# Advice assesing multiple portforlios across different investment firms



## safebet (Oct 14, 2012)

Since this is my first post, I am not sure if I'm posting this in the correct place. Due to a recent event I am looking after my family's finances. 

Right now I am in the analyses and evaluation stage where I am reviewing multiple portfolios across multiple investment firms, complicated to say the least. Currently, I have a pile of paper financial assets statements, quarterlies and year ends. Since they are not individual stocks accounts but descriptions in broad asset classes, I am having a hard time compiling this info into one type of system so that I can monitor performance using one tool. I initially want to use excel but I am willing to use a specialized software package. My primary objective is to keep track of returns, pre-tax and fees vs. after-tax less fees. Also to compare returns to related benchmarks. 

Any, help would be greatly appreciated. I look forward to using this forum and exchanging ideas in the future.


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## Young&Ambitious (Aug 11, 2010)

Have you thought about looking at historical returns, looking at fund reviews online, etc and then streamlining? This complexity is cost- and time- prohibitive and not necessary. 

And welcome to the forum!


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## Lephturn (Aug 31, 2009)

Don't do all the work yourself. In at least some of those accounts you have an "advisor" from that firm. Don't do all the work of combing through horribly opaque paper statements to figure it out. You are paying those advisors hefty fees in many cases - so lay out a simple spreadsheet and have the company fill it out! You are paying them well - have them do some work for you at least.

This is not the case with online discount brokerages - in that case you'll need to work it out yourself. In those cases there is almost always some way to export your activity to a file suitable for opening in a spreadsheet. It will take some work to sort it out from there, but a couple of hours tops and you should have something that you can compare.


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