How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
I created an excel spreadsheet with all of my fund/portfolio information. This includes the account (taxable, Roth, 401K, 403b etc), ticker, fund name, unit price, basis, amount, and expense ratio. Because I have several accounts, this has been really helpful for me to look at everything on one page.
The main problem is I manually entered in all the info. I logged into Fidelity, typed out all the info into excel and then moved onto the next account (Vanguard, then Schwab etc). So now I have to manually update the amounts and prices.
Or is there a way to make this easier, or even automated? I looked at google finance portfolio option, but it looks like this will be unavailable after November this year. I could also add accounts from other sites into my Fidelity account, but often this won't include ER, or other important info, or it won't link at all.
I don't know excel very well, but am trying to learn as much as I can.
The main problem is I manually entered in all the info. I logged into Fidelity, typed out all the info into excel and then moved onto the next account (Vanguard, then Schwab etc). So now I have to manually update the amounts and prices.
Or is there a way to make this easier, or even automated? I looked at google finance portfolio option, but it looks like this will be unavailable after November this year. I could also add accounts from other sites into my Fidelity account, but often this won't include ER, or other important info, or it won't link at all.
I don't know excel very well, but am trying to learn as much as I can.
Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
Quicken Software.
"One does not accumulate but eliminate. It is not daily increase but daily decrease. The height of cultivation always runs to simplicity" –Bruce Lee
Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
I tried the auto-update feature with Quicken 2017 for Mac but didn't like the way it worked so I also use an Excel spreadsheet that I made and an allocation spreadsheet that I found on here somewhere.
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Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
Fidelity full view will provide you with much of the information. I use Personal Capital to get frequent updates, as it's very easy to use as an app on phone or tablet.
Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
I use a pencil and paper. Works for me.
Link to Asking Portfolio Questions
Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
I don't make very many transactions and don't own many different investments, thus I do not find manual entry a bother at all. So I use the free Microsoft Money Sunset Deluxe edition and manually enter information. I like all the different kinds of reports that I can generate with MS Money once everything is entered. I've been using this for more than 12 years now.
Some other things are discussed in this thread that shows screen captures, too:
viewtopic.php?t=150267
Some other things are discussed in this thread that shows screen captures, too:
viewtopic.php?t=150267
Last edited by livesoft on Sun Oct 15, 2017 2:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
Google spreadsheet. Links to all my funds and ETFs so I can see the portfolio value in real time.
Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
I have been using M* portfolio feature since 1994. All you have to do is create a free account, insert ticker and number of shares, and what you paid (not necessary but interesting). Has gazillion statistics, updates after the close of markets every day and is totally free.
You can download the portfolio at any time on your Excel program all intact for your records and with the different views you can also download the related statistics.
You can download the portfolio at any time on your Excel program all intact for your records and with the different views you can also download the related statistics.
Never in the history of market day-traders’ has the obsession with so much massive, sophisticated, & powerful statistical machinery used by the brightest people on earth with such useless results.
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Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
Like you, I've created a pretty intricate spreadsheet. I've always been looking for a good software solution to this problem, but all I've tried have missed the mark. They're missing one feature or another that is too important to not make it worth keeping. Would love to hear some experiences of solution people have found. I always heard MS money was great, but a dead program. I've also heard quick books is good but the Mac version is not good. One particular calculation that's important to me is XIRR or modified internal rate of return. I haven't found anything yet that does this properly.
One thing I have been using to track cost basis is Gainskeeper.com but it doesn't track XIRR like I want. It will calculate taxes on sales.
One thing I have been using to track cost basis is Gainskeeper.com but it doesn't track XIRR like I want. It will calculate taxes on sales.
Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
I have access to both these. I should look at these further as I'm probably just not aware of the full options and capabilities. Thanks!
Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
When I tried this, the site poststruenorth418 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 15, 2017 2:19 pm Google spreadsheet. Links to all my funds and ETFs so I can see the portfolio value in real time.
"Google Finance is under renovation. As a part of this process, the Portfolios feature won't be available after mid-November 2017. To keep a copy, download your portfolio."
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Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
Personal Capital tracks and updates your net worth on an ongoing basis for free. The software is quite good. And did I mention it is free?
The downside: They may have one of their financial advisors contact you to ask if you want to have them manage your investments for a fee, but there is no obligation to take their call or to accept their service.
