A couple weeks ago I shared a spreadsheet that tracked index returns via index funds. The Google Finance spreadsheet functions for mutual funds are really easy to use to figure out returns over different periods of time.

For stocks and ETFs, it’s more complicated.

That said, making it work with ETFs is the better way to go since ETFs exist for every imaginable index, but there were a few issues to work through.

Well, I got ambitious.

The first problem was finding a simple solution that pulls start and end date prices, then calculate the return over the period. The second problem was figuring how to automagically update the start date for year-to-date returns when January 1st rolls around because I’m lazy and don’t want the hassle of remembering to do it manually each year.

I found a solution to both issues. It may not be the cleanest but it works. Here’s the spreadsheet with a link and a few caveats underneath. Continue Reading…

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): Continue Reading…