Patent Application
20050177472
The present invention relates generally to financial data management, and more specifically, to backfilling transactions in an account of a final data management application.
Financial data management applications are widely used to record, maintain, track, and utilize various types of personal or business financial data. Such financial data management applications include Quicken® by Intuit Inc. of Mountain View, Calif. These financial data management applications enable users to track cash flow, investments, property and debt by maintaining records of various transactions in various accounts, such as spending or checking accounts, savings accounts, credit accounts, brokerage or securities accounts, retirement accounts, asset accounts, and liability accounts, and the like.
One of the highest barriers for tracking investments in conventional financial data management applications is the necessity for chronologically entering historical transactions information in order to reap the benefits of tracking the performance and tax implications of investments. Tracking the performance and tax implications of investments requires entering the complete history of past transactions that led to the current holdings in an investment account. In order to track the performance and tax implications of investments in conventional financial data management applications, the user is asked to enter the complete history of past transactions up-front when the user sets up the investment account in the financial data management application. If the user enters only current securities holdings information without entering the historical transactions that led to the current holdings, in many cases the software makes certain assumptions that make it difficult to enter past transactions information later on to track the performance and tax implications of investments in conventional financial data management applications. In some cases, the software does not permit later entry of the past transactions, so users cannot change their minds and provide more historical data as they have more time to enter them or as they realize the benefits that more complete data would bring to them.
Therefore, there is a need for a method to initially enter just the holdings information for an account in a financial data management application and to later enter, or “backfill” the past transactions information for the current holdings later on. There is also a need for a method to allow users to begin to obtain the benefits of tracking investments in the financial data management application without a great deal of up-front work, and to get increased benefits from the financial data management application as they enter more past transactions information.
The present invention provides a method, system, and computer program product for automatically setting up placeholder entries in various types of financial data management applications and entering one ore more backfill transactions later on to adjust the placeholder entries. A placeholder entry is an automatically generated record that accounts for all historical transactions that have not been entered. A backfill transaction is a later-entered record that specifies past transactions that led to the current holdings. Entry of a backfill transaction causes adjustment or deletion of a corresponding placeholder entry, as appropriate.
In one embodiment, the financial data management application manages a securities brokerage account. The user enters or downloads current holdings information, including the date on which the holdings information is entered, the securities name, and the number of shares in the current holdings. The financial data management application stores the holdings information and also adds a tag indicating a placeholder entry to the stored holdings information, if a placeholder entry should be generated for the entered holdings information. A placeholder entry is generated if the entered holdings information does not include information on all the historical transactions that led to the current holdings. For example, if the holdings information does not include the cost basis or the date of a transaction that led to the current holdings, a placeholder entry is generated for the entered holdings information.
The user may later enter backfill transactions to update the placeholder entry with all or part of the historical transactions that led to the current holdings. In one embodiment, the user enters transaction information to the financial data management application, including the date of the transaction, the account name, the securities name, the type of the transaction (buy or sell), the number of shares, and the cost basis (or the price of the transaction) of the transaction. The financial data management application determines whether the entered transaction is a backfill transaction corresponding to one of the placeholder entries previously stored by the financial data management application. If the transaction date is earlier than the date of any placeholder entry corresponding to the same securities, the entered transaction is a backfill transaction for such placeholder entry. The financial data management application stores the entered transaction and adjusts the placeholder entry to reflect the entered backfill transaction.
The present invention has the advantage that users of the financial data management applications may quickly and easily start using such applications and obtain the benefit of using the applications without having to enter all the historical transactions information. If any of the current holdings information lacks the complete transaction history, a placeholder entry is generated for the corresponding holdings information. The user can enter the historical transactions later on by entering backfill transactions to adjust the placeholder entries. The placeholder entries also allow users to continue using the financial data management application without the additional data entry efforts to enter the backfill transactions, if they do not need access to features of the financial data management application that require all the backfill transaction information. The users may initially decide not to enter the backfill transactions but later on decide to backfill transactions if their goals for investment tracking have changed.
