a closing price of $1, and save the security.
  3. Create a "Portfolio Summary" report to see the current value of your money market fund shares, which should always be equivalent to the number of shares you hold.

Buy a stock on margin

  1. If your broker allows you to purchase stocks on margin, set up a "Liability" account manually by clicking the plus (+) button on the toolbar, choosing "Add Account," and choosing the "Asset or liability not at any financial institution" option. Start with an account balance of 0.
  2. Whenever you purchase a stock on margin, record a "Buy" transaction in an investment account. Be sure to enter the appropriate ticker symbol, number of shares, price per share, and commission.
  3. Set the funding type to "Transfer," then type the name of the liability account in the category field. When you save the transaction, you should see that the cash for the purchase was drawn from the liability account.
  4. When you pay interest on the margin loan, record a "Withdrawal" transaction in the account used to make the payment, enter the appropriate amount, and assign it to the "Interest Paid" category (or another category, if you prefer).
  5. When you pay down the margin loan, record a "Transfer" from the appropriate account to the liability account. Enter the amount of the payment, and you will see your margin balance decrease accordingly.
  6. To compare your margin against your equity, set up a "Net Worth" report and include only the liability and investment accounts. The margin will be represented as a cash liability, while the equity will be represented as a security asset or liability (depending on its performance).

Track a private equity investment, private mutual fund, or other unlisted security

If you invest in private equity or buy into a stock or mutual fund that is not publicly traded, iBank will not be able to download quotes to update the value of your shares automatically. Some additional steps are required to track your portfolio value.

  1. Set up a new "Investment" account manually by clicking the plus (+) button on the toolbar, choosing "Add Account," and choosing the "Asset or liability not at any financial institution" option.
  2. During the account setup, be sure to enter your investment positions with the correct dates and prices. When prompted to set up a security for the investment, be sure to enter a ticker symbol (even if it is arbitrary, like "PRIVATE_FUND_1") and set the security type to "Other" so iBank does not attempt to download quotes for that symbol.
  3. Each time you record a purchase or sale, iBank notes the price in the security's price history, and you can record additional prices as frequently as you like. To add a price, choose "Securities" from the "Manage" section of the source list, select the security in the list, and enter a date and closing price on the left side of the price history chart.
  4. Set up a "Portfolio Summary" report to see how much your shares are currently worth, based on the latest prices you recorded on the price history chart.

Buy a bond

  1. Select "Securities" under the "Manage" section of the source list. Click the plus (+) button above the list to add a new security. Enter a name and ticker symbol for the bond (a symbol is required, even if it is arbitrary, like "UNLISTED_BOND_3"). Be sure to set the security type to "Bond" and enter the par value, otherwise iBank will miscalculate the value of your bond transactions.
  2. Record a "Buy" transaction in an investment account and enter the appropriate ticker symbol. Enter the purchase price as a percentage of the bond's par value: 100 indicates a purchase at face value, lower values represent a discount and higher values represent a premium. If the bond has accrued interest, use the "clean" purchase price (the price without the accrued interest) to ensure the correct cost basis is recorded. Enter the commission if applicable, and be sure to enter the bond's par value. In the "Shares In" field, type in the number of bonds, then save the transaction.
  3. If you purchased the bonds on the secondary market and they have accrued interest, record an "Interest Income" transaction with the bonds' ticker symbol and the value of the accrued interest entered as a negative number. This will account for the difference between the "clean" and "dirty" purchase prices and offset your interest income on reports so that the accrued interest is not counted as income to you.
  4. Because Yahoo! Finance does not list bonds at this time, iBank cannot download bond prices. Each time you record a purchase or sale, iBank notes the price in the security's price history, and you can record additional prices as frequently as you like. To add a price, choose "Securities" from the "Manage" section of the source list, select the bond in the list, and enter a date and closing price on the left side of the price history chart.

