Quod erat demonstrandum.
Thank you.
I have all my 34 holdings displayed on Vanguard. I don't use their portfolio analysis tool for obvious reasons.NYCaviator wrote: ↑Wed May 19, 2021 6:51 am I will be the first to admit I am absolutely spreadsheet challenged. Is there a way to easily track AA over multiple accounts with different holdings? For example, in one 401k we use the 2055 fund. In another 401k we use Fidelity 500 and extended market to replicate total stock market. In our brokerage/IRAs we use the standard 3 fund. How do I track my domestic to international ratio and my stock to bond ratio with such diverse holdings? Is there a template that is easy to use?
I'm sticking with my theory that it is all about phone app users. This has been going on with many different websites over the last 10 years.vigilant104 wrote: ↑Fri May 28, 2021 8:49 pm Does this new format somehow save Vanguard money? It's clearly not better in any way.
This could be accurate. Still, Vanguard needn't destroy a good tool already used by many of their existing customers (who, one would think, would be pretty darn important in the competitive environment that you mention).Tubes wrote: ↑Sat May 29, 2021 8:08 amI'm sticking with my theory that it is all about phone app users. This has been going on with many different websites over the last 10 years.vigilant104 wrote: ↑Fri May 28, 2021 8:49 pm Does this new format somehow save Vanguard money? It's clearly not better in any way.
We live in a "TL/DR" age where animation and colorful large pictures rule over informative text.
So it may "save money" to ensure growth in a new customer base. Remember, VG is competing with robo-advisers like Betterment, especially for future customers. Betterment uses animated ring charts.
Oh, I totally agree. I miss the old view too. I miss the old correct accuracy even more, without going through workarounds we discussed.vigilant104 wrote: ↑Sat May 29, 2021 10:52 am Still, Vanguard needn't destroy a good tool already used by many of their existing customers (who, one would think, would be pretty darn important in the competitive environment that you mention).
At least two alternatives:
1) Restore the old Portfolio Watch for use by those who like it. Make the (few) improvements to asset identification that may be in the new tool, but leave the presentation and rest of it alone. Unveil this new thing for the "TL/DR" crowd under a different name. Then, go hog wild with confetti, animations, links to social media, birthday greetings, kitten emojis, whatever in the new Romper Room space.
2) At a minimum, leave the new, worse, Portfolio Watch as it is, but restore the "reports" function to be like the old one: A well organized, concise view of the information without glitz. Folks cn choose to view it online or even (gasp!) print it, but the text will be there.
Regardless, the "print" function on the existing Portfolio Watch should "print" what is actually being displayed, not something entirely different. It's not just a different format, it is entirely different information.
I just gave an earful to the Rep who answered my call. He is not the tech person so all he could do way sympathyze. This is what I found out/mkc wrote: ↑Fri May 21, 2021 9:21 am Regarding the errors for outside investments:
I happened to be doing a quick check on something else, and noticed if you go into Portfolio Watch and click "non-retirement accounts" in the drop down for analysis
"Portfolio overview - The Non-retirement account group does not include accounts held outside Vanguard"
Same for if you click "Retirement accounts"
"Portfolio overview - The Retirement account group does not include accounts held outside Vanguard"
The message is in fairly small print (at least on a computer screen) and I didn't see it mentioned here before.
Any suggestions for an aggregator that has a "portfolio tester" feature similar to how VG's used to work? That was the most convenient I'd found for modeling rebalancing in the past.
I'm using Fidelity's Full View, but you do need to provide logins (and have a Fido account).NYCaviator wrote: ↑Mon Jul 05, 2021 4:33 pm Has anyone found a different solution for this without giving away your logins to Personal Captial? Will Quicken for Mac (not windows) give data on AA and domestic vs. intl, sector exposure, etc?
Portfolio Visualizer is now categorizing my Fidelity US Bond Fund as an international bond fund. It would be funny if it weren't so frustrating. Every day I am inching closer and closer to transferring everything to Schwab...
RM - is there a template online that you use? I am not good with spreadsheets, but how is it accurate unless you manually input the value of your ETF/fund shares every time you check it, how many shares are owned, etc. Seems like a lot of work unless there is a way it is automatically updated.Random Musings wrote: ↑Mon Jul 05, 2021 8:47 pm I just will continue to use my spreadsheet. I know what my target allocation and bands are and am notified when I need to rebalance.
RM
I only update weekly, unless there is a MAJOR market move. Mine spreadsheet is custom as I utilize M* style grid analysis and look at weighted average bond duration (both for real and nominal bonds). Entering data takes only a little bit of time, I just use $ as $ = shares x price. I update other data quarterly (expense ratio's and detailed fund data).NYCaviator wrote: ↑Tue Jul 06, 2021 7:39 amRM - is there a template online that you use? I am not good with spreadsheets, but how is it accurate unless you manually input the value of your ETF/fund shares every time you check it, how many shares are owned, etc. Seems like a lot of work unless there is a way it is automatically updated.Random Musings wrote: ↑Mon Jul 05, 2021 8:47 pm I just will continue to use my spreadsheet. I know what my target allocation and bands are and am notified when I need to rebalance.
