Using the Memo Column in the Portfolio
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Cal Learner
May 22, 2026, 12:49:21 PMMay 22
to Microsoft Money
Different people have different uses for Microsoft Money.
Among my favorite parts are is the Portfolio. It is one of the Shortcuts I put at the top of my Money window.
I use a lot of Portfolio columns. The TR (total return) and Annual Return columns are my favorites. Also, the Memo column is really useful for me. I can sort by it. The contents come from the Comment field of the Investment Details.
In there I lead with asterisk followed by country code for foreign stocks. I start with "cash" or "cashish" to put fixed-investment stuff together. If there is a K-1, I start with K1. I have sort of a hierarchy. I can sort by that column, which I find useful. Things after # below are comments, using the Python convention.
1. Foreign country and maybe withholding rate. 15% is common, so I would normally not note those. Below I am using anything after #as a comment. Examples:
*can #special in that tax withheld is 15% for taxable, and 0% for IRAs
*gbr0% #always zero, so also suitable for IRAs
*deu28% #Germany. I don't actually have any anymore, but notable high rate
*chn10%
*aus #Australia can have pre-withheld money (franking) so I am not sure how that works for us.
*bra #Brazil withholds on some distributions and not others.
*bmu0% #Bermuda
I would not hold a dividend-paying security from a country that withholds tax in an IRA. I would also avoid global mutual funds in an IRA.
In a taxable account, withheld foreign tax in a taxable account is simple on US income tax if your total is under $300, or 600 filing MFJ. If you go over that, you need to deal with the difficult IRS form 1116, and I suggest you avoid that.
If you do fill out form 1116, a customized report is very helpful. I also include the * and country code in the investment name, which helps set up that report.
2. Cash and variants for things that are not stocks or funds of stocks. Bonds etc
cash #MMF
cashish # shorter term
cash-like #
cash similar #maybe something like intermediate bonds
FDLXX FFRHX SPHIX VTIP SCHP FIPDX USFR THOPX would fit into that general category.
3. K-1 High priority, and is never cashish or foreign. So no priority problem.
4. IPO #lower priority, so an IPO of a foreign stock might be "*can IPO ..."
5. ETF #low priority
6. Spun from xyz, Spun out wxy... #lower priority note
If you have some use for the Portfolio Memo field, let us know.
Among my favorite parts are is the Portfolio. It is one of the Shortcuts I put at the top of my Money window.
I use a lot of Portfolio columns. The TR (total return) and Annual Return columns are my favorites. Also, the Memo column is really useful for me. I can sort by it. The contents come from the Comment field of the Investment Details.
In there I lead with asterisk followed by country code for foreign stocks. I start with "cash" or "cashish" to put fixed-investment stuff together. If there is a K-1, I start with K1. I have sort of a hierarchy. I can sort by that column, which I find useful. Things after # below are comments, using the Python convention.
1. Foreign country and maybe withholding rate. 15% is common, so I would normally not note those. Below I am using anything after #as a comment. Examples:
*can #special in that tax withheld is 15% for taxable, and 0% for IRAs
*gbr0% #always zero, so also suitable for IRAs
*deu28% #Germany. I don't actually have any anymore, but notable high rate
*chn10%
*aus #Australia can have pre-withheld money (franking) so I am not sure how that works for us.
*bra #Brazil withholds on some distributions and not others.
*bmu0% #Bermuda
I would not hold a dividend-paying security from a country that withholds tax in an IRA. I would also avoid global mutual funds in an IRA.
In a taxable account, withheld foreign tax in a taxable account is simple on US income tax if your total is under $300, or 600 filing MFJ. If you go over that, you need to deal with the difficult IRS form 1116, and I suggest you avoid that.
If you do fill out form 1116, a customized report is very helpful. I also include the * and country code in the investment name, which helps set up that report.
2. Cash and variants for things that are not stocks or funds of stocks. Bonds etc
cash #MMF
cashish # shorter term
cash-like #
cash similar #maybe something like intermediate bonds
FDLXX FFRHX SPHIX VTIP SCHP FIPDX USFR THOPX would fit into that general category.
3. K-1 High priority, and is never cashish or foreign. So no priority problem.
4. IPO #lower priority, so an IPO of a foreign stock might be "*can IPO ..."
5. ETF #low priority
6. Spun from xyz, Spun out wxy... #lower priority note
If you have some use for the Portfolio Memo field, let us know.
Tom Roberts
May 23, 2026, 12:29:33 AMMay 23
to Cal Learner, Microsoft Money
Hi Cal
I believe I first understood the power of the memo field from an earlier message you posted.
I use the memo field to identify sector. I customized a portfolio view comprising Memo, Symbol, Qty, Mkt. val., %port, Exch. Rate, %change, sorted by Memo (sector). These key data allow easy review of our holdings. But I export this table to excel and have a pie chart showing allocation by sector, since my spouse likes to see a big piece of the pie in fixed income. Excel plots a graph of total market value versus date (daily when possible). This is all updated just prior to a conversation with my spouse on some new spending coming up. The plot helps a lot.
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