Cannot Save Portfolios

[Septaj]

FM9.6 seems to be working intermittently in this regard.

Clicking on "Save Portfolio" icon results in Access is Denied error. Then, 'Could not save portfolio' message.

Have tried changing location for autosave backups to C:\program data\fund manager with no luck.

Running Vista as admin with UAC on.

Thx.

[Mark]

Hi Septaj,

Make sure your portfolio is not saved underneath C:\Program Files anywhere. Vista compatible programs cannot write data into this folder. If your portfolio file is not being stored in C:\Program Files and you still get this error, check the properties and permissions of this file.

Clicking on "Save Portfolio" does not do an automatic backup, this is done when you exit. Your autoback folder should also not be located under C:\Program Files for the same reason. A good place is somewhere like "Documents \ Fund Manager \ autoback", or wherever else you prefer, that is outside of the C:\Program Files folder.

[Septaj]

Hi Mark,

Afraid I'll need a lot more detail on this ... step-by-step please.

I have little idea where my portfolio(s) are saved - or how to move them. I also don't fully understand the difference between my portfolio & my data and especially the idea that they have to be in some set relation to one another in the folders. For example: if I somehow managed to move the location where my portfolios are saved would I then have to move all of my data as well?

I have studied the help files and tutorials and the whole thing eludes me. Furthermore, I was able to save my portfolios a few days ago. This program behavior seems new.

Thx

[Septaj]

Hi Mark -

Some more detail:

I have moved my .mm4 files and .dat files from c:\program files\fund manager to c:\program data\fund manager.

The portfolios opened but trying to save them resulted in the same error message. Trying to exit FM was very difficult as it continued to give the same message for each of over 100 investments. Finally I used Task Manager to close the program.

Hope this helps.

[Mark]

Hi Septaj,

First, some background on FM and data files. There are 2 types of data files, your portfolio file which ends in .mm4, and your investment files, which end in .dat. When you open a portfolio file, it also opens all the investment files contained in that portfolio file. The portfolio file stores your sub-portfolios, which investments are in each sub-portfolio, and your preferences. The investment files store your price/transaction data for each investment.

Portfolio files store the investment file to open in a manner that is relative to the location of the portfolio file itself. So, if you keep everything in one folder, you can move them all together.

I would suggest moving your data somewhere underneath your user's "Documents \ Fund Manager" folder. This is the default location. Do this move while Fund Manager is not open, and afterwards, open the portfolio using "File / Open Portfolio...". You can see the location of your portfolio file by looking at the properties of any sub-portfolio. You can also add "Location" and "Filename" to the list view columns of your Portfolio Editor so you can quickly see where all your investments are located. Use "View / List Columns..." from within the Portfolio Editor to add these columns.

Once you get the portfolio file and investment files opened from the "Documents \ Fund Manager" folder, try to save your portfolio and investments. If you still get an access denied message, check the properties of these files. They may be marked as "Read-Only", or you may not have the permissions set such that your user can modify these files. You can use Windows Explorer to go find your files, and check the properties/permissions.

[Septaj]

Hi Mark,

Back in business. The permissions seemed OK, nothing was done, I re-booted and ... problem gone.

Oh, the cat *did* change position under the desk. Maybe that did it.

Not to bore you to death with questions you've already addressed, but ...

I don't understand why the transactions that appear in the client's account are kept in the .dat files rather than in the mm4 files. I have about 100 investments that I track. To set these up took WEEKS because the data for these (mostly Canadian mutuals, beginning 1994 in most cases) were/are not readily available. I had to source the prices & distributions separately, importing the former after having to manipulate the data I was able to get, and input the latter MANUALLY. I still have to add the distributions manually as, to my knowledge, they are not available electronically. (Obviously, I do this for a small subsection of the 100 investments!)

Now I want to set up a portfolio with some of the same investments and it seems I am faced with copying the .dat files to a 2nd folder, manually removing the transactions that apply only to the first investor, and then updating the prices twice - once each for the two portfolios.

As someone else on these boards has suggested, wouldn't it be better to have the .dat files containing only the data useful to all portfolios i.e. prices and distributions? The actual client's transactions would be kept in the .mm4 files.

I gather that in the USA & possibly some other countries it is relatively easy to download and set up so-called 'investment' files and then hook up with the broker to get the clients' actual positions and transactions. But Canada has become quite the backwater and this capability is not available to my knowledge.

I hope you will see in this the extent to which I value your software. Fund Manager is, as I've said, an AMAZING program. It is the ONLY way an investor can adequately track the performance of his/her investments and portfolios that I am aware of. This is why I have gone to such great lengths to use the program despite being in Canada.

All the best.

[Mark]

Hi Septaj,

Glad you got the permission problem solved, and thanks for the feedback. It probably would be better if the pricing data was kept on a per-symbol basis, rather than having to have it in each investment. You do need separate investments, so you can track transaction history separately for the same security in different accounts. When setting up a new investment in a security you own in a different account, you might want to create a new investment, and then just import pricing data from the investment file you've already created. See "File / Import / Prices / Fund Manager...".