[moneydance] Liability

[Edward Reid]

At 7/29/2009 07:46 PM -0400, Robert K. Tompsett N8JUQ wrote:
>If my liability (Dental) balance is $400.00, and I pay $50.00 from
>Checking to the Dental account, shouldn't I see a $350.00 balance in the
>Liability Window? I keep getting an increased balance instead of a
>decreased balance even though my initial balance was set as a negative
>$400.00.

Ironically, your confusion arises because the initial balance is one 
place where MD is NOT consistent about making liabilities negative. 
To create an initial balance of negative $400 in a liability account, 
you must enter POSITIVE $400 in the initial balance field. You can 
alter the initial balance by editing the account. Change it to +400 
and you should see a minus sign and the balance in red, and adding 
$50 to it will work as you expect.

If I were doing this, I would set up the liability account (call it 
My Dentist) with a zero initial balance. Then on the date the work is 
done and I thus incur the liability, I would "pay" (decrease) $400 
from the liability account to the appropriate category (which for me 
would be Medical:Dental). That way, I keep track of what was done and 
when I paid for it separately. And I wouldn't have to worry about the 
sign on the initial balance ...

Edward
-- 
Art works by Melynda Reid: http://paleo.org