When you make multiple investments simultaneously, keeping precise track of their return and other relevant data can be tough. Thankfully, to help with this task, investors can rely on an investment tracking system to have a clear view of different aspects of the investment accounts.

Whether when making a stock tracking spreadsheet to monitor their current market value or any other kind of spreadsheet, the investment tracking tool is a complete document that can help in multiple aspects. In this article, we will show you how to make the perfect tracking tool for your investments. Follow each step carefully, and you will have a document that fits your needs and expectations.

Before learning how to effectively make an investment tracking document, you must understand some basic concepts, like what this document is. Here is a quick explanation:

The investment tracking document is a spreadsheet that helps investors keep track of their investment portfolio, showing all the important information in a clear interface. This tool is responsible for showing what are the next steps that need to be taken to generate more revenue.

The investment tracker is also responsible for showing information regarding the cost basis of each investment or stock and even investment fees contained in the operations. It is a complete document covering multiple investment categories, helping with actions like target allocation and monitoring ROI.

Although they might look the same, some differences make these tools used for different purposes. The stock portfolio tracker is used mainly to keep an eye on stock values and the return generated based on the investment done.

The stock spreadsheet is “more simple” since it only focuses on stocks and, sometimes, on target asset allocation depending on the conditions. On the other hand, the investment portfolio is a more complex document that involves not only stock but all the investments done by a person or business.

The investment spreadsheet will contain a collection of all the investments done, regardless of their type. These investments go from the stocks themselves to mutual funds and other types of financial instruments.

Besides understanding what the investment tracker is used for, you must also know the different types of documents you can create. Here we will show you the three main types you can find for your and your business investments.

Choosing the correct template type is a big part of precise data gathering. It will help you to better visualize the entire portfolio and the total value returned from each investment.

Here are the three main investment spreadsheet types:

Investment Holding Spreadsheet

The holding spreadsheet is the basic structure of any investment portfolio or document for monitoring different investments. It is a completely versatile spreadsheet type and can include investments like stocks, mutual funds, or any other kind.

When using this type of spreadsheet, it is crucial that you clearly assign an asset class to each investment. This will make it easier to keep track of the items.

Individual Stock Spreadsheet

Another commonly used tracking structure is the individual stock template. As the name suggests, you’ll work with individual stocks in this kind of spreadsheet.

This kind of template usually contains more information regarding each stock and a deeper study of each case. It is the perfect tool for people who work with fewer investments and need a deeper understanding of their returns and possibilities.

Asset Classification Spreadsheet

In this type of spreadsheet, you will divide your investments by type for better visualization of the return on each one. It is common to feature asset allocation in different kinds of spreadsheets.

This technique balances risk and reward, considering each asset and category in your portfolio. It can happen based on individual or company goals depending on the type of investment.

Once your actual allocation gets far from expected, it means that the investment needs your attention. This type of spreadsheet focuses on doing this by group and type of financial investment.

Now it’s time to see some of the essential items you should include in your investment tracking spreadsheet. This investment information should be included regardless of the type of document you are creating.

Having them will help in case any desired allocation is needed or if you need a history of investments for tax purposes. Here are the crucial pieces of information to include in your template:

Account Used

When doing this kind of investment, it is common for people to create accounts dedicated exclusively to it. The problem is that if you create different accounts for different assets, it can be challenging to remember which investments are linked to that specific account.

This is why having a section of the template dedicated to assigning this information can be so important. It will help you save time and make your document look more organized.

Stock Symbol

To make your document even clearer, you can also add the stock symbol representing each investment. It can be a valuable tip, especially when dealing with multiple investments from different stocks.

If you are making a simple spreadsheet regarding only one stock, this is optional. You can easily track data from the stock value without having the symbol.

Name of the Investment

In this field of your template, you’ll properly identify the investment that is being made. It doesn’t need to be described.

You can simply write the name of it right next to the symbol of its stock if it has one. This way, when looking for a specific investment, you can easily find it by its name, making the search less time-consuming.

Category

Depending on the type of document you make, you’ll have multiple categories featured between investments. If this is your case, identifying each one is indispensable.

Whether when managing a stock mix or the current value of your personal capital, every value can be mistaken for another without the proper identification of it. More than just the name, you also need to identify the investment category the item belongs to. It also helps when listing them in a specific order for better organization.

Account Balance

The account balance is a major topic of your portfolio tracker that includes other minor categories, like balance and shares you own. This part of the template must be customized depending on the type of template and investment you make.

It can be as simple as the price you paid for each stock, up to more complex data, like the total value of the investment and how much of your portfolio it represents.

There are different tools available when it comes to creating your investment tracker. Each one has its own tools and features, from known software to specialized programs.

Among all the options available, we highly recommend using Microsoft Excel for this task. It is not only an industry standard but also has some of the best tools, featuring direct integration with the Google Finance function.

If you don’t have a Microsoft Office activation key, you can find Microsoft Office 2021 Professional Plus Key Retail Global at RoyalCDKeys for a lower price when compared to other websites. This way, you get access to all tools and still save money.

If you don’t want to create your template from scratch, there is no problem. Here are some free spreadsheet examples you can download and use. Make sure to edit them using MS Excel to better fit your needs and expectations.

Template #1

Investment portfolio template. A document that can be used to track multiple investments from different types simultaneously.

Get this template

Template #2

Investment template with graphics. It can be integrated with Google Finance functions for real-time updates.

Get this template

Template #3

Complete investment tracker for multiple investments. Completely customizable template that can fit any kind of investment.

Get this template

When dealing with financial investments, having a tool to monitor these values and see how they are performing is vital. Thankfully, an investment tracker is something simple and easy to do.

With one document, you can track all your accounts and investments, making the decision-making process more simple and precise. But for it to work, you must guarantee that everything is correctly filled up in the spreadsheet.

Now that you know everything, it is time to start creating your own tracker template. Follow each step carefully, and you’ll have a powerful tool to follow you and help in all your investments.