How do you keep score?

[slam]

Hi everyone, noob here.

 

I found it surprisingly difficult to keep track of my investment results. I have two accounts - taxed and traditional IRA, both with WellsTrade. To track my annual returns over a long period (mine from 2005) I had to manually transfer my investment records and movement of money in and out of my accounts into Excel and use the XIRR function to calculate the annual returns.

 

There has to be an easier way to do this. How have you been keeping score? Any websites out there that automate this somewhat?

[racemize]

I think spreadsheet is the best way.  There are some other tools out there (e.g., wikinvest) that try to do it for you, but they have bugs and don't always work.  I've found it easiest to just track it on my own, that way you are sure that everything is working the way you think it does.

[Uccmal]

I only calculate my results at year end.  End amount + withdrawals during the year- Start amount. 

 

I pay taxes straight out of the brokerage account.  So my results are after tax which doesn't equate to mutual funds or indexes which are pretax.  However, about 20% of my holdings are tax sheltered, so it may equal out. 

 

As to specific investments results the analysis comes in March when I do the taxes.  It shows in stark relief what worked and what didn't. 

 

I no longer put cash into the accounts.  Any movement between accounts is captured in the aggregate number. 

[racemize]

I no longer put cash into the accounts.  Any movement between accounts is captured in the aggregate number.

 

Is it just because it is big enough already?

[woltac]

Quicken does all the work for me.  I download the transactions from most of my investment accounts directly into Quicken.  Fidelity, ETrade and Vanguard download directly, while Scottrade OptionsFirst does not. 

[DCG]

WikiInvest.

 

 

I guess I figured most people on here would already be using this. It's free and does everything for you. Great service.

 

 

It's like Mint.com for your investment portfolio.

 

 

https://www.wikinvest.com/account/portfolio/regx/start

[MrB]

http://www.fundmanagersoftware.com/

[CorpRaider]

I've been pretty disappointed in wiki vest personally.  Also wish mint was better with the investment accounts.

[Palantir]

What I do "Time Weighted Return":

 

1) Measure Account value at beginning of year.

2) The day before I add cash, measure the account value. Find the rate of return.

3) Repeat until year end.

4) Link these RoRs.

 

Wish there was a better way, but this works.

 

[skanjete]

I translate my total investment amount into virtual "units".

f.e. you start with 100.000. That's 1000 units with value 100.

 

Suppose the value of the portfolio rises 20%.

Total value will be 120.000 or the same 1000 "units" will have value 120.

 

If at that point I add 60000, I virtually buy 500 units with value 120.

So then I have total investment of 180.000, or 1500 units with value 120.

 

Another 10% rise would take us to 198.000, or 1500 units with value 132.

etc.

 

Based on the value of the units, you can calculate your total and annualised return. The system takes correctly into account the additions or extractions of capital. I suppose that's also the way funds calculate their returns.

[Straddle]

For my stocks & options a spreadsheet I based on screenshots from this site: http://trading-journal-spreadsheet.com/

 

For my funds (Bestinver) a spreadsheet based on an excel from http://www.gummy-stuff.org/