How Often do you Check your Investments?

[Midpack]

On average, how often do you check your investments for any reason (whether tracking performance/returns, rebalancing, entering new data, or whatever?

Maybe this has been done before, but I thought it might be interesting. If it is, I may try it at diehards too...enjoy.

 

[W2R]

Daily.

Even though I am invested for the long term, I feel like a newbie compared with many here! I check my investments daily to reassure myself that all is not lost (when the market is down), and to pat myself on the back (when the market is up). So far, so good.

 

[Spanky]

update spreadsheet daily (one click to run the macro).

 

[Alan]

Just like old man Scrooge I count my pennies every day and either gloat or complain, or both, but really it is to assure myself the money is still there.

 

[megacorp-firee]

I voted daily, but it more like 4-5x a week or so. It's a ritual for me.

 

[Arc]

Daily - it's an addiction and the fix is easy with Money. I enjoy seeing the swings up and down - large swings only reinforce in my mind that I am building up a decent savings. Easy for me since I have a while to go yet.

 

[Walt34]

I voted quarterly but it's more like every other month. They're there another ten years or so (absent some dire, costly emergency) and when it's down I don't want to know.

 

[Jake46]

I run Quicken "Quotes" every evening.

 

[Robert the Red]

I checked daily for 2 years to see what the fluctuations were like. Then I cut back to weekly for a couple years, but now it's about monthly.

Damn -- looks like the Tibet part of our trip to China is off.

 

[RunningBum]

I check Yahoo daily, to see how my individual stocks are doing and the market in general.

I probably check mutual fund balances and performance at Vangard about once a week.

I update all the numbers and look at monthly and annual return, balances, total net, etc, once a month.

 

[Gotadimple]

I check weekly. Did daily for awhile, but found it meaningless. Just added to worry, or created irrational exhurberance.

Weekly tells me how I'm doing.

--Rita

 

[Midpack]

I check weekly. Did daily for awhile, but found it meaningless. Just added to worry, or created irrational exhurberance.

Weekly tells me how I'm doing.

--Rita

That's what I think too. I used to watch CNBC all the time and check my holdings daily, finally realized that it was just getting me mildly worked up (both sides) over nothing. I never watch CNBC anymore, they make news where there is none most of the time. I average monthly, although I may check several times a month and then go more than a month at times. I update all my spreadsheets quarterly unless I'm making a move, but that's typically only 1-3 times/year. I'm pretty much a buy-n-hold and rebalancing type these days. Interesting results on this poll so far IMO...

 

[oma]

Have portfolio on my.yahoo.com page. Its nice to see the balance make gains. But I realize its all on paper - and as a long term investor, it doesn't really bother me too much to see the portfolio drop sometimes 10k/day.

 

[Goonie]

I check Yahoo daily, to see how my individual stocks are doing and the market in general........

I average monthly, although I may check several times a month and then go more than a month at times.

When I get online each day to read the local newspaper, I pop over to Yahoo just to see how the market is doing or has done.....mostly just for sh*ts & giggles. I'm in this thing for the long haul, so daily fluctuations don't rattle me much. Although when it really drops, I go look for loose change under the all the cushions in the living room, hoping to find enough to be able to buy up some of the market's "Blue Light Specials".....but I normally end up coming back to the computer and playing another hand of solitaire instead.

I usually just check on my investments about once a month....give or take a little. Being ER'd, I just don't have time to do it much more often than that!

 

[AltaRed]

I said weekly via "Update" on Quicken, but sometimes I will do it more often if I have to go into Quicken anyway to enter some data.

 

[headingout]

Like others, used to be daily but that was adding stress without providing much useful information. I switched to weekly a few months ago, after doing daily for years, and it's much better for me. Filters out some of the "noise" of daily ups/downs. I do a complete net worth/asset allocation check-up monthly.

 

[Alan]

although I look daily (I have everything entered in Vanguard), I only update my spreadsheets quarterly and use the VG portfolio analysis tool to review my AA quarterly.

 

[mickeyd]

I checked quarterly in the poll, but I doubt that it is that often. I chose the one closest to the truth. I have no current need for the funds that are currently invested. I am in for the long haul. Checking them more regularly may cause me to make a stupid mistake due to my own hubris. I get statements for Vanguard in the mail occasionally (quarterly?) and I glance at them prior to filing them in a binder.

I rebalance the accounts annually in December. At that time I look at them very carefully.

 

[saluki9]

Well, it depends on what you mean by "check"

If you mean research, read prospectuses, etc that would be all the time.

If you mean look at the values, that would be almost never. believe that encourages emotions which have no place in my investment strategy.

 

[Midpack]

Well, it depends on what you mean by "check"

If you mean research, read prospectuses, etc that would be all the time.

If you mean look at the values, that would be almost never. believe that encourages emotions which have no place in my investment strategy.

Guess I should have defined more clearly...

Read prospectuses? I'll confess that I've never read more than 10% of one, and usually less. If I read one through, I am sure I'd pass out...

 

[saluki9]

Guess I should have defined more clearly...

Read prospectuses? I'll confess that I've never read more than 10% of one, and usually less. If I read one through, I am sure I'd pass out...

Well in that case, I guess I would be at around once a year.

 

[audreyh1]

Quicken makes it easy to download prices daily. Instant net worth calculation. I just like having everything up to date. I've been doing it for years and I'm used to market fluctuations.

After a sustained market move up or down I check my spreadsheet for portfolio rebalancing, watching for a trigger. Once a quarter if things are slow, weekly if market volatility is high.

Fidelity sends me emails as soon as any of my funds pay out distributions, so it's easy to keep up with that as well.

I check bank and credit cards once a week, and reconcile accounts once a month.

Audrey

 

[FinanceDude]

Clients daily, quarterly for DW and me...........

 

[Maurice]

I used to do it only once a month, but then I set up my tracking spreadsheet to use the MSN Stock Quote excel addin. Now that I can do it with a click of a button, I do it several times a week.

(I wish I could figure out how to get treasury prices on MSN, the one thing my single-button doesn't do is reprice my TIPS)

 

[FinanceDude]

Guess I should have defined more clearly...

Read prospectuses? I'll confess that I've never read more than 10% of one, and usually less. If I read one through, I am sure I'd pass out...

I am guilty there too.........I have read the prospectuses of every financial instrument I have ever recommended to anyone...........

Even my engineer clients think I'm nuts...........