Over the years, I’ve developed and fine-tuned a portfolio and net worth tracker that I’ve found quite helpful as do-it-yourself investor.The latest version of the spreadsheet is the best yet.
It can be set up to automatically update the value of your stocks and funds using their ticker symbols. A previous version had this capability with the addition of an extension, but I’ve since discovered a way to use Excel’s built-in tools.
Using a spreadsheet of your own isn’t the only way to track net worth. Their are free online solutions, as well. Personal Capital is my favorite, and I use it to compile data from several different brokerage accounts when updating my own spreadsheet.
There are some things Personal Capital does automatically that my spreadsheet doesn’t do, like automatically calculate a detailed breakdown of your allocation to large caps, mid caps, small caps, growth, value, REITs, etc…
There are some things online apps don’t have, and that’s the virtually unlimited customization available in a spreadsheet. You can make it as detailed as you want it to be, add your own notes or formulas, and play around with what-if scenarios easily.
Here’s what the template will look like when you first open it.There are enough lines for 35 assets. You can add more if needed or delete a bunch if you’ve got a simpler portfolio.
Each line has a dropdown box that lets you assign an account type to it. When you do so, the sheet will add up the assets that you have in each account and give you the percentage that each account contributes to your overall portfolio.