RM
The prior PDF output was wayyy more detailed. It was 50 pages. This is like 4 pages. The printout barely provides anything. I used to save the PDFs. Need the PDF to reflect more!yarnandthread wrote: ↑Wed Apr 07, 2021 7:40 am Yes, the breakdowns are more specific and detailed now than before with regards to cap. weights and sector percentages. That is good.
The bad: what I do not like is the lack of precision in regards to the asset allocation....whole numbers only?? I liked the old way of having a decimal point and the number to the nearest tenth. That was useful to me. I hope they can bring that back!
The onscreen analysis is okay, but how come the report is not detailed now?? It used to be 50 pages long. Now it is 4 pages. Why? What is on the screen is not in the PDF printable report! Silly. I want to save a report that has the info that is shown on the screen. that is the problem with this new layout. i have to write it down now if i want to compare to US Market. Unreal.pinchalik wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 4:23 pmI agree wholeheartedly. I could've written this myself! Removing the ability to download data to excel/CSV is a huge step backwards. What were they thinking? Like you, I manage my own money, and I *need* that download capability. I sent a secure message to my advisor and received a response within the hour. She's going to forward it on to the appropriate team and also let me know if there is some way to download data that I'm not seeing. I'm hoping that a *lot* of people are going to complain!BoutBenjamins wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 8:59 am [Post merged into here --admin LadyGeek]
Logged on to VG today and found they've rolled out their new version of the Portfolio Watch Tool. Having spent time using it I can definitely say it's "Underwhelming"..... Don't like it.
IMO this new version is a long way from improved and is NOT user friendly. Of course it has a new look but it's visually spread out instead of concise, you have to drill down endlessly and if you have multiple accounts, you have to scroll endlessly to view fund information. But the biggest MISS is you no longer can download data from the PW tool, the only option is to print it. How could the designers not include an option to download data? For people like myself who manage their own money, it's critical to be able to download data and get it into a useable format like excel. But therein lies the real issue, management doesn't want me to manage my own money, the want me to pay an advisor.
To top things off, when I called to schedule an appointment to discuss all this with my "advisor" his calendar shows he's out for the next two weeks. Called to see if there was someone else I could speak with and got nowhere.
Been with VG a long time but they've become so large they've lost their customer focus. Very frustrating
They always did that using just the Vanguard stock funds. It said it on the screen.
And the PDF report is no good now. It doesnt give you all the info on the screens. That used to be very detailed, now it is very basic. I used to save them. Now i have to write stuff on paper from the screen. Why is the report so weak now? it should have more detail. i want to save the pdf and print out the report but it is not the same detail as on screen. That is no good.beyou wrote: ↑Fri Apr 09, 2021 6:47 am 1 step forward and 2 steps (at least) backwards, for me.
Forward :
Non vanguard funds have better data, splitting us vs international from global bond funds. Not excited but an improvement.
Backward :
UI is much less user friendly.
My Savings bonds in outside holdings, where I manually entered credit quality and rate sensitivity, are now just “other bonds”, ignoring the categorization data previously included.
Overall a step backwards but nothing to cry about.
How about the actual printable report??? Did you try that? It is only 4 pages and doesnt give you lots of detail.
But, I’m still confused. The Annual report ending December 31 of last year indicted the fund had a sovereign allocation of 4.1%, but this is a long way from 11%. Is the 11% number correct?Why is my asset allocation different from the previous Portfolio Watch analyses?
Prior to April 2021, Portfolio Watch based asset allocation and fund characteristics on a fund's long-term strategy. Portfolio Watch now examines each of a fund's underlying holdings to provide a more detailed view of your asset allocation.
This may cause your asset allocation to differ from a previous analysis if an owned fund contains a portion of assets not aligned to its long-term goal. An example of this are domestic funds with a small amount of international assets
LadyGeek wrote: ↑Fri Aug 06, 2021 9:20 amThanks! I updated the wiki: Tools and calculators (Fidelity)okwriter wrote: ↑Thu Aug 05, 2021 9:26 pm Speaking of tools, Fidelity GPS (found on the "Analysis" tab) is very handy. It's like Vanguard's portfolio watch, except the calculations are actually correct. And it allows you to add your non-Fidelity accounts as well.
Yes. If you don't have one, it's easy to create (Open an Account). You don't need to put any money into the account. It can sit there at 0.00 just fine.
Where would one obtain these free google sheets?pascalwager wrote: ↑Sun Aug 08, 2021 1:54 pm I can understand using PW if all of your assets are at Vanguard, and you have a simple portfolio. Otherwise, I'd advise trying free Google Sheets. I doubt that it's possible, for example, to duration-weight a collection of bond funds every year, at least, on PW during retirement.
