diff --git a/doc/sgml/C/xacc-acctypes.sgml b/doc/sgml/C/xacc-acctypes.sgml index 0c76d72e70..560a2e878d 100644 --- a/doc/sgml/C/xacc-acctypes.sgml +++ b/doc/sgml/C/xacc-acctypes.sgml @@ -25,11 +25,8 @@ decide. The Bank account type denotes a savings or checking account held at a bank or other financial - institution. - - - Such accounts sometimes bear interest. - + institution. + Such accounts sometimes bear interest. @@ -41,19 +38,14 @@ decide. with VISA, MasterCard, or Discover, as well as others like American Express that do not permit you to maintain continuing balances. - - The introduction of Check Cards where payments are withdrawn directly from a checking account makes the selection less clear; it is probably more appropriate to treat a "Check Card" as a Bank account, as it does withdraw amounts directly from such an account, not really involving any granting of - credit. - - - Note the ambiguity of AMEX and Check Cards. This shows that -deciding where to put accounts is not an exact science. - + credit. + Note the ambiguity of AMEX and Check Cards. This shows that + deciding where to put accounts is not an exact science. @@ -62,27 +54,24 @@ deciding where to put accounts is not an exact science. Asset and Liability accounts are used for tracking things that are of value, but that are not so - directly translated into cash . - - -For instance, you might collect the costs of purchasing a - house into an asset account entitled My House, or the + directly translated into cash. + For instance, you might collect the costs of purchasing a + house into an asset account entitled My + House, or the cost of a car into My Car, or collect together the - value of your Computer Equipment. - - -And the home mortgage or car loan would be represented by + value of your Computer Equipment. + The home mortgage or car loan would be represented by liability accounts, Home Mortgage and Car Loan, to be drawn down as payments are made on these - loans. - - -If you hold assets for business purposes, their decline + loans. + + + If you hold assets for business purposes, their decline in value over time might be treated as a deduction for tax - purposes, that deduction being called Depreciation. - - -On the other hand, if you own assets that appreciate in value over time, such as real estate, + purposes, that deduction being called + Depreciation. + On the other hand, if you own assets that + appreciate in value over time, such as real estate, collectibles like paintings, and investments like shares in companies, you may see them appreciate in value, and have to recognize, for tax purposes, what are called Capital Gains. @@ -98,53 +87,38 @@ deciding where to put accounts is not an exact science. securities that are widely enough traded can have pretty concrete values that may be analyzed on a day-to-day basis. - - - Stock and Mutual Fund accounts are typically tracked in + + Stock and Mutual Fund accounts are typically tracked in registers having three main columns: -Price - - +Price -Number of shares - - +Number of shares -Cost - +Cost - - - In order to get useful information out of the + In order to get useful information out of the register, it is necessary to have multiple "views" on the data so that you may assess such things as: -Total Values by security - - +Total Values by security -Gains/Losses by security - - +Gains/Losses by security -Return On Investment rates by security - +Return On Investment rates by security - - More details may be found in the Stock Ticker section. @@ -153,19 +127,13 @@ deciding where to put accounts is not an exact science. Expense Income and Expense account types are used to - record income and expenses. - - - For example, if you deposit a paycheck in your bank account, you -should mark it as a transfer from an 'income' account type. - - - Marking income in this way helps balance the books: the change in your + record income and expenses. + For example, if you deposit a paycheck in your bank account, you +should mark it as a transfer from an 'income' account type. +Marking income in this way helps balance the books: the change in your net worth in the course of a few ekks, a few months, or a year, should exactly equal your income (minus expenses) for the same period. - - - The value stored in the bank account contributes to your 'net worth'; +The value stored in the bank account contributes to your 'net worth'; whereas the income contributes to your 'profits'. @@ -177,38 +145,19 @@ whereas the income contributes to your 'profits'. Equity accounts are used to store the opening balances when you first start using GnuCash (or start a new accounting period). - - - - - -Assuming that you've had a bank +Assuming that you've had a bank account far longer than you've been using GnuCash, and assuming you don't want to type in old transactions, you will want to type in a non-zero opening balance into your bank account. This opening balance should be marked as a transfer from an account of type 'equity'. - - - - - Alternately, if you close and reopen all your books at the end of every +Alternately, if you close and reopen all your books at the end of every quarter/year, the 'equity' will be your net-worth at the begining of the period: it equal all assets minus all liabilities. - - - - - As time goes by, -you will have both income and expenses. - - - - - At the end of the year, your net +As time goes by, you will have both income and expenses. +At the end of the year, your net worth will be the equity at the begining of the year, plus all income minus all expense. This value will become, of course, the equity for the next accounting period. - @@ -217,10 +166,8 @@ the next accounting period. Currency Currency Accounts are used for trading - currencies. - - -In most ways, they behave like stocks, except that the + currencies. + In most ways, they behave like stocks, except that the only way that "income" may be gotten from them is from fluctuations in the relative values of currencies. Note that transfers cannot be made directly between two accounts