Using Google Docs Spreadsheets to Monitor your Portfolio
Google Docs Spreadsheets is a free cloud-based app that creates spreadsheets which can be shared with other people. All that is required to use Google Sheets is a web browser on any operating system. If you are familiar with Microsoft Excel or Apple Numbers, you will be comfortable with Google Docs Spreadsheets.
If you have not used a Google Docs spreadsheet before, take a look at the Google help pages for spreadsheets.  You also can find  helpful tutorials and videos at GCFLearnFree.org.
Unlike Microsoft Excel or Apple Numbers, Google Docs Spreadsheets offers a wide array of financial functions such as current prices, fundamental stock data, and mutual fund performance. The financial functions can be embedded in a Google Docs Spreadsheet to provide nearly real time updates. For more information see the Google docs finance help page.
Here are some examples of Google Docs Spreadsheets that you can use to track portfolios, create stock watch lists, and compare mutual funds. Â Simply follow the links and download the spreadsheets in your own Google account. Feel free to copy these spreadsheets to your Google Docs account and modify them to meet your investing needs.
Ex. 1 - Google Financial Functions
These are the basic Google financial functions. They include market data for stocks and ETFs. They also include performance data for mutual funds. You can build powerful spreadsheets to monitor your stocks, mutual funds, or portfolios from any web browser.
You can download a copy of this spreadsheet by clicking here.
Ex. 2 - Watchlist
This spreadsheet uses Google financial functions to create a security watch list. Note that in each row, the only data that has to be entered manually is the ticker symbol for the security. All of the columns populate automatically.
This watch list shows the 52 week high and low price for each security.  See columns G and H. It also calculates how close the current price is to the 52 week high. See column I. This other market data is self explanatory.
You can download a copy of this spreadsheet by clicking here.
Ex. 3 - Watch List + Holdings
This spreadsheet uses Google financial functions to create a combined stock watch list and a portfolio tracker.
Columns H and I of this spreadsheet show how to calculate the net gain or loss between two dates. Column P shows how to extract dividend yield from the Google Finance website. Â Column P shows how to handle errors by using the iferror() function.
You can download a copy of this spreadsheet by clicking here.
Ex. 4 - Track Portfolio
This spreadsheet uses Google financial functions to track a portfolio. It includes some key metrics including the relative weights of each holding in the portfolio. This portfolio also shows how to get closing prices for specific dates to compute return.
You can download a copy of this spreadsheet by clicking here.
Ex. 5 - Compare Mutual Funds
This spreadsheet uses Google financial functions to compare mutual funds. Google financial functions show returns for various periods of time, as well as expense ratios and dividend yield.
The spreadsheet shows the returns for various index funds by asset class. Â It also uses the arrayformula function and conditional formatting to show which fund in each asset class has the highest return.
You can download a copy of this spreadsheet by clicking here.