Q. My dividends are not downloading Why?

A.

1. Import notes regarding ETF stocks and Mutual Funds.  If the stock is an ETF, make sure you set the stock class to ETF .  If the stock is a mutual fund, set the stock class to MFUND.  TDM can sometimes auto detect this, but to make sure there is no confusion, its best practice to set the CLASS.  (Stock EDIT form).  Its a good habit to set the CLASS for CEF and FUND and BDC etc.
2. There are multiple sources listed within the (Stock EDIT form).  For normal stocks, primary is preferred.   For special stocks such as ETF/CEF/FUNDS/MFUNDS secondary or tertiary source is preferred.
3. If one dividend source doesn't work, try the next one in the list.  To see if it works, set the dividend source, close the stock edit form, go into your Detailed View form. (the form that lists dividends) right click in one of the dividend history columns.  A menu will popup, and you choose 'Delete All & Rebuild'
4. If a stock has no detected dividend rate or the DPY (stock edit form) is set to 0, then dividends are not automatically downloaded.  If a stock initiates a dividend where it didn't have one before, a manual download (right click the stock ticker and choose menu option 'Download Dividend Information'. Once it sees there is a dividend, then it will start automatically downloading in the future.  FYI - Anytime you add a new stock, a dividend download is automatically initiated to see if a stock pays a dividend.
5. There is a report called 'Stock Dividend Sourcing'. Check this report to verify all your stocks are properly getting their dividend information downloaded.
6. If you have verified the stock pays a dividend and your still unable to get TDM to notice, then please email me.  I might be able to do something about it.

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. TDM-Jobs - What is it?  - Why/How do i have it run automatically?

A. TDM-jobs is a companion to TDM.  It processes task intensive internet queries non intrusively.   For best results, I would suggest you have the windows 'Task  Scheduler' run it once a day Mon-Fri before the market opens.  For example, have TDM-Jobs run sometime between 1am and 8am EST every weekday.  TDM-Jobs currently updates all dividend rate information, historical quote data and all stock news data.  It is also processes tasks on-the-fly for TDM while TDM is running.  TDM-jobs runs while TDM is running, and automatically shuts down minutes after TDM is shutdown, unless it is in the middle of a job.  As an example, during the daily task scheduled run, for me, tdm-jobs takes about 45 minutes to process all internet queries daily. Why so long?  This is because it does so lazily. It processes one internet query and then takes a short break before processing the next query.  This is for two reasons.  #1, to not bog down your internet., and #2, to not burden the 3rd party servers to which this data is retrieved.  We want to be respectful.

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. 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.