Carry over preferences from old files to new

Two quick questions to clarify your post.

2) Do you REALLY have multiple Quicken files for each of your real accounts (as you state, "checking, credit cards, income, etc.") - I mean, REALLY multiple "(filename).QDF" files and their associated Quicken files (.qdf, .qel, .qph, etc.?) Unless I am misreading your post, and you have a valid (at least, you really know what you're doing!), I fear you might be misunderstanding the basic nature of how Quicken operates if you think you have the need to maintain multiple Quicken filesets for youtr financial accounts. (Basically, my point is that a SINGLE Quicken fileset can (and usully does) multiple 'accounts' such as checking, savings, loans, investments, etc.)

Hi, T.

Andrew is right. You may be getting confused by Quicken terminology. (That's not hard to do. )

A Quicken "file" typically contains many "accounts" and "categories". Each asset (checking account A, checking account B:, home, car, etc.) is kept in a separate Asset Account; each liability (car loan, home loan, credit card balance, etc.) is in a separate Liability Account. Each time we receive a paycheck or interest, we put it into an Income Category; each purchase of groceries or gasoline gets recorded into an Expense Category. Each asset and liability Account can simply continue, year after year; each income and expense Category accumulates until the end of the year, then starts over for the new year, with no action required on our part.

By simply continuing to use your existing Quicken file in 2007, you will begin to accumulate 2007 expenses. To see your 2006 expense report, you will need to do something like set the report to show "Last Year", rather than the default "Year to date". But there's no need to delete the 2006 transactions, or to start a new file. Many (most?) of us have Quicken files that hold data for a decade or more, and all that historic data is at our fingertips. We do not need to reestablish our preferences and other defaults each January; we simply continue the setup we already have established. And, no, we don't need Q2007 to handle the year 2007; even Q2000 can handle 2007 entries just fine.

If your needs are different than most, please post back with specific questions and we can help you sort it out.

RC