The teachings of the present invention can be readily understood by considering the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Like reference numerals are used for like elements in the accompanying drawings.
The user 1208 enters various financial data to the financial data management application 1202, which is then processed and stored to the financial data storage database 1204. The user 1208 also receives various financial data from the financial data management application 1202, including processed financial data (investment performance statistics, tax implications, and the like) as well as the raw financial data entered by the user 1208. The user 1208 may interact with the financial data management application 1202 directly on a computer on which the financial data management application 1202 resides or through a separate computer coupled to the financial data management application 1202 by a data communication network such as the Internet.
The financial account website 1206 may be one operated by a third party that maintains the actual financial accounts that are kept track of in the financial data management application 1202. The financial account website 1206 may be operated by a securities brokerage company, a bank or credit union, a credit card company, or the like. Rather than manually entering all the financial data to the financial data management application 1202, the user may download certain financial data from the financial account website 1206 to the financial application 1202 if the financial account website 1206 supports the financial data structures used by the financial data management application 1202.
The financial data management application 1202 has the capability of generating and storing placeholder entries for accounts that do not include the complete history of transactions that led to the current holdings in the accounts. The financial data management application 1202 is also capable of receiving backfill transactions corresponding to the placeholder entries and adjusting the placeholder entries to reflect the entering of such backfill transactions. The financial data management application 1202 is capable of using the current holdings information to process and report certain financial data without using backfill transaction data when it is not available, but is also capable of fully using the backfill transaction data to process and report other financial data when the backfill transaction data becomes available as a result of entering such backfill transaction data by the user.
The financial data management application 1202 determines 1306 whether a placeholder entry should be generated for the entered holdings information. A placeholder entry is generated if the holdings information does not include the complete historical transaction information that led to the current holdings. For example, for a brokerage account, if the entered holdings information includes the securities names and the number of shares in the brokerage account but does not include the cost basis and the date of the transaction, a placeholder entry should be generated for the entered holdings so that the historical transaction information may be entered later on when the user has more time and or is willing to put in more efforts.
If a placeholder entry need not be generated because the holdings information is complete with all the historical transaction information that led to the current holdings, then the holdings information is stored 1309 and the process ends 1312. If a placeholder entry should be generated because the holdings information is not complete with all the historical transaction information that led to the current holdings, then a placeholder entry corresponding to the entered holdings information is generated 1308 and the process ends 1312. A placeholder entry is generated 1308 by attaching an indication of a placeholder entry to the entered holdings information. Then, the placeholder entry for the entered holdings is stored 1310 and the process ends 1312.
As the process starts 1402, the financial data management application 1202 receives 1404 information on a transaction from the user. In one embodiment, the transaction information relates to the user's current securities holdings, and includes the date of the transaction, the account to which the transaction pertains, the name of the securities, the type of transaction (buy/sell), the number of shares in the transaction, and the cost basis of the transaction, and the like. Although the embodiment of the present invention of
The financial data management application 1202 determines 1408 whether there is any placeholder entry that has a date subsequent to the date of the received transaction. To this end, the financial data management application examines the dates of the placeholder entries stored by financial data management application that pertain to the securities same as that of the entered transaction and finds such placeholder entry with the earliest date. If there is no such placeholder entry, then the financial data management application 1202 stores 1409 the entered transaction and the process ends 1412.
If there is such a placeholder entry, this means that the entered transaction is a backfill transaction entered to backfill the historical transactions that led to the current holdings in the placeholder entry. Thus, the financial data management application 1202 stores 1410 the entered transaction and also adjusts 1410 the placeholder entry to reflect the entered transaction and the process. For example, if the entered transaction is a “buy” transaction of securities, the number of shares in the placeholder entry for that stock is reduced by the number of shares in the entered “buy” transaction to reflect that the backfill “buy” transaction was entered for the placeholder entry. If the entered transaction is a “sell” transaction, then the number of shares in the placeholder entry for that stock is increased by the number of shares in the entered “sell” transaction to reflect that the backfill “sell” transaction was entered for the placeholder entry.