If you purchase zero-coupon bonds, stripped bonds, or bonds that are discounted on the secondary market, you may be liable to pay taxes on the imputed interest annually and/or upon redemption of the bonds. Because these taxes are not based upon actual interest payments, iBank cannot track your liability for imputed interest.

Record interest payments from a coupon bond

  1. Record an "Interest Income" transaction each time you receive an interest payment. Be sure to enter the bond's ticker symbol and the amount of the interest payment, which is equal to the bonds' par value multiplied by the interest rate and divided by the repayment term. Set the distribution type to "Cash" if you want to deposit the interest into the investment account, "Transfer" to deposit the interest into another account, or "Reinvest" to use the interest to purchase additional bonds.

    If you set the distribution type to "Transfer," iBank will automatically split the transaction so that you can assign a category to the cash you receive as well as specify the account where it should be deposited. Click the disclosure triangle next to the category field to open the split pane, then double-click a split item in the "Category" column. Assign a category to the split item with an amount in the "Income" column, and give an account name to the item with an "Expense" amount.

  2. If you originally purchased the bonds at a premium, and you are amortizing your premiums annually, you may reduce the amount of the interest income in step 1 by the amortized amount (equal to the bonds' purchase price minus par value, divided by the repayment term). In addition to changing the amount of the "Interest Income" transaction, record a "Cap. Distribution" transaction with the bonds' ticker symbol and the amount of the amortized premium. Set the distribution type to match that of the interest income. This will reduce the bonds' cost basis and ensure the amortized premium is not counted as interest income.

Redeem a bond at maturity

  1. If you originally purchased the bonds at face value, record a "Sell" transaction with the bonds' ticker symbol. For the sale price, enter 100 to indicate that the bonds were redeemed at par value. Enter the par value, and record the number of bonds you are redeeming in the "Shares Out" field.
  2. If you originally purchased the bonds at a discount, adjust the sale price in step 1 to indicate the discounted price. Record an "Interest Income" transaction with the bonds' ticker symbol and the total value of the discount. For example, if you purchased 1 bond with a par value of $1000 for $800, you would record an interest income transaction for $200. This will ensure that the discount is treated as interest income instead of a capital gain.
  3. If you originally purchased the bonds at a premium, no further action is necessary. If you amortized your premiums annually, you will not see a capital loss, but if you did not amortize, then the difference between the purchase price and par value will be counted as a capital loss.
  4. Set up an "Investment Summary" report to analyze your interest income and capital gains in more detail.

Sell a bond before it matures

  1. Record a "Sell" transaction with the bonds' ticker symbol. Enter the sale price as a percentage of the bonds' par value. If the bonds have accrued interest, use the "clean" bond price (the price without the accrued interest) to ensure the correct capital gains are recorded. Be sure to enter the par value, and type the number of bonds you are selling in the "Shares Out" field.
  2. If you originally purchased the bonds at a discount, you will need to calculate how much of that discount is considered interest income. Multiply the amount of the original discount by the percentage of the repayment term for which you held the bonds. For example, if you bought 1 bond with a par value of $1000 and a 10-year term for $800, then sold it after 5 years, you would count $100 of the sale price as interest income ($200 discount * 50% of term = $100 interest). Record an "Interest Income" transaction with the bonds' ticker symbol and the value you just calculated. This will ensure that the correct portion of the discount is treated as interest income instead of capital gains or losses.

    You will also need to adjust the sale price from in step 1 as follows: take the amount of the interest income transaction you just entered, multiply it by the bonds' par value, divide by 100, and subtract it from the price of the "Sell" transaction in step 1. Change the "Sell" transaction to use this new price. This will ensure that the remainder of the discount is counted as a capital gain or loss. Following the example above, if you sold the bonds at 95% of par value, the sale price would be entered as 85 (95 sale price - $100 interest * 100 / $1000 par value). The result would be a $150 profit on the sale, of which $50 would be considered capital gains and $100 would be considered interest income.