In the past I used a spreadsheet, or Quicken. Now I only use Personal Capital. It’s a big leap forward for me.
The downside: They may have one of their financial advisors contact you to ask if you want to have them manage your investments for a fee, but there is no obligation to take their call or to accept their service.
In the past I used a spreadsheet, or Quicken. Now I only use Personal Capital. It’s a big leap forward for me.
Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
I use pencil & paper also - and a ruler to make my columns It always seemed faster than trying to figure out a computer program, then type figures into columns.retiredjg wrote: ↑ I use a pencil and paper. Works for me.
However, now I know more and wish to keep better track of our asset allocation. How do you add, subtract & multiply the hand-written columns, especially with several accounts, then apply the correct math for percentages?
Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
We moved everything to Vanguard. It is all there when I log in. I still track my cost basis for taxable holdings in Quicken (2012) but transaction volume is very low; I enter these manually.
Don't trust me, look it up. https://www.irs.gov/forms-instructions-and-publications
Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
Yeah I just logged into my Personal Capital account and didn't even realize they have my holdings already in there. It's not perfect, for instance I can't link Fidelity 401k, and all the funds are listed in alphabetical order instead of by account, but it's still better than what I thought I had access to.Archimedes wrote: ↑Sun Oct 15, 2017 2:32 pm Personal Capital tracks and updates your net worth on an ongoing basis for free. The software is quite good. And did I mention it is free?
The downside: They may have one of their financial advisors contact you to ask if you want to have them manage your investments for a fee, but there is no obligation to take their call or to accept their service.
In the past I used a spreadsheet, or Quicken. Now I only use Personal Capital. It’s a big leap forward for me.
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Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
I also use Excel to keep track of all transactions and current value.
I have found the easiest thing for me to update daily prices (actually, I do this once a week, maybe more often) is to use a Google Sheet that uses Google functions to grab the prices (but Google seems to be almost a day behind updating these...disappointing). Then I just copy/paste into Excel. Takes a moment.
I have many "accounts" at Vanguard: Roths for my spouse and I, ditto IRAs, ditto taxable, and my inherited IRA. Each account might have several funds in it (up to 4-6), and these might be the same funds as in other accounts. It got to be a bookkeeping headache (I was in the mode of doing it myself, not depending on Vanguard). I wrote a 'script' in Excel (VBA) to make this (ever-so-much) easier: I download the Vanguard transactions monthly to a csv file (very easy on their site), then my script imports the transactions into my workbook, into the appropriate sheet and line. The script does a lot of other work as well automatically. What once was a tedious, painful, painstaking chore (and I would get confused and make errors) now takes less than a minute once the csv is open.
ETA: I now have automated the act of "grabbing" the share price data from my Google sheet, using some standard Excel features and VBA. Really convenient.
I have found the easiest thing for me to update daily prices (actually, I do this once a week, maybe more often) is to use a Google Sheet that uses Google functions to grab the prices (but Google seems to be almost a day behind updating these...disappointing). Then I just copy/paste into Excel. Takes a moment.
I have many "accounts" at Vanguard: Roths for my spouse and I, ditto IRAs, ditto taxable, and my inherited IRA. Each account might have several funds in it (up to 4-6), and these might be the same funds as in other accounts. It got to be a bookkeeping headache (I was in the mode of doing it myself, not depending on Vanguard). I wrote a 'script' in Excel (VBA) to make this (ever-so-much) easier: I download the Vanguard transactions monthly to a csv file (very easy on their site), then my script imports the transactions into my workbook, into the appropriate sheet and line. The script does a lot of other work as well automatically. What once was a tedious, painful, painstaking chore (and I would get confused and make errors) now takes less than a minute once the csv is open.
ETA: I now have automated the act of "grabbing" the share price data from my Google sheet, using some standard Excel features and VBA. Really convenient.
Last edited by JohnFiscal on Fri Jan 12, 2018 8:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
This is where excel is very useful. Even with my limited excel knowledge, it is easy to add columns of numbers using the SUM function. The same can be done with percentages. Might be worth the time to try/learn it.Miriam2 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 15, 2017 2:33 pmI use pencil & paper also - and a ruler to make my columns It always seemed faster than trying to figure out a computer program, then type figures into columns.retiredjg wrote: ↑ I use a pencil and paper. Works for me.