The financial data management application 1202 determines 1306 whether, given the entered holdings information, a placeholder entry should be generated. A placeholder entry should be generated if the holdings information does not include the complete historical transaction information that led to the current holdings. For example, for a brokerage account, if the entered holdings information includes the securities names and the number of shares in the brokerage account but does not include the cost basis and the date of the transaction, a placeholder entry should be generated for the entered holdings so that the historical transaction information may be entered later on when the user has more time and or is willing to put in more efforts.
The financial data management application 1202 stores 1310 the entered holdings information to the financial data storage database 1204. For example, the date on which the holdings information is entered, the securities name, and the number of shares in the current holdings are stored. Also, if the financial data management application 1202 determined 1306 that a placeholder entry should be generated for the entered holdings information, a tag indicating a placeholder entry is added 1508 to the stored holdings information so that the holdings information is stored as a placeholder entry. The placeholder entry is a regular entry except that a tag (or flag) is associated with the placeholder entry as an indication of a placeholder entry. Other than the tag (or flag) indicating a placeholder entry, the stored holdings information is treated like a normal transaction to the financial data management application.
The user 1208 enters 1404 transaction information to the financial data management application 1202. In one embodiment, the transaction information includes the date of the transaction, the account to which the transaction pertains, the name of the securities, the type of transaction (buy/sell), the number of shares in the transaction, and the cost basis of the transaction, and the like. Although the embodiment of the present invention of
The financial data management application 1202 retrieves 1604 all the placeholder entries stored in the financial data storage database 1204. Then, the financial data management application 1202 determines 1606 whether the entered transaction is a backfill transaction corresponding to a placeholder entry, by determining whether there is any placeholder entry that has a date subsequent to the date of the received transaction. To this end, the financial data management application examines the dates of the placeholder entries that pertain to the securities same as that of the entered transaction and finds such placeholder entry with the earliest date but subsequent to the entered transaction. A placeholder entry having a date prior to the date of the entered transaction is not affected by the entered transaction.
If there is such placeholder entry, this means that the entered transaction is a backfill transaction entered to backfill the historical transactions that led to the current holdings in the placeholder entry. Thus, the financial data management application 1202 stores 1608 the entered transaction and also adjusts 1608 the placeholder entry to reflect the entered transaction and the process. For example, if the entered transaction is a “buy” transaction of securities, the number of shares in the placeholder entry for that stock is reduced by the number of shares in the entered “buy” transaction to reflect that the backfill “buy” transaction was entered for the placeholder entry. If the entered transaction is a “sell” transaction, then the number of shares in the placeholder entry for that stock is increased by the number of shares in the entered “sell” transaction to reflect that the backfill “sell” transaction was entered for the placeholder entry. The stored transaction information includes the transaction date, the account name, the securities name, the type of the transaction, the number of shares, the cost basis, and the discrepancy amount. The discrepancy amount is an indication as to how many shares are not accounted for in the placeholder entry. For example, if the original placeholder entry had 100 shares which was then adjusted by the 60 shares in the entered transaction, then the discrepancy is 40 shares, which now becomes the adjusted number of shares in the placeholder entry.
The inventory management application 1702 determines 1710 whether a placeholder entry should be generated for entered holdings information. A placeholder entry should be generated if the entered inventory information does not include the complete historical transaction information that led to the current inventory. For example, if the entered holdings information includes the product name and the number of units in the inventory account but does not include the price per unit and the date of the transaction, a placeholder entry should be generated for the entered inventory information so that the historical transaction information may be entered later on when the user has more time and or is willing to put in more efforts.
The inventory management application 1712 stores the entered inventory information to the inventory data storage database 1704. For example, the date on which the inventory information is entered, the product name, and the number of units in the inventory are stored. Also, if the inventory management application 1702 determined that a placeholder entry should be generated for the entered inventory information, a tag indicating a placeholder entry is added 1714 to the stored inventory information so that the inventory information is stored as a placeholder entry.
