Transaction Reminder vs Register Field namees
In a register for a CC acct, the names "charge" and "payment" (left side - right side) make pretty good sense. However,, if you try to use that logic to set up a reminder to pay that bill the fields are named differently "payment" and "deposit" and now reversed (payment on left, and the oddly named "deposit" on right, if you came into the reminder from a "BANK" account (the software seems to leave the default account as the first in line.) I have probably done this incorrectly about four times, and it really seems horribly clunky. It would seem to make sense that if one is working with a credit card account when setting up the reminder that the software would pick that up as the account under consideration - or at least force a choice that keys the user to NOT use the wrong data structure for the fields that will be used to complete the reminder.
2 Posted by -Kevin N. on 22 Feb, 2012 05:26 PM
eric.klanderman,
I'm not sure I'm understanding the issue. It's been my experience that a Credit Card bill is paid via a transfer txn originating in a Bank / Checking account, thus the Reminder fields to me seem appropriate.
When setting up a Credit Card Reminder or an Investment Reminder the fields change to reflect such a txn.
I'm not sure how the software could 'know' what kind of txn you are intending to set up.
As a possible alternative to setting up Reminders in the fashion that you are using now, you could try locating a similar txn in the register of an account, then right-click it. Choose Memorize from the context menu. This will generate a Reminder with most of the information already enered for you.
-Kevin N.
3 Posted by Eric Klanderman on 22 Feb, 2012 08:15 PM
OK, let's start with "your experience" Nothing in the reminder dialog box indicates that the user should be considering the possibility of a "transfer." If one starts the reminder from the home page your reminder transaction, without selecting something else, will be the first BANK account in your list; NOT the credit card account you wish to work with, and maybe not the checking account you with to pay from. You name the reminder and select payment intervals BEFORE you get to the account where the transaction/transfer (whichever side you use) will occur.
If you're lucky enough to choose the credit card account, then your fields will match the credit card transaction fields. BUT, what triggers the user to look to the "CATEGORY" field for the source of funding. On the other hand, if you stumble onto realizing the transfer originates in your checking account (a BANK account) you may (or may not the first few times) realize that the "category" is the receiving end of the transfer, BUT/ BUT you're paying off a balance on your credit card what makes one think that the "payment" side (left) of the BANK account's entry will be what appears in the credit card account's "payment" (right side) and NOT the left hand "charge" side.
The more I think of this I wonder if reminders shouldn't be one of three choices (a payment, a receipt, or a transfer) starting with the account first considered.
I like what your software does, but think you have some very clumsy ways of introducing the user to its feature.
Support Staff 4 Posted by Angie Rauscher on 22 Feb, 2012 10:50 PM
Eric,
I do want to point out that Kevin is a Moneydance user who is sharing his experience with other users on our public forums, and was describing how reminders work. From that angle, he is correct.
When creating a reminder, the first account in the list of accounts is selected, by default. This is almost always a bank account. All reminders created through the Reminders interface (not using the "Memorize" tool from within an account) all begin in this default state. When you change this to another account, the headings of the columns change (from Payment/Deposit to Charge/Payment, for example), but the names in light grey within the fields remain Payment/Deposit, which is clearly quite confusing and is a bug. I've registered a bug ticket for this issue.
If you'd like to have your reminders begin with more of the fields customized, I'd suggest looking to a similar transaction in your register, selecting that transaction, right-clicking, and selecting "Memorize". This will open a transaction reminder interface with many of the fields pre-populated based on the past transaction.
Now moving forward- we are always working to make our software more intuitive and user-friendly. I was to be sure I understand your point in your initial post. I believe you were saying "If I am in my credit card register, and I then go to create a reminder, I would like the program to assume the reminder should initiate from that account- for example, if I look at my investment account and then create a reminder, the reminder account should be set as the investment account." Have I properly understood this? If not, please do let me know.
Thank you for using Moneydance, and please let me know if I can be of further assistance,
Angie Rauscher
Moneydance Support