However, now I know more and wish to keep better track of our asset allocation. How do you add, subtract & multiply the hand-written columns, especially with several accounts, then apply the correct math for percentages?
Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
This sounds great! Thanks! Exactly what I was hoping was possible. I'll look into itJohnFiscal wrote: ↑Sun Oct 15, 2017 2:37 pm I also use Excel to keep track of all transactions and current value.
I have found the easiest thing for me to update daily prices (actually, I do this once a week, maybe more often) is to use a Google Sheet that uses Google functions to grab the prices (but Google seems to be almost a day behind updating these...disappointing). Then I just copy/paste into Excel. Takes a moment.
I have many "accounts" at Vanguard: Roths for my spouse and I, ditto IRAs, ditto taxable, and my inherited IRA. Each account might have several funds in it (up to 4-6), and these might be the same funds as in other accounts. It got to be a bookkeeping headache (I was in the mode of doing it myself, not depending on Vanguard). I wrote a 'script' in Excel (VBA) to make this (ever-so-much) easier: I download the Vanguard transactions monthly to a csv file (very easy on their site), then my script imports the transactions into my workbook, into the appropriate sheet and line. The script does a lot of other work as well automatically. What once was a tedious, painful, painstaking chore (and I would get confused and make errors) now takes less than a minute once the csv is open.
Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
Thank you Newone88. I assume you are talking about plain old Excel that comes with our computer?Newone88 wrote: ↑This is where excel is very useful. Even with my limited excel knowledge, it is easy to add columns of numbers using the SUM function. The same can be done with percentages. Might be worth the time to try/learn it.Miriam2 wrote: ↑ I use pencil & paper also - and a ruler to make my columns It always seemed faster than trying to figure out a computer program, then type figures into columns.
However, now I know more and wish to keep better track of our asset allocation. How do you add, subtract & multiply the hand-written columns, especially with several accounts, then apply the correct math for percentages?
Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
yup, plain old excel. lets say you place a few numbers in columns a1, a2, and a3. Then if you go to a4 and type in =SUM, you can highlight a1-3 and press return. The sum will then be in a4. Sorry if that doesn't make sense. It should, once you play around with it a little bit.
Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
It would probably be useful to Google on functions in Excel. Functions are invoked when you type the '=' sign into a cell such as
=a1+a2 or =average(a1:15) and things of that nature.
=a1+a2 or =average(a1:15) and things of that nature.
Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
The Vanguard site does fine for me.
I only have a couple accounts and can enter all that plus the savings stash in there to see the total. Just update it every two weeks when deferred comp. contributions get made and done.
I only have a couple accounts and can enter all that plus the savings stash in there to see the total. Just update it every two weeks when deferred comp. contributions get made and done.
Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
I view my quarterly statements when they arrive in the mail and check my accounts @ VG at least annually after RMD. If they need tweaking I take care of it at that time. If not, I return to what I was doing.
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“The CMH-the Cost Matters Hypothesis -is all that is needed to explain why indexing must and will work… Yes, it is that simple.” John C. Bogle
Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
You can Google for some Excel entries that download quotes such as at Yahoo and other web sites. Not all information can be automated but it should not be that big a burden unless your accounts are really complicated. The advantage of a spread sheet is just precisely that you can easily enter data manually in any way you choose whenever whatever application you are using can't do it or does it erroneously.
Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
I don't use columns. In fact, I hardly even use a piece of paper - usually the corner of a stray scrap of paper. Perhaps my portfolio is simpler than yours?Miriam2 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 15, 2017 2:33 pmI use pencil & paper also - and a ruler to make my columns It always seemed faster than trying to figure out a computer program, then type figures into columns.retiredjg wrote: ↑ I use a pencil and paper. Works for me.
However, now I know more and wish to keep better track of our asset allocation. How do you add, subtract & multiply the hand-written columns, especially with several accounts, then apply the correct math for percentages?
Or, could you be using dollar amounts rather than percentages? That is way more trouble and more likely to cause a mistake.
Never, never, never transpose dollar amounts to a column on a piece of paper and then add up columns of dollar amounts. Always convert to percentages and then add. Just make sure the percentages add up to 100% before going further.
When I check my balances, I add up the total dollar amount (just 2 numbers - total as reported by Vanguard and total as reported by the TSP), then I figure out what percentage is in each fund and I write those down on my scrap of paper. In fact, that is the only thing I write down other than the total portfolio amount.
