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44 lines
1.7 KiB
Markdown
44 lines
1.7 KiB
Markdown
# Investment Accounting Feature Ladder
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<div class=pagetoc>
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</div>
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When trying to understand or build accounting software for investment,
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for example in the context of Plain Text Accounting,
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things get complicated rather fast.
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The following ladder can be helpful when evaluating or building
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investment-related features in accounting software.
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(hledger users: this is not documentation for hledger;
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if you're looking for that, try [Cookbook > Investing and trading](cookbook.md#investing-and-trading).)
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Each rung of the ladder adds a new concept or feature, describing:
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- one small increment to user-visible functionality
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- any new accounting/investing concepts needed
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- any new simplifying assumptions and scope
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- any new changes known to be needed in internal capabilities
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This is a start, suggestions welcome in #hledger or #plaintextaccounting matrix chats.
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## Assets
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Track asset transactions and balances.
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Initial assumptions/constraints:
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assets are cash (in a single base currency) or simple investment commodities.
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(In this doc we'll call those "cash" and "commodities" respectively.)
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## Asset costs
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Track purchase costs, in the base currency, of assets. An asset balance can have more than one cost. Allow reporting total cost of assets.
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## Asset values
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Track fluctuating market prices for individual commodities. Allow reporting current market value of asset balances.
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## Report unrealised gains
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Allow reporting the unrealised gain or loss of asset balances.
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Unrealised gains are the increase (gain) or decrease (loss) of the value of assets you are holding, since you acquired them. The difference between current value and your original cost.
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## Report realised gains
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...
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