small discrepancy - distributions

[JeanneMarie]

I admit, this is a $2.18 discrepancy, so this question is all about my education. What am I missing?

I've got a report that lists every kind of distribution available + the total. This reconciles--the bottom line in the "Total dist (btw)" column equaling the sum of the other column totals. However, in the final column "Acct Fee Dist (btw)" (a negative), I've got one security with -12.97 but the bottom line is -15.15. No other security has anything in this column; no other anomalies in the other columns; all columns are "btw" numbers; there are no "per share" numbers.

The Data Register says that Merrill Lynch "reported" this as a 12.97 Account Fee (displayed rounded to 13), but the Memo describes it as foreign tax withholding. That's easy to understand but it still doesn't explain why the column total is what it is. (The report does have a foreign tax column with all zeroes.)

Any suggestions as to what is going on? what to look for?

Thanks,
Jeanne

[Mark]

Hi Jeanne,

Maybe you have a hidden investment with a value in this column? Try turning on "View / Hidden Investments/Portfolios" and see if that doesn't clear things up.

There is also an option:

Options / Report Preferences... / General / Investment Display / Display Hidden Investments with Activity

that you can turn on to make sure you always see cases like this.

[JeanneMarie]

Thanks! I feel so much better. I actually had that report pref. checked, but there are three sub-choices. So I changed that to show ALL investments with zero share balance and that did the trick. Bottom line: I actually only need grand totals for each kind of distribution. So as long as I know how to read the report, I'll be fine.

But this raised another issue. My $2.18 was a margin interest charge untethered to any investment position. So this number appears on a line that has no security name in the first column. After blinking and squinting a bit, I realized where I should click, and I actually got a data register with no security name (type = account fee). So I got curious and moved over to another account where I know there are advisory fees. They are showing up in the money market fund's data register but not on this report. So should fees be showing up here? I should think not; a margin charge is not like foreign tax withholding. And should there be a data register with no security name? (The charge is in the MMF's register.)

Many many thanks,
Jeanne

[Mark]

Hi Jeanne,

It sounds like somehow your margin interest was placed into a separate investment (with no name), upon import. This can happen, depending on how it is imported/reported by your broker. It is up to you on how you want to record this. However, if you record it as an interest type of distribution (with a negative value, since you paid it), it will be in the Distribution Summary report. If it is just a sell transaction, then no, it won't be in the Distribution Summary report.