It will look something like 43% bonds, 3% bonds, 29% US, 4% US, 4% US, 10% foreign, 4% foreign, 3% bonds. That's about 8 positions in 3 accounts spread over 2 custodians. So all I've written down is 9 numbers.
Then I add together the 3 US fund percentages, the 2 international funds, and the 3 bond funds. Maybe I get something like 37% US, 14% Foreign, 49% bonds (to me all the bonds are just bonds - I don't care how much I have in each kind).
Then I check that against my goal which is 35% US, 15% Foreign, 50% bonds. Then I'm usually done. This takes about 10 minutes.
If I'm out of my rebalancing band....let's say by 2%.....then I figure out what 2% of the total is and move it from US stocks to any kind of bond fund or vice versa. I rarely have to adjust my Foreign stock amount. This might take another 5 minutes.
If you don't have a lot of custodians and a lot of funds, it should be just that easy. Feel free to PM me if you need more detailed information.
Link to Asking Portfolio Questions
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Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
Same here, also.
Our entire portfolio, including the savings bonds I manually value each month via Savings Bond Wizard and update total at Vanguard is presented in one screen. All accounts (taxable, TIRAs, Roth IRAs, Vanguard Annuity, savings bonds) are available to examine.
I really don't need anything else.
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“If I cannot drink Bourbon and smoke cigars in Heaven then I shall not go." - Mark Twain
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Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
My wife and I have a number of investment accounts at different institutions (403b, 457s, 401a, Roth IRAs) and I STILL use a Excel spreadsheet to track prices and rebalance our asset allocation. I haven't figured out how to use the XIRR feature, so I technically don't know what my return is, but it's all in index funds so I figure I'm batting average.
Blue Man
Blue Man
Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
Thank you retiredjg for your step-by-step! Our accounts are not much more complicated than yours. We do however have Wellington and Wellesley in addition to Total Stock, so the percentages become a little more complicated.retiredjg wrote: ↑I don't use columns. In fact, I hardly even use a piece of paper - usually the corner of a stray scrap of paper. Perhaps my portfolio is simpler than yours?Miriam2 wrote: ↑I use pencil & paper also - and a ruler to make my columns It always seemed faster than trying to figure out a computer program, then type figures into columns.retiredjg wrote: ↑ I use a pencil and paper. Works for me.
However, now I know more and wish to keep better track of our asset allocation. How do you add, subtract & multiply the hand-written columns, especially with several accounts, then apply the correct math for percentages?
Or, could you be using dollar amounts rather than percentages? That is way more trouble and more likely to cause a mistake.
Never, never, never transpose dollar amounts to a column on a piece of paper and then add up columns of dollar amounts. Always convert to percentages and then add. Just make sure the percentages add up to 100% before going further.
When I check my balances, I add up the total dollar amount (just 2 numbers - total as reported by Vanguard and total as reported by the TSP), then I figure out what percentage is in each fund and I write those down on my scrap of paper. In fact, that is the only thing I write down other than the total portfolio amount.
It will look something like 43% bonds, 3% bonds, 29% US, 4% US, 4% US, 10% foreign, 4% foreign, 3% bonds. That's about 8 positions in 3 accounts spread over 2 custodians. So all I've written down is 9 numbers.
Then I add together the 3 US fund percentages, the 2 international funds, and the 3 bond funds. Maybe I get something like 37% US, 14% Foreign, 49% bonds (to me all the bonds are just bonds - I don't care how much I have in each kind).
Then I check that against my goal which is 35% US, 15% Foreign, 50% bonds. Then I'm usually done. This takes about 10 minutes.
If I'm out of my rebalancing band....let's say by 2%.....then I figure out what 2% of the total is and move it from US stocks to any kind of bond fund or vice versa. I rarely have to adjust my Foreign stock amount. This might take another 5 minutes.
If you don't have a lot of custodians and a lot of funds, it should be just that easy. Feel free to PM me if you need more detailed information.
I have to review this information more carefully, but need to do outside work now
Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
MS Money is not dead, but it is not supported. Big difference. MSMoney does XIRR() perfectly well.Mispoken wrote: ↑Sun Oct 15, 2017 2:21 pm . I always heard MS money was great, but a dead program. I've also heard quick books is good but the Mac version is not good. One particular calculation that's important to me is XIRR or modified internal rate of return. I haven't found anything yet that does this properly.
