Part 39

=18.= There are a number of ordinary forms, such as checks, drafts, receipts, requisitions, etc., that are common with most lines of business and used in the brokerage business, which will not be necessary to reproduce. Most brokers have all such forms printed or lithographed for their especial use with their name and address prominently displayed thereon.

ORDER BLANK

Fig. 2. Telegraphic Buying and Selling Orders ]

=19.= The first form of importance in connection with the accounting department of a brokerage firm is the order of the customer. This must invariably be in written form with the signature of the customer and the order must be expressed in the plainest terms so that there is no possibility of misconstruction. As these orders are frequently received by wire, or often dispatched by wire to New York or other branch office for execution, blanks for the purpose, as shown in Fig. 2, are furnished to customers, those used for buying orders being printed in black and those used for selling orders being printed in red. These orders are made out by the purchaser or his authorized agent and should not only show the date of the order but also the time of the day it was given, which is frequently of great importance in an active market. Whatever margin is required by the broker upon the deal must be deposited by the client at the time the order is given, as without this protection, the broker will not proceed to execute the order. It is sometimes the custom for brokers to accept collateral covering a certain amount of margin, in which case the broker gives the customer a receipt in due form, holding the collateral as trustee until settlement of account. All orders are executed at the earliest possible moment after their receipt. Legitimate brokers are members of the board of trade often in various cities and have their representatives on the floor, during the business hours of the board, to buy or sell as ordered.

Fig. 3. Credit Slip Given to Customer by Broker ]

DEBIT AND CREDIT SLIP

=20.= As soon as the transaction is accepted by the broker, he gives to the customer a debit or credit slip showing the nature of the transaction, or it is sent by mail, as soon as possible after business hours; the charge or credit depend upon whether it is a purchase or a sale. The blanks for this purpose, as shown in Fig. 3, should be printed on different colored paper; the debit blank is usually on white and the credit blank on buff or yellow paper. If a client buys, the amount of his purchase appears as a debit to his account, with the commission added. He receives credit for whatever amount of margin he deposits, and the account stands thus until delivery, when the entire balance must be paid. If a sale is made by the client before the time of delivery, the amount of the sale is credited to his account, less the commission due for selling and any other charges. The difference in the account, whether it is an amount due from the broker to the client or from the client to the broker, is paid in cash as soon as the deal is closed.

Fig. 4. Daily Sales Journal or Record of Stock Sales ]

DAILY RECORD SHEET

=21.= As a most perfect record must be kept of every transaction, the daily record sheets, as shown in Fig. 4, are of the greatest importance. This book is called the daily journal as frequently as it is designated the daily record.

Fig. 5. Daily Sales Journal or Record of Grain Sales ]

This book is most convenient when kept in loose-leaf form, as a small number of leaves may be kept in the binder for current use, and after the sheet is filled, it may be filed away for future reference. The size of the sheet is usually 16 by 14 inches, and it is ruled and printed to show date, remarks, shares, stock, price, charge stock account, commission, credit account of, and folio. The purchase blank for this record is exactly the same with the exception that it is used to credit stock account instead of charging, and to charge customers' accounts instead of crediting. There should also be a grain sales sheet and a grain purchase sheet, which differ slightly in the column headings but not necessarily in the ruling—number of bushels taking the place of the column headed shares, and kind of grain taking the place of stock, as shown in Fig. 5. There should also be a sundries sales and purchase sheet for recording orders upon other commodities than grain or stock. Its form is the same as that shown with the exception that amount takes the place of shares, and commodities the place of stock in each form.

Fig. 6. Special Journal Used by a Grain Commission Company ]

As soon as an order is received, it is entered upon the proper record with all of the particulars, and the postings to customers' accounts are made daily, but the posting to the general ledger accounts need not be made more frequently than once a month, unless it is desired to take off a general ledger balance at more frequent intervals.

