Poll:How often do you check your financial holdings?

[Katsmeow]

I log in to Vanguard at least every weekday and usually once on the weekend. This is not so much to check how the investments are doing but simply a safety check to make sure it is still there and there have been no untoward events. I figure if I do that I will catch anything in a timely way. I actually log in to my 401k a bit less often than that but usually several times a week.

 

[aaronc879]

I keep track of my investable net worth quarterly. Rarely do I look at investment accounts more frequently than that. I do however check the overall stock market on a daily basis

 

[CaliKid]

I look much more often when the market is up. It's not as much fun when the market is down.

 

[FreeBear]

Monthly rollup of total liquid investment and cash, as well as download and archive critical brokerage statements. Used to check S&P 500 a few times a week as a proxy for my stock index fund holdings, but learned to largely stop this. It wasn't helping me chill.


We sell investments every 6-12 months to raise cash for living and rebalance at the same time. Otherwise, we just let it ride!

 

[Koogie]

Probably almost daily on weekdays since I cooked up my own tracking spreadsheet a few years ago. I still work 2 - 3 days a week so I keep it open on one of my monitors.

I was worried that it would lead to rash decisions and compulsive behaviour. In fact, I think it has been the opposite. I find it reassuring and interesting to watch it change in real time. It reinforces the notion that I have no control over the market and should organize my investing in a fashion that lets me live comfortably with that irrefutable fact.

 

[Lsbcal]

When I was a teen I followed the SF Giants and got mildly depressed when they lost. I don't like loosing so that tends to set my investment strategy which is to be a mild stock market timer. Very mild with only maybe a major move in AA every 5 years backtested ... hasn't triggered since I set it up in 2009 so it's indistinguishable from buy-hold at the present.

I check the markets daily to see which positions are winning or loosing altitude.

In bonds I just bought lots of TIPS just recently so very little to follow and worry about regarding rate risks until they mature.

Like others here I check bank Visa cards and checking regularly but not daily.

 

[ERD50]

I probably check less often than RobbieB (monthly, he says).

Since my FA (me) has me in broad based index funds, just seeing where the market is tells me pretty much everything I need to know, nothing to check really. I did look recently to figure my sales for LTGC 0% tax, but that's done now. Back to napping.

-ERD50

 

[W2R]

I am a buy-and-hold mutual fund investor. I keep track of six mutual funds (VFWAX, VBTLX, VTSAX, VWIAX, VWELX, and the TSP "G Fund") and my investments in these funds. I do this usually every day or every other day, and record it all in my spreadsheet.

I don't do this with even the slightest intention of buying or selling; I just like following them for some reason. I'm a numbers person and I guess that doing this just has some sort of weird and geeky appeal to me.

I also follow local real estate transactions, even though I plan to stay in this house until they take me out feet first (hopefully many years from now).

Not only that, but I keep track of my spending to the penny and check my bank accounts every day. I check my credit card online at least once a week.

I like doing all of these things for the same reason: to me, this is FUN.

 

[Lawrencewendall]

I am still in the accumulation stage so I check my portfolio on probably an hourly basis. I have it in a tab that I refresh to see what it's doing, not what the market is doing.

 

[audreyh1]

Yeah, Capital One and Chase do but the other's don't. On the other hand, I have not had a negative notification since those two banks started this policy... knock on wood.

I did. From my Fidelity Elan VISA. Was notified the instant someone bought airlines tickets from PanamaAir. So called into fraud department immediately.

 

[Bamaman]

I really try not to obsess on my portfolio. Look at it maybe quarterly.
But I find being a retiree with a great FICO score and moderate financial means brings an incredible amount of paperwork in the mail to read. It's almost like a real job.
You never know when something's important if you don't pay attention to what's said.
I shred, shred, shred and still fill up kitchen trash cans full of papers very often.

 

[Walt34]

I usually look at them weekly, but sometimes every other week.

 

[Lsbcal]

I really try not to obsess on my portfolio. Look at it maybe quarterly.
But I find being a retiree with a great FICO score and moderate financial means brings an incredible amount of paperwork in the mail to read. It's almost like a real job.
You never know when something's important if you don't pay attention to what's said.
I shred, shred, shred and still fill up kitchen trash cans full of papers very often.