The user 1706 enters 1802 transaction information to the inventory management application 1702. In one embodiment, the transaction information includes the date of the transaction, the product name, the type of transaction (purchase/sale), the number of units bought or sold in the transaction, the price per unit, and the like. The inventory management application 1702 retrieves 1804 all the placeholder entries stored in the inventory data storage database 1704. Then, the inventory management application 1702 determines 1806 it the entered transaction is a backfill transaction corresponding to a placeholder entry by determining whether there is any placeholder entry that has a date subsequent to the date of the received transaction. To this end, the inventory management application examines the dates of the placeholder entries that pertain to the product name same as that of the entered transaction and finds such placeholder entry with the earliest date but subsequent to the entered transaction.
If there is such a placeholder entry, this means that the entered transaction is a backfill transaction entered to backfill the historical transactions that led to the current holdings in the placeholder entry. Thus, the inventory management application 1702 stores 1808 the entered transaction and also adjusts 1808 the placeholder entry to reflect the entered transaction and the process. For example, if the entered transaction is a “purchase” transaction of products, the number of units in the placeholder entry for that product is decreased by the number of units in the entered “purchase” transaction to reflect that the backfill “purchase” transaction was entered for the placeholder entry. If the entered transaction is a “sale” transaction, then the number of units in the placeholder entry for that product is increased by the number of units of the entered “sale” transaction to reflect that the backfill “sale” transaction was entered for the placeholder entry. The stored transaction information includes the transaction date, the product name, the type of transaction, the number of units, the cost per unit, and the discrepancy amount. The discrepancy amount is an indication as to how many units are not accounted for in the placeholder entry. For example, if the original placeholder entry had 100 units which was then adjusted by the 60 units of entered “purchase” transaction, then the discrepancy is 40 units, which now becomes the adjusted number of units in the placeholder entry.
The present invention has the advantage that users of the financial data management applications may quickly and easily start using such applications and obtain the benefit of using the applications without having to enter all the historical transactions information. The user may start using the financial data management applications even when the user has a limited amount of transaction information, as long as the current holdings information is complete. If any of the current holdings information lacks the complete transaction history, a placeholder entry is generated for the corresponding holdings information. The user can enter the historical transactions by entering backfill transactions to adjust the placeholder entries. The placeholder transactions are adjusted accordingly to reflect the entered backfill transaction and maintain the correct balance of holdings not accounted for in the placeholder transactions.
Placeholder entries with shares not accounted for by the backfill transactions may prevent the financial data management applications from calculating various investment performance and tax data. Any calculation that requires an accurate cost basis may not be possible if there is a placeholder entry that has shares not accounted for by a backfill transaction. For example, capital gain/loss, Return-on-Investment (ROI), and tax implications require the entering of a complete history of backfill transactions. Where these calculations have been made with placeholder entries not fully accounted for, the results of these calculations may be shown in the financial data management application with an indication in the user interface that the results may not be accurate because the calculations were based upon placeholder entries not fully accounted for. This will motivate the users to enter the missing backfill transactions corresponding to the placeholder entries, because the users can immediately see the benefits of entering the backfill transactions. Example of such indication of missing backfill transactions are the “Enter” links 212, 302 shown in
The placeholder entries also allow users to continue using the financial data management application without the additional data entry efforts to enter the backfill transactions, if they do not need access to calculations that require all the backfill transaction information. For example, if the user is interested primarily in tracking his net worth, he will not need to backfill the transactions. Users can make the decision to backfill the transaction information on an account-by-account or security-by-security basis. Also, users may initially decide not to enter the backfill transactions but later on decide to backfill transactions if their goals for investment tracking have changed. Users are provided with a link that provides direct access to a screen for entering the backfill transactions. Note that the users are aware of the trade-offs they are making when they decide whether or not the backfill transactions should be entered, and are always free to make different tradeoffs.
Although the present invention has been described above with respect to several embodiments, various modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention. The present invention can be embodied in the form of a computer program product stored on a computer readable medium. Accordingly, the disclosure of the present invention is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the invention, which is set forth in the following claims.