Also, I suppose some people say PW is good enough--for them. Can't argue with that, but I do have a more complicated portfolio and a spreadsheet (with a price-importation function) is mandatory.
The one basic advantage for PW, of course, is the perfect availability of asset share quantities. You don't need to update these each month/quarter.
They're in GoogleDrive.Tubes wrote: ↑Sun Aug 08, 2021 5:01 pmWhere would one obtain these free google sheets?pascalwager wrote: ↑Sun Aug 08, 2021 1:54 pm I can understand using PW if all of your assets are at Vanguard, and you have a simple portfolio. Otherwise, I'd advise trying free Google Sheets. I doubt that it's possible, for example, to duration-weight a collection of bond funds every year, at least, on PW during retirement.
Also, I suppose some people say PW is good enough--for them. Can't argue with that, but I do have a more complicated portfolio and a spreadsheet (with a price-importation function) is mandatory.
The one basic advantage for PW, of course, is the perfect availability of asset share quantities. You don't need to update these each month/quarter.
I gave it a test drive and bought it.LadyGeek wrote: ↑Fri Aug 06, 2021 1:50 pmYes. If you don't have one, it's easy to create (Open an Account). You don't need to put any money into the account. It can sit there at 0.00 just fine.
The wiki info: Tools and calculators (Fidelity)
I gave it a test drive and I'm very impressed. There's even a fixed income analysis tool as part of the Analysis tab. You can also download a PDF report. Nice.
I did a quick check by typing "VMFXX" in the Fidelity search box. It showed up, but I got a "Mutual Fund Symbol is Not Valid" error.Tubes wrote: ↑Mon Aug 09, 2021 6:07 am One more thing: I added my Treasury Direct holdings by creating an "Other Taxable" account and just entering my total under "Additional holdings, Bonds". I had to add at least one holding first, so I added $1 using VMFXX. This came out as "Unavailable" in the bond style. I need to find an analog for something like TD notes/bills. (EDIT: maybe my answer is VMFXX, of course!)
If the fund isn't available at Fidelity, they won't have the data. Type "Money" in the Fidelity search box for a range of money market choices, such as SPAXX.The symbol you're interested in is either not a valid Mutual Fund or is a fund that's not available on Fidelity.com.
Yeah, there's data, and there's data. I guess what I'm mostly looking for is AA data - stock, bond, cash. Of course the foreign holdings, bond duration, company size, risk is important too. GPS does a decent job on most of the VG equity funds.LadyGeek wrote: ↑Mon Aug 09, 2021 6:30 amI did a quick check by typing "VMFXX" in the Fidelity search box. It showed up, but I got a "Mutual Fund Symbol is Not Valid" error.Tubes wrote: ↑Mon Aug 09, 2021 6:07 am One more thing: I added my Treasury Direct holdings by creating an "Other Taxable" account and just entering my total under "Additional holdings, Bonds". I had to add at least one holding first, so I added $1 using VMFXX. This came out as "Unavailable" in the bond style. I need to find an analog for something like TD notes/bills. (EDIT: maybe my answer is VMFXX, of course!)
If the fund isn't available at Fidelity, they won't have the data. Type "Money" in the Fidelity search box for a range of money market choices, such as SPAXX.The symbol you're interested in is either not a valid Mutual Fund or is a fund that's not available on Fidelity.com.
On a related note, Fidelity doesn't give you the full performance numbers for outside funds or ETFs. That's to be expected, as it's not their product. They have some info, but not all of it. So, stick with Fidelity funds for analysis. If you need to dive into the details, get the numbers from the fund / ETF provider's site directly.
The Fidelity Analysis tab (aka GPS) allows one to add logical / virtual accounts at will. And also to group investments at will. I posted about this back in the day: viewtopic.php?p=2248876#p2248876
Yes. You got it. Thumbs up. This is what sold me after the test drive.LadyGeek wrote: ↑Mon Aug 09, 2021 8:21 am Yes, I did indeed read your 2014 post (Re: How to use Vanguard Portfolio Watch for rebalancing). Regardless of the missing images (thanks to tinypic), the actual steps for adding an external account weren't clear to me.
Thanks, I figured it out. Outside accounts are added under the "3 of 7 Accounts Selected" drop-down menu (as you show in your post). Click on the "Add an Outside Account" link in the top-right corner. Add the account manually. Or, add it to Full View. Easy. Done. The real-time lookup is nice.
I'll add this to the wiki when I get a chance.
Also, I just added this thread to the wiki: Vanguard Portfolio Watch and Tools and calculators (Vanguard)
Actually, it worked when I just put in ameritrade. But it could even resolve it when I put in the exact website url. When added it says it is a checking account. So I guess I'm back to my work around with VG portfolio thing.
There's an easier way to add external accounts to Fidelity GPS - if you add the account on Full View, it will also show up on GPS. It works for me using my Vanguard login. This way it gets automatically updated.