How I Built a Real-Time Investment Portfolio Tracker in Google Sheets

This kind of build sits closer to custom automation and plugin-style development, bespoke WordPress and technical builds and the kind of structured ongoing support that helps tools stay useful over time.

What this portfolio tracker was built to do

The goal was to create an automated Google Sheets tracker that could give a clear, up-to-date view of a live portfolio without relying on manual price checks or messy spreadsheet maintenance.

• Track real-time stock prices: Using GOOGLEFINANCE() for listed assets.
• Track real-time crypto prices: Using a custom Google Apps Script connected to the CoinMarketCap API.
• Record past trades clearly: Keeping transactions organised and easier to review.
• Calculate holding days automatically: So each position includes useful time-based context.
• Track profits and unrealised gains: Giving a clearer view of portfolio performance.

Core features

1. Automatic stock and crypto price updates

The tracker combines native Google Sheets functionality with custom scripting so both stocks and crypto can be updated in one place.

• Stocks: GOOGLEFINANCE() fetches live market prices.
• Crypto: A custom Google Apps Script pulls prices through the CoinMarketCap API.
• Unified tracking: Different asset classes can be monitored in the same spreadsheet workflow.

2. Holding days calculation

The tracker automatically calculates how long each investment has been held, making it easier to review position age and performance over time.

3. New row auto-insert for trades

Whenever a new trade is logged, Google Apps Script can:

• Insert a new row in the correct position
• Apply formulas automatically
• Preserve dropdowns and formatting
• Keep the sheet structured without repetitive manual setup

4. Sorting by date

Transactions are kept in the right order automatically, making the historical record cleaner and much easier to review.

That kind of structured automation is a good example of where small custom systems create more value than manual admin. It is the same principle behind many custom workflow tools and internal process improvements.

Why this kind of tracker is useful

Once portfolio data is centralised and updated automatically, you get a much clearer bird’s-eye view of current holdings, trade history and performance without needing to maintain multiple disconnected records.

• Better visibility into live positions
• Cleaner trade history and reporting
• Less manual spreadsheet maintenance
• Faster decision-making through current data

Access options

If you want behind-the-scenes access to the live portfolio and trade history, the offer can be structured around different access tiers depending on how long you want access.

What this shows in practice

This project is a good example of how lightweight automation can remove repetitive work and turn a basic spreadsheet into a much more useful operational tool. The same thinking often applies to business systems where repetitive tasks, calculations or content updates can be streamlined through custom logic rather than handled manually.