  3. If you originally purchased the bonds at a premium, no further action is necessary. The difference between the purchase price and par value will be counted as a capital loss. If you amortized your premiums annually, the corresponding cost basis reductions will lower the amount of premium that is counted as a capital loss.
  4. If the bonds have accrued interest, record an additional "Interest Income" transaction with the bonds' ticker symbol and the value of the accrued interest. This will account for the difference between the "clean" and "dirty" sale prices and ensure that the interest payment is counted as interest income instead of capital gains.
  5. Set up an "Investment Summary" report to analyze your interest income and capital gains in more detail.

Record a bond recall

  1. Record a "Sell" transaction with the callable bonds' ticker symbol. If you originally purchased the bonds at face value or at a discount, enter the original purchase price of the bonds to ensure there is no capital gain or loss. If you purchased them at a premium, enter the par value of the bonds. The difference between the call price and par value will be counted as a capital loss. If you amortized your premiums annually, the corresponding cost basis reductions will lower the amount of premium that is counted as a capital loss. Be sure to record the par value, and type the number of bonds that are being recalled in the "Shares Out" field.
  2. Next, record an "Interest Income" transaction with the bonds' ticker symbol and the difference between the original purchase price and the call price (including any accrued interest). If you originally purchased the bonds at a premium, enter the difference between the par value and the call price. If there is no difference, do not record any interest income.
  3. Set up an "Investment Summary" report to analyze your interest income and capital gains in more detail.

Buy a stock option

  1. Select "Securities" under the "Manage" section of the source list. Click the plus (+) button above the list to add a new security. Enter a name and the ticker symbol for the option contract (not the underlying stock). For more information about stock option ticker symbols, refer to this page at Yahoo! Finance. Be sure to set the security type to "Stock Option" and enter the contract size, or iBank will miscalculate the value of your option transactions. Record the option type (put or call), strike price, and expiration date in the "Notes" field for future reference, then save the security.
  2. You may also add a security for the option's underlying stock, so that you can keep tabs on its performance while you decide what to do with the option contracts. If you don't own shares of the stock, iBank will consider it a watchlist item and will not include it in your investment reports.
  3. Record a "Buy to Open" transaction in an investment account. Enter the option's ticker symbol, the number of contracts, the price per share of the underlying stock, and the commission (if applicable). Set the funding type to "Cash" if you want to withdraw cash from the investment account for the purchase, otherwise set it to "Transfer" and enter an account name in the category field to withdraw cash from that account.
  4. Because Yahoo! Finance does not track historical prices for stock options at this time, iBank cannot download option prices. Each time you record a purchase or sale, iBank notes the price in the security's price history, and you can record additional prices as frequently as you like. To add a price, choose "Securities" from the "Manage" section of the source list, select the stock option in the list, and enter a date and closing price on the left side of the price history chart.

Receive an employee stock option (ESO)

ESO's are similar to other stock options, but they typically have a vesting period during which they cannot be sold or exercised. iBank cannot track ESO's while they are still in the vesting period; it is up to you whether to record them as soon as the contracts are granted or after they have fully vested.

  1. Record a "Buy to Open" transaction in an investment account. Enter the option's ticker symbol, a share price of 0, the contract size (typically 100), and the number of contracts you received. Because they are received as a gift, the contracts have no cost basis.

Sell a stock option

  1. Record a "Sell to Close" transaction in an investment account. Enter the option's ticker symbol (not the symbol of the underlying stock), the price per share of the underlying stock, the commission (if applicable), the contract size (typically 100), and the number of contracts you sold. Set the distribution type to "Cash" if you want to deposit cash into the investment account from the sale, otherwise set it to "Transfer" and enter an account name in the category field to deposit cash into that account.
  2. Set up an "Investment Summary" report to analyze your capital gains in more detail.

