Tracking your investment performance is key to making informed decisions and understanding whether you’re on track to meet your financial goals.
It’s not about checking your portfolio every day, but rather understanding how your money evolves over time and what factors might be influencing it.
Where can I see my performance in Vest?
In Vest, you can view your overall account performance right on the home screen. There you’ll see how much your portfolio is worth today and how it has changed over different time periods: 1 week, 1 month, 1 year, or since you started investing.
If you tap on a specific stock, you’ll also see its individual performance—for example, how much Apple has increased or decreased since your purchase, and what percentage it represents within your total portfolio.
What does “performance” mean?
Performance is the difference between your investment’s current value and the value at which you bought it.
For example, if you invested $1,000 and now have $1,200, your performance is 20%. If it drops to $900, the performance is -10%.
What can affect your performance?
Market changes: Stock prices can go up or down due to many reasons—company earnings, economic trends, political decisions, and more.
Exchange rate: Since you’re investing in USD, if you convert your results into another currency, exchange rates can make your gains or losses look different.
Dividends: If a company pays dividends, that amount is added to your total performance—even if it doesn’t show up in the stock price directly.
How often should I check my performance?
You don’t need to do it daily. In fact, checking too often might cause anxiety or impulsive decisions. A good habit is to review your performance monthly or quarterly, depending on your goals.
Some tips to keep in mind:
Focus on the big picture, not just short-term moves.
Compare your performance across different time periods.
Check if your portfolio is still aligned with your goals and risk tolerance.
In summary:
Tracking your performance in Vest helps you learn, understand, and make better decisions. The key is to do it with perspective, patience, and a clear strategy.