2011-11-12 GnuCash IRC logs

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12:12:01 <ze10diez> Hello
12:12:20 <ze10diez> How are you doing on the cnnl ?
12:13:10 <ze10diez> hum , the channel
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12:15:24 <rsm> hi, was trying to get to this channel using mIRC but can't seem to find the right server
12:15:40 <ze10diez> well, I discovered a bug in the loan / mortgage druid to create the transaction
12:15:54 <rsm> gnucash wiki says server is irc.gimp.org.. but always says server unresolved
12:16:26 <ze10diez> the correct server is irc.gimp.org
12:16:36 <rsm> hmmm. doesn't work for me
12:16:59 <rsm> but oh well, here i am on java irc through google search
12:17:10 <ze10diez> with mIRC in the sample there is the brackets that shouldn't be written in the connect command
12:17:28 <ze10diez> "/server irc.gimp.org"
12:17:44 <rsm> well sure enough!!
12:17:47 <rsm> thanks!
12:18:23 <rsm> maybe someone would edit the wiki for unsophisticated people like me :)
12:19:56 <ze10diez> :-) I haven't any userid on wiki, however it's a good idea, if you are able to do it
12:20:18 <rsm> question... using gnucash for about a month for personal use.... CPA here so the accounting principles are no problem... but reports seem really poor compared to the professional packages like quickbooks or quicken
12:20:43 <rsm> is there a respository for custom reports that people are willing to share ?
12:22:42 <rsm> for example, a basic report anyone would expect would be an income statement with monthly columns
12:22:55 <ze10diez> I 'm not at this point as I've started to use gnucash last week-end
12:23:55 <ze10diez> sorry for me not to be able to help for that
12:24:16 <rsm> another report would be a balance sheet with one period compared to another period showing the difference between the two columns
12:24:29 <ze10diez> I must logoff now... have a nice evening or afternoon...
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12:24:42 <rsm> these are the basic minimums one would expect
12:25:05 <rsm> so hoping i'm missing something somewhere and my ignorance can be corrected
12:48:52 <Antisoche_> rsm: I've struggled with the reports as well.
12:49:19 <Antisoche_> rsm: You can write your own, but they're written in Scheme (that may or may not be a problem for you).
12:49:38 <rsm> what have u done to address the issue?
12:49:48 <Antisoche_> I think you can write them in Python as well but I haven't looked into that.
12:49:53 <rsm> i'm not a programmer... i'm an accountant :)
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12:50:03 <Antisoche_> Well, I tried to learn scheme.
12:50:18 <Antisoche_> But then the new version came out and my reports stopped working. :(
12:50:35 <Antisoche_> I mostly just got sad.
12:50:47 <rsm> wonder why the reporting part is so weak when the overall program appears to be pretty powerful
12:51:53 <Antisoche_> Not sure. In my own experience, I get to a point where the output is good enough for me and that's kinda where I stop.
12:53:20 <Antisoche_> The output side is probably a bigger problem than the accounting, too, which can be discouraging. Accounting reports in the U.S. are fairly standard, but people immediately want to jump into taxes and the odd rules for each country.
12:53:29 <rsm> another example.. i did my first bank reconciliation.. got to the end successfully and then couldn't find how to print a reconcilation report....
12:54:04 <Antisoche_> ... what would a reconciliation report be?
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12:55:04 <rsm> showing the bank balance with the outstanding deposits and checks reconciling to the GL balance.. and a report that lists the outstanding items as well
12:57:14 <rsm> well i guess i'll step away for awhile.. need to go do some yard work
12:57:29 <Antisoche_> One problem with GnuCash, imho, is that the interface is not really task/workflow oriented.
12:57:54 <Antisoche_> From the account page, you can go to Reports->Account Report and there are options there.
12:59:24 <Antisoche_> I'm not seeing a 'reconciled' flag, but I'm using an older version as well...
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13:01:16 <rsm> i'm using latest version... no such flag
13:01:56 <Antisoche_> If there were a flag, would that report suffice? What would be missing, subtotals?
13:03:30 <rsm> i think it's a little more complicated than that since you need to be able to run the report based on a certain date in history
13:04:56 <Antisoche_> Ah - that information may not be available. I haven't looked, but I suspect that the reconciliation date isn't recorded permanently. I think it just keeps the last one.
13:05:36 <rsm> but might be able to be a work around.. it looks like this program might be a good tool for someone who just needs to record transactions but as good alternative to the professional accounting packages out there, i think it is woefully inadequate.. imo...
