Keeping track of investments.

To track the performance of my stock investments I need to know:

• The price I paid for the share
  
• The amount I paid in brokerage fees
  
• The date when I bought the share
  
• The amount of dividends I received
  
• The date when I was paid the dividends

I've also got a spreadsheet to capture all of the above information for easy reference as well as to track the cash inflows and outflows. I also note down the following in my PDA Calendar function:

• The company's financial year
  
• The release dates of their quarterly and annual reports
  
• The forecasted dividend payment dates
  

I prefer to keep the money earned from dividend payments separated from my daily expenditure. The Changes in Share Price (i.e. Capital Gains), Dividend Payments and Transactions Costs are all taken into consideration when I review the stock's overall performance. I use a stock's annual return as a measure of the satisfaction gained from holding the stock.

Next time I'll blog about the spreadsheet functions you can create to keep track of all this data in a coherent manner. Very useful if you need to make a snap decision as to which stock to liquidate in the event of a real need for immediate cash or to pursue new investment opportunities.

Tags: Stock investment administration, keeping track of stock investments