Setting up investment accounts

Managing investment accounts in Quicken for Mac allows you to keep track of your financial portfolio efficiently. You can either link to your online brokerage for automatic updates or set up an offline account if your brokerage isn’t supported for online connection. This guide will take you through both processes, whether you’re connecting to an online investment account or manually setting up an offline one.

Linking to an online investment account

Quicken allows you to link directly to your investment accounts to track holdings, transactions, and balances. To link an online investment account:

1. In Quicken, choose Accounts > Add Account.
2. Enter the name of your brokerage in the Search field, select it from the list, and click Continue.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to set up your account, including connecting to your bank so you can download your holdings, transactions, and balances directly into Quicken. Quicken supports downloads with over 14,500 financial institutions. If you can’t find yours on the list, you will need to set up a manual account.

Setting up an offline investment account

If your financial institution is unavailable or you prefer to track your investments manually, follow these steps to set up an offline investment account:

1. Select + Add Account from the Accounts menu.

2. Select Offline Account.

3. Select Brokerage under the type of account you want to add. You have many account types to choose from, including options such as 401(k), IRA, and others.

4. Enter account information:
   • Account Name: This is the label for your investment account in Quicken. Choose a name that easily identifies the account, like “Vanguard IRA” or “Brokerage with Fidelity.” This makes it simpler to find and track specific accounts.
   • Account Type: Select the type of investment account you want to add. Examples include Brokerage, IRA, 401(k), etc. This classification helps Quicken accurately track the type of investments held and apply appropriate tax treatment if needed.
   • On This Date: This is the date for which you want to start tracking your account balance. Set this to the date you want to begin tracking your investment history in Quicken. Often, this will be the current date if you are setting up an account for the first time, but you can backdate it if you want historical tracking.
   • Cash Balance Equals: Enter the current cash balance in your investment account. This is the amount of uninvested money in your account that is available for future trades. It’s essential to accurately record this to ensure the overall balance of your account is correct.
   • Primary Use: (Business & Personal only) Select whether this account is used for personal or business purposes. If the account is related to business activities, Quicken will prioritize using business categories and will assign the selected business to relevant transactions, making it easier to differentiate between personal and business transactions.

5. Select Done to complete the setup.

You have now successfully set up an offline investment account in Quicken for Mac. The next step is to start adding securities.