Q. My stock doesn't pay a dividend or stopped paying dividends, but TDM still shows as if it does.

A. This is a safety mechanism within TDM.  Remember, TDM goes off Distribution notifications of new rates.  They don't publish an official dividend entry of Zero.  So, to initialize the dividend information for the stock, go into the Detail View for the stock in question. How? - By right clicking on the stock ticker, and choosing 'Detail View'.  The bottom-right grid displays all dividend history.  Right click anywhere within that grid and choose 'Add Record'.  Default click through all the dates and at the pay rate, set it as 0 (zero). TDM will inform you that you are adding a 0 rate dividend entry and that it will mark the stock as non distribution paying. If you click OK, then it will add a 0 dividend entry, and the stock in question will now reflect this new information system wide.

Q. What is the TDM-Jobs application for?

A. If enabled, it will off-load a lot of task intensive internet queries to the TDM-Jobs application.  For best performance, you can have the windows 'Task  Scheduler' run it once a day before the market opens.  For example, i have TDM-Jobs run at 9am EST every day.  TDM-Jobs can be launched by just launching it like any other program.  TDM-Jobs currently updates all historical quote data and all stock news data.  It is also utilized to grab information while using TDM.

Q. How do I transfer my TDM data from one computer to another?

Q. What fonts do you suggest using?

A. Arial, MS Sans Serif are the default. We suggest Arial. If you are starved for more screen space, try using Liberation Sans. It still looks clean for being a smaller font. You can modify the fonts of various items through-out the software to keep the displays looking sharp and to your liking.

Q. Can i run TDM from multiple computers sharing the TDM data?

A. You have a few options to share your TDM data on multiple computes. All three methods require you to change your TDM database location. To do that, You modify your TDM data location by choosing to open a portfolio, and then clicking the 'TDM data Location' button.

1. Multiple Computers in a local network. You can create a shared common path on your network to place your TDM database. You can then utilize that shared path on all your computers within that network. If it is over a wireless network, i suggest the latest 5ghz to yield the best speed and performance.
2. Flash Drive You can change your TDM data location to a flash drive. You can then keep that flash drive with you and use it on multiple computers. Buy the fastest/speediest flash drive you can get! Not the biggest size, but the fastest. This will yield you the best speed and performance.
3. Cloud Hosting Service This is actually pretty slick. With this setup, You then have access to your TDM data from multiple offsite locations such as from home and office. You can utilize a cloud hosting service that monitors a folder location and syncs the data to multiple computers. Any changes you make on one computer with TDM are synced online, and when you then run TDM on another offsite location, those files are synced up. One such service that is confirmed to work with TDM is called DropBox. They offer a free service. You move the TDM database to a sub-folder of the DROPBOX folder.

Q. What is and when do you use the 'Rebuild Balance' feature?

A. Balances are automatically maintained, however, there are occasions when you will want to manually initiate a rebuild balance. Examples - Backdating in entries that effect balances, importing register items for the first time, or importing data through the import feature. When choosing the time-frame to rebuild, always go back to the earliest date you recently modified.

Q. Can I change which columns/headers i see on my Portfolio and Watch list?

A. Yes. Right click your mouse on any Header column. You can add/remove columns. There are many more to choose from that are not standard on install. You can change the order of the columns and you can rename the name of the column.

Q. How do i look-up/add preferred & classified stocks? What about Dividend Information?

A. You want to use the same ticker symbol that is recognized by Yahoo Finance. These stocks can be problematic. You tend to get basic information with these types of stocks. These stocks use different stock tickers as there is no conformity, please let me know when your using a particular preferred or classified stock. We can make sure we have ticker mappings for all the various sources to support the stock as much as we can. We can update the ticker mappings on the fly without having to re-issue a new updated software.

Q. Why is the balance history bar chart empty or missing dates?

A. Balance history is only valid if you own stocks and/or keep valid cash balances within the register. This helps you keep track of your portfolio value. You can build your balances by clicking the [File] menu option and choosing the option to build balance. You can periodically build balances, especially if you back date any buys/sells into the system. This will automatically calculate your daily cash and market values. Verify your register cash balance are valid before you build your balance.

Q. Tell me about Ex-Date

A. To be eligible to receive a dividend, you must own the stock before the companies published ex-date. Think of it as the expiration date to which you no longer qualify receiving the upcoming dividend. In an example, let's say stock ABC's ex-dividend date is Feb 5th. If you purchase the stock on or before Feb 4th, you should receive the upcoming dividend. If you have waited until Feb 5th, it's too late.