Exercise a stock option

  1. Record a "Sell to Close" transaction in an investment account. Enter the option's ticker symbol (not the symbol of the underlying stock), a share price of 0 (since you are not actually selling the contracts), the commission (if applicable), the contract size (typically 100), and the number of contracts you exercised. The investment position will be closed and the cash balance of your account will only be affected by the commission (set the funding type to "Transfer" to draw the cash from another account, if you prefer).
  2. Next, record a "Buy" transaction (if the option was a call) or "Sell" transaction (if the option was a put) in the investment account. Enter the ticker symbol for the stock being bought or sold and the number of shares (equal to the number of contracts you exercised multiplied by the contract size, which is typically 100). Enter the option's strike price as the price per share and record the commission (if applicable). Set the funding/distribution type to control which account the cash portion of the transaction is withdrawn from or deposited into.

Let a stock option expire

  1. Record a "Sell to Close" transaction in an investment account. Enter the option's ticker symbol (not the symbol of the underlying stock), a share price of 0, the contract size (typically 100), and the number of contracts you are allowing to expire. The position will be closed and the cash balance of your accounts will not be affected.
  2. Set up an "Investment Summary" report to analyze your capital gains in more detail.

Write a stock option

  1. Select "Securities" under the "Manage" section of the source list. Click the plus (+) button above the list to add a new security. Enter a name and the ticker symbol for the option contract (not the underlying stock). For more information about stock option ticker symbols, refer to this page at Yahoo! Finance. Be sure to set the security type to "Stock Option" and enter the contract size, or iBank will to miscalculate the value of your option transactions. Record the option type (put or call), strike price, and expiration date in the "Notes" field for future reference, then save the security.
  2. You may also add a security for the option's underlying stock, so that you can keep tabs on its performance while you decide what to do with the option contracts. If you don't own shares of the stock, iBank will consider it a watchlist item and will not include it in your investment reports.
  3. Record a "Sell to Open" transaction in an investment account. Enter the option's ticker symbol, the price per share of the underlying stock, the commission (if applicable), the contract size (typically 100), and the number of contracts you wrote. Set the distribution type to "Cash" if you want to deposit cash from the sale into the investment account, otherwise set it to "Transfer" and enter an account name in the category field to deposit cash into that account.
  4. Because Yahoo! Finance does not track historical prices for stock options at this time, iBank cannot download option prices. Each time you record a purchase or sale, iBank notes the price in the security's price history, and you can record additional prices as frequently as you like. To add a price, choose "Securities" from the "Manage" section of the source list, select the stock option in the list, and enter a date and closing price on the left side of the price history chart.

Buy back a stock option that you wrote

  1. Record a "Buy to Close" transaction in an investment account. Enter the option's ticker symbol (not the symbol of the underlying stock), the price per share of the underlying stock, the commission (if applicable), the contract size (typically 100), and the number of contracts you bought. Set the funding type to "Cash" if you want to withdraw cash from the investment account for the purchase, otherwise set it to "Transfer" and enter an account name in the category field to withdraw cash from that account.
  2. Set up an "Investment Summary" report to analyze your capital gains in more detail.

Record the exercise of a stock option that you wrote

  1. Record a "Buy to Close" transaction in an investment account. Enter the option's ticker symbol (not the symbol of the underlying stock), a share price of 0 (since you are not actually buying the contracts), the contract size (typically 100), and the number of contracts that were exercised. The investment position will be closed and the cash balance of your accounts will not be affected.
  2. Next, record a "Buy" transaction (if the option was a put) or "Sell" transaction (if the option was a call) in the investment account. Enter the ticker symbol for the stock being bought or sold and the number of shares (equal to the number of contracts that were exercised multiplied by the contract size, which is typically 100). Enter the option's strike price as the price per share and record the commission (if applicable). Set the funding/distribution type to control which account the cash portion of the transaction is withdrawn from or deposited into.

Record the expiration of a stock option that you wrote

  1. Record a "Buy to Close" transaction in an investment account. Enter the option's ticker symbol (not the symbol of the underlying stock), a share price of 0, the contract size (typically 100), and the number of contracts that expired. The position will be closed and the cash balance of your accounts will not be affected.
  2. Set up an "Investment Summary" report to analyze your capital gains in more detail.