Why Excel is appealing
A spreadsheet is familiar, flexible and easy to customise. For a small portfolio, that can be more than enough. You control the layout, formulas and categories.
Where spreadsheets become harder to maintain
As the number of transactions grows, spreadsheets can accumulate manual updates, copied formulas and separate tabs for each asset type. The problem is not that Excel is incapable; it is that maintaining a personal financial system becomes a recurring task.
What a dedicated tracker can add
A dedicated tracker can provide purpose-built screens for investments, returns, transactions, liabilities and related financial information. The benefit is less about replacing spreadsheets and more about reducing the amount of work needed to keep the picture current.
A practical rule of thumb
If your spreadsheet is simple and you enjoy maintaining it, keep using it. If you spend more time maintaining the tracker than reviewing your finances, it may be time to try a dedicated system.
Put it into practice with FolioTrack
Once you know what you want to measure, the next step is keeping the information organised so you can review it again later.