Investment Tracking

Investment Accounts vs Regular Accounts

Investment accounts in HOB are special - they work differently from your checking or savings accounts.

What makes investment accounts different:

• Track individual holdings: See each stock, fund, or crypto you own
• Automatic price updates: Current values update based on live market prices
• Current market values: See what your investments are worth right now
• Separate from budget: Investment transactions don't affect your monthly budget

Types of investment accounts you can track:

• 401(k) and 403(b) retirement accounts
• Traditional and Roth IRAs
• Brokerage accounts (Vanguard, Fidelity, Robinhood, etc.)
• HSA investment accounts
• 529 college savings plans
• Cryptocurrency portfolios

Adding an Investment Account

Let's set up your first investment account - we'll use a Roth IRA as an example.

To add an investment account:

1. Click Investments in the navigation
2. Click Add Account
3. Enter the account name (e.g., "Vanguard Roth IRA")
4. Select the account type: Investment
5. Enter the cash balance only (uninvested cash in the account)
6. Optionally add notes (account number, institution, etc.)
7. Click Create Account

Adding Holdings (Stocks, Funds, Crypto)

Now let's add the individual investments inside your account.

To add a holding:

1. Click on your investment account
2. Click Add Holding
3. Enter the ticker symbol (e.g., VTI, AAPL, VTSAX)
4. Enter the number of shares you own
5. Click Add Holding

Recording Investment Transactions

Track contributions, purchases, sales, and withdrawals in your investment accounts.

Viewing Current Values

HOB automatically updates your investment values throughout the day based on current market prices.

What you can see:

• Current value: What your holdings are worth right now (updates automatically)
• Number of shares: How many shares/units you own
• Current price: Latest market price per share
• Total portfolio value: All investment accounts combined

Simple 401(k) Tracking

Don't want to track every individual fund in your 401(k)? You can keep it simple.

The simple approach:

1. Create an investment account called "401(k) - Employer"
2. Don't add individual holdings - just track the total value
3. When you contribute, add a "Contribution" transaction
4. Once a quarter, update the total account value manually

This gives you the big picture (net worth, total invested) without the complexity of tracking every fund allocation.

Detailed Portfolio Tracking

For brokerage accounts or IRAs where you actively invest, track every holding for maximum insight.

The detailed approach:

1. Add all your individual stocks, ETFs, and funds as holdings
2. Record every buy and sell transaction
3. Let HOB automatically update current values
4. Track your total portfolio value in real-time

This is perfect for:

• Self-directed brokerage accounts
• Roth IRAs where you choose investments
• Cryptocurrency portfolios
• Actively managed portfolios

Dividends and Distributions

When your investments pay dividends or make distributions, record them as income to your investment account.

To record a dividend:

1. Add an investment transaction
2. Select type: Dividend
3. Select the holding that paid the dividend
4. Enter the amount received
5. Note whether it was reinvested or paid as cash

Net Worth Tracking

Your investment accounts are a major part of your net worth. HOB calculates this automatically.

Net Worth Formula:

As your investments grow and you pay down debt, your net worth increases. Track it over time to see your financial progress!

Best Practices

Update regularly but not obsessively:

Monthly updates are fine for most people. Daily checking leads to anxiety about market fluctuations. You're investing for years, not days.

Track contributions separately:

Keep a category for "Retirement Contributions" in your budget. This shows how much you're actively investing each month.

Don't panic over short-term losses:

Your investments will go down sometimes. That's normal. Focus on long-term trends, not daily fluctuations.

Verify ticker symbols:

Double-check that you entered the right ticker. "VTSAX" (Vanguard Total Stock Market) is different from "VTI" (the ETF version). Wrong ticker = wrong price data.

Quick Tips

• 📈 Automatic price updates: Stock and crypto prices update automatically throughout the day
• 🪙 Crypto tracking: Use BTC-USD, ETH-USD format for cryptocurrency
• 📊 Simple or detailed: Choose the tracking level that works for you
• 💰 Track net worth: Investments + cash - debt = financial progress
• 🔄 Monthly updates: Don't obsess over daily changes - check monthly
• ✅ Verify tickers: Wrong ticker = wrong data (VTSAX ≠ VTI)
• 💵 Cash balance separate: Enter uninvested cash when creating the account, holdings separately

Next Steps

Build your complete financial picture:

• Adding Your Accounts - Set up all your financial accounts
• Using Reports - See your net worth trends over time
• Budget Basics - Budget for monthly investment contributions