The Google Finance portfolio tracker was updated earlier this year. The “update” was more like a horrendous downgrade. It removed all the useful features until there was nothing left worth using. I’m not entirely sure what Google was thinking.
Since then, I looked for a replacement to no avail. I settled on using a spreadsheet via Google Sheets to track things.
I also used Google Finance to track the performance of indexes, factors, and alternative strategies via a corresponding ETF. It didn’t get heavy use but it was convenient to have everything in one place.
Creating something similar in a spreadsheet has been on my to-do list. So I tackled that this week. Turns out, it works better in a spreadsheet. Here’s the result (links to copy and explanation are below):
Hers’ the link to make a copy: Index Return Tracker Spreadsheet
I made this as simple as possible due to time constraints and sharability. Some caveats:
- It only works for index/mutual funds for now (so you can use it to track your own index/mutual funds too). Making it work with ETFs would be more convenient but it requires more time than I have available at the moment.
- I used portfoliovisualizer.com to find corresponding index funds. I’m hardly an expert in index funds, so it’s very possible I picked one that is not the best fit. Let me know and I’ll fix it.
- To change a fund, just change the ticker symbol. The first two columns are all that need to be changed, the rest update automatically.
- If there’s something missing you think should be added, then grab a copy and add it. I don’t do custom spreadsheets!
- To add something new, insert a new row. And copy/paste is your friend.
- Here’s a link to the Google Finance spreadsheet functions, just in case.
That’s all I got this week. Grab a copy. Make it your own. Go nuts.
Last Call
- Your Focus Should Be On Risk, Not Reward – Fortune Financial
- Experience is Overrated – A Wealth of Common Sense
- There’s Now Analytical Proof Behind ‘Keeping Up with the Joneses’ – CNBC
- Paper: Does the Relative Income of Peers Cause Financial Distress? Evidence from Lottery Winners and Neighboring Bankruptcies (pdf) – Philly Fed
- This Investor Rivals Buffett and You Probably Haven’t Heard of Him – Marketwatch
- Factors from Scratch: A Look Back, and Forward, at How, When, and Why Factors Work – OSAM
- In Investing, as in Poker, Following Rules Works Best – Economist
- The Meb Faber Show: James Montier Interview (podcast) – M. Faber
- Irrationality, Bad Decisions, and the Truth About Lies: Dan Ariely (podcast) – Farnam Street
- User and Subscriber Businesses: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly! – Musings on Markets
- Mary Meeker’s 2018 Internet Trends Report – Recode
- Why Your Health Insurer Doesn’t Care About Your Big Bills – NPR
- Why Is Your Location Data No Longer Private? – Krebs on Security