Most of my financial stuff comes electronically. I keep my computer up to date and feel this is quite secure. Most of the time I am logging into these sites using Lastpass. The mailbox at the street is a weak point in my opinion even though our neighborhood is quite secure. Once I saw a bunch of mail dropped in a car bay across the street in the early AM. Told the post office about it.

 

[Oz investor]

at least daily , for me

but i am racing against the devil ( clock )

AND it is one of the few activities the medicos have not expressly forbidden me from ( but i doubt they realize how much time i spend considering investment strategies , either )

certainly NOT ideal for everyone but the alternative is falling asleep in front of daytime TV , ( so which is the least healthy )

 

[traineeinvestor]

Monthly: update balance sheet (net worth) excluding real estate values which I only update annually + download on-line bank statements + enter income into spread sheet + file any paper statements which need to be kept

Daily: enter expenses into spread sheet + monitor financial markets/read company reports

Not often enough: shred mouldy pieces of paper that I should have disposed of much sooner

 

[Ready]

I log into Personal Capital once a day to review all transactions, but in doing so I’m also noticing my overall net worth and the daily change resulting from stock market activity.

 

[deserat]

Interesting all the different tools that the board members use: Quicken, Moneydance (me, too!), Personal Capital, Credit Card 'alarms', excel, Mint, 3-hole binders (hehe)....

I download my checking and credit card account information at least monthly into Moneydance and then use that to track my spending in the different categories (no budget-just eyeball and look at categories and see where things have changed; what I have control over and what I don't). I look at VG and TSP about once a month or so as well.

I don't like to sweat over this stuff too much as I've worked over the years to manage my consumption and make sure it is below what I'm earning. I do like tracking things, but quite as compulsively as some here.

I do own my own consulting business and have my own excel cash flow sheet for that and custom Word invoices/etc. That I use for Schedule C of my taxes and it is done diligently each time something major happens (expense or invoice payment received). Theoretically I could end the consulting from my financial standpoint, however, I like what I do and the clients are nice and interesting.....it keeps my brain hopping

 

[audreyh1]

Most of my financial stuff comes electronically. I keep my computer up to date and feel this is quite secure. Most of the time I am logging into these sites using Lastpass. The mailbox at the street is a weak point in my opinion even though our neighborhood is quite secure. Once I saw a bunch of mail dropped in a car bay across the street in the early AM. Told the post office about it.

Same here. All electronic if possible. I was so relieved when I was able to get tax forms electronically instead of through the mail. Not all, but at least the brokerage statements and several of the banks.

I shred, but it’s mostly credit card receipts and some old tax return copies.

 

[Katsmeow]

It is interesting to me. So many seem to think that if you are checking frequently then you must be very interested in the daily investment returns. I am not at all. I am a buy and hold investor except when rebalancing.

But I can't imagine not logging in frequently just to see that things are still OK.

 

[ER Eddie]

Once every couple months, on average. Sometimes monthly, sometimes I'll go a few months without checking.

 

[youbet]

I don’t worry about my investments levels so much,

I don't fret or check the aggregate value of my portfolio too much since it's primarily in broad based index funds which I do little with except rebalance periodically. But, I do allow myself up to 5% of my portfolio to "play" with making various bets that I'm "inspired" to make from time to time. It's kind of a hobby. Over the past couple of decades that I've been doing it, success at beating my buy-and-hold index funds has been spotty at best. But I get a kick out of it and check results daily and actively trade dozens of times a year.

but I tend to keep a careful eye on credit cards, checking and savings accounts, and any transfers and other transactions in my investment accounts, etc. This is keeping an eye out for fraud or errors. Statements are reconciled monthly and I have email alerts set up to notify me of any transaction, etc.

+1

Unless I'm off someplace remote and really out of touch, I check this stuff daily.

 

[gayl]

Daily but only trade weekly

 

[Scuba]

I do a balance sheet update every quarter, and look at our spending vs what we expected a few times per year. I look at checking at least 3 times/month to make sure all is as expected and if the balance is getting low, I set up a transfer in from our taxable investment account.

I tend to at least skim credit card bills as they come in to make sure nothing looks unusual.

 

[DrRoy]

I do a portfolio review monthly. I used to check the market daily after the close, but I recently stopped doing that.

 

[Kwirk]

I'm a bit paranoid about online security so I use Moneydance daily to download all accounts except a Capital One credit card (that I've stopped using because it doesn't play well with Moneydance). I also sign up for just about every available email and text alert.