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Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
You can connect your Fidelity 401k by searching for netbenefits and logging in. Also you edit the names to get the names to show up in the order you want.Newone88 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 15, 2017 2:36 pm
Yeah I just logged into my Personal Capital account and didn't even realize they have my holdings already in there. It's not perfect, for instance I can't link Fidelity 401k, and all the funds are listed in alphabetical order instead of by account, but it's still better than what I thought I had access to.
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Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
I'm another Excel user. I manually update values for each fund and it automatically updates my cost, asset allocations, and such.
Bogle: Smart Beta is stupid
Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
Ditto on the Excel. Data entry on the 1st of the month (or so) with auto calculations for rebalancing.
Several tabs... plus list of accounts w/login info, projections, IPS ... all for DW to ponder and/or throw away when I'm gone.
Several tabs... plus list of accounts w/login info, projections, IPS ... all for DW to ponder and/or throw away when I'm gone.
'In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is.' Yogi Berra
Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
+1 on Excel as well. I usually update it around the 15th of each month to let expenses and tax deferred account settle. I have a YTD and comparison with prior years tab, a retirement simulator which links to current year, and save each past year worksheet. I have a "what if" simulator to look at different early retirement possibilities.
Bogleheads Wiki: https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Main_Page
Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
If you are looking for a software option, try fundmanagersoftware.com. For $99 one-time fee, there is a subscription to a personal version (professional version available too). It downloads transactions (buy, sell, dividends, etc) from brokerages and internet retrieves prices, and you can run reports/graphs around time-weighted returns, portfolio value, asset allocation and many things like that. Can be done at the portfolio level or individual security level, and you can dimension between IRAs, taxable accounts, or however you want.
Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
I log on to Vanguard and Fidelity... and make sure "It's all good!" and then log off.
I've thought about writing a few macros and vb scripts to mine the *.csv data pulls you can sometimes download from these mutual fund brokers, but it's too much work. I guess it would be cool to track how the money grows from day to day and week to week, but that's too much work for too little gain IMHO. Grand scheme of things, I'm throwing money at different investment buckets and basically never sell the shares for a profit or loss as I hold investments for long periods of times.
I've thought about writing a few macros and vb scripts to mine the *.csv data pulls you can sometimes download from these mutual fund brokers, but it's too much work. I guess it would be cool to track how the money grows from day to day and week to week, but that's too much work for too little gain IMHO. Grand scheme of things, I'm throwing money at different investment buckets and basically never sell the shares for a profit or loss as I hold investments for long periods of times.
Thank God for Wall Street Bets.
Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
I also use a pretty elaborate google spreadsheet that pulls in all the fund prices from all of my accounts and also calculates my asset allocation and tells me how far off I am at any given moment. When my threshold is met to rebalance it is easy to see. Once a month I update the share quantities by downloading the .csv files and pasting that information into a separate google sheet for each account (the main spreadsheet is set to update the share quantities based on the values in each accounts separate sheet). I also then use longinvest's awesome return spreadsheet to let me see my overall returns as I have not quite figured out how to do it otherwise myself. I usually update that every month or so. All in all it probably requires about 30 minutes worth of effort a month to gather all the necessary information. The return spreadsheet is in this thread: viewtopic.php?t=150025
Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
As far as I know,"everyone" is not keeping track of my portfolio; I hope I am the only one.
I personally use aggregators...Vanguard, Fidelity and Personal Capital.
I personally use aggregators...Vanguard, Fidelity and Personal Capital.
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Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
+1
I consolidated everything in Vanguard and a little still in Schwab. Both are easy to monitor when logging in.
I sleep well with the 50,000 feet view.
Like watching paint dry
Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
Google spreadsheet and Google Finance are different things. Google Sheets is unchanged and has functions to get real-time prices.Newone88 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 15, 2017 2:30 pmWhen I tried this, the site poststruenorth418 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 15, 2017 2:19 pm Google spreadsheet. Links to all my funds and ETFs so I can see the portfolio value in real time.
"Google Finance is under renovation. As a part of this process, the Portfolios feature won't be available after mid-November 2017. To keep a copy, download your portfolio."
Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
I play around with both Excel & Google Sheets to keep up with my portfolio. I occasionally have problems printing my GoogleSheets results. Don't know why. I really like the lookup function for a mutual fund in Googlesheets: =googlefinance(Cell reference with stock symbol, "price"). The only thing I have to update is the number of fund shares. Another cell has the formula to multiply the price X the number of shares for the total.
Carl Z
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Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
Bogleheads:
My three funds are with Vanguard.
I check my asset-allocation and balances once or twice a year (for fraud, error and activity) on the Vanguard website and also when I receive my annual statement.
Vanguard website and statements provide much more information than I can possibly use.
That's it
Best wishes.
Taylor
My three funds are with Vanguard.
I check my asset-allocation and balances once or twice a year (for fraud, error and activity) on the Vanguard website and also when I receive my annual statement.
Vanguard website and statements provide much more information than I can possibly use.
That's it
Best wishes.
Taylor
"Simplicity is the master key to financial success." -- Jack Bogle
Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
I love the simplicity. It may take me awhile to get there, but that's what I strive for.Taylor Larimore wrote: ↑Sun Oct 15, 2017 8:30 pm Bogleheads:
My three funds are with Vanguard.
I check my asset-allocation and balances once or twice a year (for fraud, error and activity) on the Vanguard website and also when I receive my annual statement.
Vanguard website and statements provide much more information than I can possibly use.
That's it
Best wishes.
Taylor
Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
Thanks for the link to that return spreadsheet!rst113 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 15, 2017 6:59 pm I also use a pretty elaborate google spreadsheet that pulls in all the fund prices from all of my accounts and also calculates my asset allocation and tells me how far off I am at any given moment. When my threshold is met to rebalance it is easy to see. Once a month I update the share quantities by downloading the .csv files and pasting that information into a separate google sheet for each account (the main spreadsheet is set to update the share quantities based on the values in each accounts separate sheet). I also then use longinvest's awesome return spreadsheet to let me see my overall returns as I have not quite figured out how to do it otherwise myself. I usually update that every month or so. All in all it probably requires about 30 minutes worth of effort a month to gather all the necessary information. The return spreadsheet is in this thread: viewtopic.php?t=150025
Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
I am a long-time happy Quicken user.
If your out-go is greater than your income, your upkeep will be your DOWNFALL.
Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
I have an Excel spreadsheet that has grown in complexity and girth since its creation in 2003 but still requires less than one hour per year to update. 30 funds over three accounts, the balances of which are manually transcribed to paper, then into cells, before shredding. Updated whenever but invariably at least once a quarter. I copy figures to a year over year summary worksheet once per calendar year.
Everything I need is automated in real time from entry of those figures... aggregating funds across appropriate asset classes, into a worksheet that evaluates asset weighting (stocks vs. bonds, large vs. small, value vs. growth, % real estate, domestic vs. international, etc.) against the bands specificied on my IPS worksheet.
Decisions about rebalancing are made from these analyses and documented on a separate tab. All one spreadsheet. No automation, which has proven problematic in the past (web sites change, order of funds change, passwords change.) Maintaining a wall of separation between my online accounts info and my spreadsheet has had another benefit: the act of writing fund balances has sharpened my overall financial awareness.
Everything I need is automated in real time from entry of those figures... aggregating funds across appropriate asset classes, into a worksheet that evaluates asset weighting (stocks vs. bonds, large vs. small, value vs. growth, % real estate, domestic vs. international, etc.) against the bands specificied on my IPS worksheet.
Decisions about rebalancing are made from these analyses and documented on a separate tab. All one spreadsheet. No automation, which has proven problematic in the past (web sites change, order of funds change, passwords change.) Maintaining a wall of separation between my online accounts info and my spreadsheet has had another benefit: the act of writing fund balances has sharpened my overall financial awareness.
Connect with Bogleheads in Northern California! Click the link under my user info/avatar.
Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
Fidelity has FullView tool that allows you to keep track of all accounts, including the ones external to Fidelity
Re: How does everyone keep track of your portfolio?
Excel spread sheet. I can write code with Autoit and VBA so I make a listing in Yahoo portfolios and with my code I get the listing from Yahoo and write it to excel. This includes my mutual funds and equities. So...I can update my worth by the minute, day or week. If I didn't know how to write code I would use the export feature to download a .csv from yahoo then just copy and paste into my spreadsheet.