A Seasonal Balance Reconciliation Checklist

Quarterly reconciliation suits holders who move funds infrequently but still want an up-to-date paper record. Use this checklist at the start of each season — March, June, September, December — or adapt the dates to your own calendar.

1. Verify Your Address List

Open your ledger’s inside cover and compare the wallet labels against your current holdings. Have you added a new address since last quarter? Retired an old one? Update the cover key before writing any new rows.

Check that abbreviated addresses on your label sheets still match. A single transposed character can cause confusion months later.

2. Record Balances on a Scratch Sheet First

On a separate day from your ledger session, check each wallet balance and write figures on scratch paper. Include staking rewards accrued since the last entry even if you have not claimed them.

This two-step approach keeps your recording session focused on transcription, not on looking up live data.

3. Transfer to the Ledger

Sit down with scratch sheets, labels, pen, and ledger. Enter one row per wallet using the column template. In the notes column, record anything unusual: a fork you need to research, an airdrop received, a transfer between your own wallets.

Sign and date the bottom of the last row if your ledger has a signature line — some clients add this for partnership records.

4. Review Storage and Supplies

After closing the ledger:

• Check pen ink level; order a replacement if below half.
• Count remaining blank pages; order refills when fewer than 20 remain.
• Inspect the cotton sleeve for wear.
• Confirm the ledger is stored away from heat and moisture.

File scratch sheets in the pocket folder or shred them.

Optional: Annual Deep Review

Once a year, read through all four quarterly entries in sequence. Look for gaps, unexplained balance jumps, or wallets you stopped tracking. This annual pass catches drift that individual sessions miss.

A checklist does not replace judgment, but it prevents the most common failure mode: skipping a wallet because you forgot it existed.