Fig. 7. Daily Advice of Purchase or Sale Rendered to Customers ]

GRAIN COMMISSION JOURNAL SHEET

=22.= In this connection it is advantageous for the student to study the journal form used by an exclusive grain commission company, Fig. 6. This form is used for recording the sales as they are made in a manner similar to that described in the daily record sheet. The form is loose-leaf and may be 11 by 14 inches in size, or if preferred could be made 16 by 14 inches, giving the advantage of a longer page. The necessity for a long or short page is determined altogether by the amount of business done by the house in one day, as it is the intention with this record to use one full page or more for each day's transactions. This journal bears the day and the date at the top of the page, and is ruled and printed to show columns for folio, names, number of sale, net proceeds, insurance, sack rent, freight and charges, commission, and total. The entries in this journal are made from the sales sheet, and the total amount is posted to the ledger for customers from this medium.

Fig. 8. Record of Stocks in Hands of the Broker ]

ADVICE OF PURCHASE OF SALE

=23.= A very important document used by commission merchants and brokers is the advice or notification to customer of their action in filling his orders. This advice is rendered daily to each customer and should be checked by him carefully, so that there may be no errors in the deals and no differences in opinion between the client and his broker. The advice would begin with the date and read something like this: "Mr. Geo. Bronson, Milwaukee, Wis.: We have this day bought for your account and risk, 100 shares American Car and Foundry (preferred) at 111⅛; 200 shares Canadian Pacific at 177; 100 shares Pullman at 187." On the lower part of the form, as shown in Fig. 7, are printed the rules of the house in regard to the order and it should be signed by some one in authority. If the customer accepts the same, it is an evidence that the transaction is according to orders.

STOCK RECORD

=24.= Owing to the fact that a very large amount of stock of various companies is being bought and sold continually by a brokerage firm, no book kept in the accounting department is of greater importance than the stock record. Not only is the broker's business with customers but it is also very largely with other brokerage concerns as he is buying and selling continually. Every share of stock which is bought or sold must be recorded in the stock record. This record shows: Record number, date, number of certificate, number of shares, from whom received, in name of, record number, number of shares, to whom delivered, and date of delivery, as in Fig. 8. It is not necessary in this book, to keep a record of either the price paid or the price at which sold, as this register is intended merely to show the disposition of the certificates of stock and whether they are still in the house, or if disposed of, to whom they have been delivered. It is needless to point to the necessity for the greatest care in keeping this record, as any errors might make it very difficult to trace the paper and result in loss, or at least considerable trouble for the house.

CASH BOOK

=25.= The general cash book for a brokerage firm in loose leaf should be sheet size 14 by 14 inches. In a bound book, it would not be necessary to have it more than 12 inches wide. In this particular business, it is not desirable to carry the general cash debit on one sheet and the general cash credit on another, although it might be advantageous in certain cases to run the grain in the general cash book and to keep a subsidiary cash book for the stocks, which might be run upon similarly ruled sheets, the total of the day's transactions being brought into the general cash at night. By doing this the posting clerk could be using one of the cash books while the cashier was working on the other.

Fig. 9. Broker's General Cash Book ]

At the heading of the general cash sheet appears the sheet number and either the date (providing one sheet or more is used for each day), or the month with an extra day column, next to the margin. The columns are ruled and printed to show stocks, grain, and general ledger on the debit side and the same on the credit side, with the posting columns and sufficient room for the names of customers in center, as in Fig. 9. In this cash book should be entered all payments for margin on purchases of either grain or stock, all deposits by customers, which should be carried into the column indicated by their account—if they deal in grain their account is in the grain ledger and if in stocks their account is in the stocks ledger. All items of receipts or expenditures, not from or to customers, should be entered in the general ledger column, except as shown in the subsidiary cash sheet called office cash disbursements. Cash book sheets should always be paged consecutively when made, and each sheet accounted for, if loose-leaf cash books are used.

The best binder to use for a loose-leaf cash book is a flat opening spring back holder, in which may be placed enough leaves to last for the month, to be used for the current work, and when the new month is started the sheets for the previous month are placed in a reserve binder—which should be of the sectional post variety—for reference. If the back of the binder is labeled as the front and the leaves are reversed when placed in the transfer binder, they will run consecutively as to pages and dates.

At the end of the month the totals of the grain ledger and stocks ledger are brought into the general ledger column and posted to the controlling account for that ledger.