Two types:
1. Bivio membership, and Better Investing club membership.
Currently I deposit members' membership dues for expenses
into the suspense account rather than the bank account in
Bivio, so as to know whether there's any unbudgeted excess
at the end of the year. But do I check, or not check, the
box labelled "Allocate per Partnership Exception"? I'm too
lazy to read the 56 pages of IRS fine print.

2. Some members' unique-to-them costs, such as Online Tools
Upgrade, or S&P Data Service, which really ought to come out
of their own interest, not partially out of those members
who don't partake of those features.

> 1. Bivio membership, and Better Investing club membership. <

Is it your club's policy that each member is to pay for their own personal
portion of BI membership? If so, the best way to handle that is as follows.

For the *personal* portion of BI membership have each member write their own
personal check payable to BetterInvesting. Do not record these checks in
bivio at all.

For the *club* portion of BI membership have the club write a check payable
to BetterInvesting. Enter this in bivio as an expense. If you want members
to share that expense in proportion to their percentage ownership of the
club (recommended for most clubs), leave "Allocate per Partnership
Exception" unchecked. If you want members to each share an equal percentage
of that expense (and your partership provides for that atypical treatment),
mark the box labeled "Allocate per Partnership Exception".

Mail all the checks to BetterInvesting along with the club renewal
paperwork.


Alternatively, it is the policy of some clubs to treat both the club and the
personal portions of BI membership as a club expense, shared by all club
members. Whether that total expense is shared in proportion to percentage
club ownership or by equal percentage is another club policy decision. In
that case you'd enter the entire cost as a single expense in bivio.


Regardless of which of the above scenarios applies to your club, just club
just pays the appropriate expense from cash on hand. There is no need to
collect additional money from members unless the club is simply out of cash.
If you do collect additional money be sure to record it as member payments
(NOT a "fee"). Remember also that there is no need to collect the same
amount (or even any money at all) from everyone.


> 2. Some members' unique-to-them costs, such as Online Tools
> Upgrade, or S&P Data Service, which really ought to come
> out of their own interest, not partially out of those members
> who don't partake of those features.

If your club's policy is that such expenses are personal, each member should
pay such expenses directly from their own pocket without involving the club
at all and without recording such expenses in bivio.

Here again, however, it is the policy of some clubs to mandate that every
member acquire basis investing tools such as these and to treat such
expenses as club expenses.

-Jim Thomas