USING SUBACCOUNTS TO TRACK HOUSEHOLD EXPENSES

Subaccounts, a new feature with version 6.0, gives MONEYCOUNTS 
EXTRA users the capacity to generate detailed and specific 
reports and graphs about groups of accounts.

This feature is convenient in a business application where a 
summary or detailed report of an account group is desired.  
However, it is also a useful feature in a home accounting 
application.  The subaccount option could be used to track the 
total amount paid for utilities, insurances, automobile expenses 
and other expenses.

Accounts must be created in a parent/child format.  Select the 
option A.  Accounts from the Main Menu of MONEYCOUNTS 6.0.  Next 
choose option A. to add new accounts.  The at (@) sign is the key 
indicator for subaccounts.  This sign is required for MONEYCOUNTS 
to recognize the account as a subaccount.  No spaces are entered 
between the parent header, the at (@) sign and the child 
description.  Parent headers may be as long as 25 characters or 
as short as four characters.  Keep in mind when creating parent 
headers the description line is limited to 25 characters.  A 
shorter parent header may be important if the description of an 
account is lengthy.

REPORTS

Several types of reports are offered at the Report Processor 
Menu.  After choosing the report needed, MONEYCOUNTS presents a 
screen with the options to change the defaults, or send to the 
screen, disk or printer.

MONEYCOUNTS allows changing report defaults when one of the 
following options is selected:  Actual for Year, Budget for Year, 
Actual Vs Budget, Actual Vs Prior Month, or Chart of Accounts.

By pressing the letter key next to the option, the option toggles 
from one choice to another.  Press [D]  and the subaccounts will 
be combined.  Press [D] again, and the subaccounts will show in 
detail.

GRAPHS

Both pie charts and bar charts can display a complete financial 
picture.  A bar chart graphs individual account activity from one 
month to the next.  A pie chart displays the makeup of a 
particular account or account category for any one period.  A bar 
chart should be generated to show the monthly total of an 
individual account for a period of a year.  A pie chart could be 
prepared to display the percentage of total utilities compared to 
all other expenses; it could also show the percentage of an 
individual subaccount to the total of that account.

A graph may be displayed as either a pie chart or bar chart.  
Only bar charts may be displayed for individual accounts.  Only 
pie charts may be prepared for financial statement data ( Income 
Statement, Assets, Debt/Equity ).  The option is presented to use 
year-to-date totals when graphing financial statement data.

[A] Account Data
    Individual accounts.  Bar chart only.
[B] Categories: Option 1.
    Graphs all accounts.  Bar chart or pie chart.
[C] Categories: Option 2.
    Combines subaccounts.  Bar chart or pie chart.
[D] Income Statement.
    Profit and Loss.  Pie chart only.
[E] Assets.
    Asset Accounts from the balance sheet.
    Pie chart only.
[F] Debt and Equity.
    Liability and equity accounts from the balance sheet.  Pie 
    charts only.

CUSTOMIZED HEADINGS

When reports or graphs print with subaccount groups, MONEYCOUNTS 
uses the parent account title for the report or graph title.  A 
file may be created with QUITEWRITE or another word processor to 
customize report headings.  The file should consist of the 
subaccount prefix, an equals sign ( = ), and the desired heading.  
This file must be saved in as ASCII format, in the MONEYCOUNTS 
data directory or on the data floppy, with the file name 
SUBHEAD.DAT.

Since this file is located within the data files, each data 
directory or floppy disk may contain a different SUBHEAD.DAT 
file.  This allows for a wide range of customized report 
headings.