13:05:45 <Antisoche_> But you can run the account report on any account data set ... so if you search for transactions or limit it to a date range, the report should include those criteria.
13:07:07 <jordanarseno> What taxation guidelines does a Canadian freelancer have to follow when performing work (web developing from home) for a company in the United States? What taxation guidelines does the company in the United States have to follow?
13:07:11 <rsm> not the account report you point to that i can find
13:07:20 <jordanarseno> What started as a hobby for a couple hundred dollars (via paypal) per month has begun to take on a more permenent and steady cashflow; enough for me to live on.
13:07:41 <jordanarseno> What federal documents should we be aware of? Are there any books that may help me understand this situation?
13:07:45 <Antisoche_> I struggle with that as well. I want the output to be more tax-ready but I haven't been able to get it to do what I want very easily.
13:08:39 <Antisoche_> rsm: No - you'd have to limit your view to the account first, then go into the report.
13:09:16 <Antisoche_> rsm: Do Edit->Find to limit your view (checking this now...)
13:10:02 <Antisoche_> yeah, like that.
13:10:44 <Antisoche_> jordanarseno: Don't know, sorry. Are you an employee of the U.S. company or a contractor?
13:11:16 <Antisoche_> Or an outside vendor?
13:11:56 <jordanarseno> neither, officially. 1099 was not signed
13:12:20 <jordanarseno> it's been easy to find documentation on the process if you're a canadian citizen working in the US - but my physical presence resides here in canada, so the rules, i'm sure, are different. there was no paperwork, as, over time, it has evolved into something i did not expect it to.
13:12:54 <jordanarseno> but now that it's evolved, and i'm loving the work, i going to need to start following proper guidelines
13:13:09 <jordanarseno> esp. for april when taxes are filed
13:13:28 <Antisoche_> Well, they're treating you as an independent contractor. I'm assuming you're not a U.S. citizen, true?
13:13:32 <jordanarseno> true
13:14:14 <Antisoche_> Well, I don't see how you'd be beholden to U.S. tax law, but you probably shouldn't trust me.
13:15:25 <rsm> antisoche.. i see how i can search for those items.. very good.. now that i have the transactions filtered... i don't see how i print it
13:15:44 <Antisoche_> http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview/id/779307.html
13:16:03 <Antisoche_> rsm: From the report, there's a printer icon in the toolbar
13:16:36 <Antisoche_> rsm: Also, file->print and Ctrl+P
13:16:44 <rsm> ok.. so now i see that once i have filtered them. i have to go over to reports and choose account report... hmmm.... very clunky
13:16:58 <Antisoche_> rsm: Agreed.
13:17:25 <jordanarseno> great link antisoche, one moment while i sift
13:21:37 <Antisoche_> That's a pretty good answer for $20. Hate to find out what a regular tax accountant/attorney would charge.
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13:28:44 <jordanarseno> yeah!
13:28:53 <jordanarseno> 5 years old now though, wonder if it all still applies
13:30:11 <Antisoche_> Yeah; it _probably_ hasn't changed much, but I was just looking at this: http://www.agtax.ca/us-canada-taxes/
13:30:18 <jordanarseno> i actually asked the question in multiple places - trying to gatehr as much info as possible
13:30:19 <Antisoche_> I think it's the opposite of your situation though
13:30:20 <jordanarseno> gather
13:30:23 <jordanarseno> http://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/comments/m9msf/what_are_the_tax_guidelines_for_a_canadian/ for example
13:30:48 <Antisoche_> I suspected this wasn't your first time asking
13:31:21 <jordanarseno> yeah, quick copy paste
13:31:31 <jordanarseno> a guy pointed out serbinski.com over here, and they charge 175CAD for initial consultation
13:31:36 <jordanarseno> so $20 is :)
13:33:04 <Antisoche_> Well, you could always post that question again and ask if anything in it is out of date for another $20. Here in the U.S. that's be a valid business expense as well so you could deduct it.
13:33:53 <Antisoche_> Er, guess not. Looks like they shut down Google Answers. :-/
13:34:37 <jordanarseno> i asked it on stackexchange's personal finance and quora w/ no replies
13:34:46 <jordanarseno> then put it on reddit yesterday and got lots of feedback
13:34:48 <jordanarseno> now here :)
13:37:02 <Antisoche_> Well, good luck w/whatever you're doing. I need to go disassemble my car...
13:37:13 <jordanarseno> haha alright, thanks very much anti!
13:37:27 <jordanarseno> cheers!
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