Author Topic: How to view holdings over time? vs (disinformation of) balance/price over time  (Read 637 times)

boulder3381

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As I don't invest for price, but for value... I'm trying to find an easy way to track the quantity of my holdings over time. Yet as far as I can tell most applications (vanguard website, fidelity website, personal capital)  just display price changes overtime.  I hope that I'm wrong.

For example given that I have VTSAX in 2019 and invest monthly, how can I see the quantity my holdings over time displayed?  Now given it's 2020, how can I compare my current holdings to past years holdings at the same time?   

Does anyone know of a tool/application that does this for you?  Will I need to get intimate with spreadsheets to do this? 




Fru-Gal

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Don't know but I think it's a great idea for an app! OTOH money has the advantage of being the common denominator among asset classes.

boulder3381

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One of my drives for having this information is to educate my nieces and nephews on investing.  However when they see prices swings they are lured by short-term thinking. 

Given I have a two bucket investments 80/20 Total Stock Market and Bonds, watching the quantities increase from dividend reinvestments, and personal contributions is a bigger win for education.

I just got off the phone with Vanguard.  Data is limited.  I was able to download a 18month report of transactions.  However this doesn't track quantity over time.  Cost Basis report is a small view of transactions but only visible for non-qualified and isn't able to be exported.

My "customer voice" request will be put into some backlog of ideas for managers to consider.
« Last Edit: March 06, 2020, 09:04:13 AM by boulder3381 »

boulder3381

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Just off phone with Fidelity.  Similar limited data on quantity of holdings.

I see a possibly (labor intensive, not automated update) path forward.  Quarterly statements have quantity of holdings.  I could start aggregating these.  However it doesn't split the purchases on the statement between principal and reinvestments.

Stimpy

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I actually track all this information myself for my various holdings.  However, I do not use vanguard, nor any of the others listed ,but have to wonder if there is some type of transaction log.    If you know two points, lets say Price per share and total invested at the time of purchase, (or some assortment of that) you should be able to determine shares purchased.  Or at least get very very close to that number.  Rounding is a thing and is common in the industry or so I have found in my records.

Otherwise yea, your going to have to go off the quarterly report, which isn't terrible but doable.

In all honesty I am surprised you don't have access to this information somewhere on your account page.   It strikes me as odd that you can't see total shares owned at any time.  If you could, then you should again with little effort be able to do the math and get what you want after every purchase.   No it's not as nice as a .csv file, but most people don't care, as has been stated.  They like to see the $$$ balance.