The Only Portfolio Tools Worth Your Time
Some are free. Some are paid. All of them serve a purpose if you're serious about managing risk and returns. (New option trade inside)
I keep getting asked about portfolio tools—what I use, what’s worth paying for, what’s just noise.
Here’s the truth: if you're running a retail portfolio, you don't need much more than your brokerage platform and a spreadsheet. Seriously. That combo alone can get you 90% of the way there.
But if you're the kind of person who wants to dig deeper—or you're scaling your process like a pro—there are some great tools out there. Some are free, some are paid. Some are used by full-time fund managers, others are perfect for DIY allocators.
If you're serious about managing money—whether you're running your own book, trading futures, or just allocating across ETFs—you need tools that help you:
Track your P&L accurately
Monitor risk and exposure
Journal trades and decisions
Backtest strategies
Stay in sync with macro trends
So here’s a curated list of portfolio management tools I’ve either used or believe are worth exploring:
🔧 1. Portfolio Visualizer
A favorite for long-term investors and ETF allocators. Use it to:
Backtest asset allocations
Run Monte Carlo simulations (a computational technique that uses random sampling to model the probability of different outcomes in a process that involves uncertainty)
Analyze factor exposures
It’s not flashy, but it’s powerful. If you’re running a multi-asset portfolio and want to test return paths or Sharpe ratios—this is where to start.
🧮 2. Koyfin
Think of this as Bloomberg Lite. Clean visuals, customizable dashboards, and great data coverage. It offers:
Earnings estimates
Fundamental trends
ETF & macro dashboards
Watchlists by sector or theme
Koyfin is a solid choice for idea generation and keeping up with sector rotation.
📊 3. TradingView
The charting platform most traders already know. But it goes deeper:
Strategy testing with Pine Script
Screener tools for stocks, forex, crypto
Alerts, news, and social sentiment overlays
You can track performance here manually, but it’s best used for execution planning and live setup monitoring.
📘 4. Edgewonk
This is a trader's journal on steroids. You can track:
Entry/exit logic
Emotional state and discipline
R-multiples and trade expectancy
Strategy-specific metrics
Great for tightening up your process and spotting behavioral patterns.
🧠 5. Toggl Plan (for workflow)
Not a trading tool—but a great workflow manager if you:
Juggle content, research, and trading
Work in teams
Need weekly visibility into deliverables
Perfect for PMs building research products alongside portfolio work.
📈 6. Stratosphere.io
For fundamentals-focused investors who want cleaner data, Stratosphere delivers:
Visual financials and KPI breakdowns
Revenue segments by geography or product
Easy-to-read metrics without digging through filings
Ideal for equity analysts or retail investors tired of messy income statements.
🔁 7. Composer
A no-code platform to automate rule-based portfolios. Think:
“If SPY > 200DMA, buy QQQ”
“If VIX spikes, rotate to defensive ETFs”
You can build, backtest, and execute strategies all in one place. Great for macro allocators and systematic thinkers.
📤 8. Kubera
A modern net worth tracker built for people with complex portfolios. Kubera lets you:
Link bank and brokerage accounts
Track crypto, real estate, and private equity
Monitor liabilities
Great if you’re managing wealth across different asset classes.
🧾 9. Google Sheets + Tiller Money
For the spreadsheet-savvy, this is the most customizable option. Tiller pulls in your real data so you can:
Track P&L
Build custom dashboards
Visualize allocation drift and risk exposure
If you want full control of your data and don’t mind doing some of the work yourself, this is the best bang for your buck.
📑 10. YCharts
More institutional-level, but worth it for:
Fundamental comparisons
Economic data overlays
Model portfolio tracking
Great if you run multiple sleeves and want real-time macro context.
🧰 11. TrendSpider
If you’re systematic or quantitative, this is next-level TA:
Large univers of stocks, futures, crypto and forex
Backtesting on technical setups
Multi-factor alerts and conditions
Perfect for those who want to remove subjectivity from their charts.
🧪 12. PortfolioLab.io
Created by the quant community for serious users. It does:
Portfolio optimization
Vol targeting
Backtesting & risk overlays
Advanced users only. But if you love factor analysis and efficient frontier-type modeling, this is your spot.
🌐 13. Morningstar Direct
Institutional level. Expensive. But used by most professional asset managers. Deep fund analysis, attribution, and model portfolio tools.
If you manage capital professionally, it’s worth considering.
🔄 14. QuantsApp (Options focused)
Options traders will love this:
Option chain analysis
Open interest tracking
Multi-leg strategy builder
Pairs well with tools like ThinkorSwim or Tastyworks if you need extra edge.
🧭 Final Thoughts
There’s no single “best” tool. It depends on how you manage risk, what markets you trade, and whether you’re discretionary or systematic.
Here’s my simple framework:
Use TradingView + Koyfin for visual market scanning
Use Edgewonk + Google Sheets for trade journaling and performance tracking
Use Portfolio Visualizer, Real Test, Trendspider or Composer for backtests and rebalancing
Use Kubera if you’re tracking your full net worth
The point isn’t to collect tools. It’s to build a repeatable process—and these tools should serve that.