The Best Stock Tracking App

One of the best ways to build wealth over time is to invest. Keeping track of your portfolio isn’t always easy, though.

If you’re looking for the best stock tracking app, there are a few opportunities to stay on top of the situation. Here are the top stock tracking apps.

How We Came up With This List

We evaluated a number of factors, including types of accounts you can connect to and the information provided. Different apps have features that might work well for various investors, so we chose apps that could meet different needs. Depending on your preferences, you’re likely to find a stock tracking app to meet your needs on this list.

What Is a Stock Tracking App?

A stock tracking app is designed to keep track of your portfolio holdings. Depending on the app, you can connect your investment accounts so that the app can automatically pull information, or it’s possible to create your own portfolio list. In either case, the app is designed to help you see your holdings and track performance.

Some stock tracking apps also include access to other financial information, allowing you to get a big picture view of your total finances. This can be useful if you want an integrated view of your investments with the rest of your finances.

Should You Use a Stock Tracking App?

If you want to be able to see what you have in your portfolio, a stock tracking app can be a great tool. A stock tracking app can help you see what your different holdings are doing, as well as remind you of what you have in your portfolio. For many investors, a stock tracking app can be a useful tool in monitoring net worth, as well as making sure that too many investments don’t end up overlapping.

Qualities of a Great Stock Tracking App

When choosing a stock tracking app, it’s important to pay attention to qualities and features that are most likely to help you manage your portfolio and make the most of your money. Some of the items to consider include:

Real-Time Stock Quotes

Being aware of what’s happening right now can be a big help with a stock tracking app. When you can see whether an asset is rising or falling, it makes it easier to know when it’s time to buy, sell or hold. These stock quotes can help you with the information you need to make better decisions.

Portfolio Analysis

A stock tracking app that analyzes your portfolio and can provide information about fees and other items can be very helpful. In addition to helping you find less expensive investments, a good stock tracking app might also be able to show you where you have overlap in your holdings and how you could diversify more as needed.

Market and Company News and Analysis

Apps offering access to market and company news especially in real time can allow you to identify trends and review the fundamentals. When you know what’s happening and have access to information, you’re more likely to make better choices.

On top of that, you might be able to find in-depth analysis about stocks and funds that can help you review the fundamentals and catch potential red flags or see good value.

Screeners

Some stock tracking apps also include screeners. This can be a good way to look for new ideas and find investments that make sense for you. You can put in different values, including searching certain sectors or looking for low P/E ratios. A good tracking app with a good screener can help you identify investment ideas you might have otherwise missed.

Asset Classes

Some stock tracking apps also offer access to other asset classes. If you’re interested in a full picture of how all your holdings work together, a stock tracking app that connects to all your investment accounts can be useful, since you’ll be able to see other items, including potentially cryptocurrencies, in one place.

1. Empower Best Stock Tracking App

(Personal Capital is now Empower)

Empower is a great choice because it offers a holistic view of your finances--including your investments. On top of seeing your investment assets and how they fit in with the rest of your money choices, Empower also offers a premium investment management service.

You don’t have to pay for management services to get access to some portfolio tools, however. Here are some of the free services included when you use Empower:

401(k) Fee Analyzer

Connect your 401(k) plan to Empower and you’ll get a free fee analysis. You might be surprised at the fees charged by employer-sponsored plans. You can get an idea of how much you’re losing to fees, as well as get helpful hints on where you could move your money to avoid some of the high fees.

Retirement Calculator

Use Empowers Retirement Calculator to figure out whether your current portfolio will support the retirement you want. You can see how much you’re likely to need in retirement and adjust your contributions and investments to meet your long-term needs.

Investment Checkup

With the help of this tool, you can manage your own portfolio. After reviewing your assets, you can get tips on rebalancing and risk tolerance to see what tweaks you can make for a portfolio more likely to help you reach your goals.

2. Morningstar

Morningstar offers in-depth analyses on securities, including comprehensive ratings for stocks and mutual funds. You can use its Portfolio Manager to visualize your online portfolio and see information on all your holdings.

Once you’ve built your portfolio in Portfolio Manager, Portfolio X-ray can give you an in-depth breakdown of your investments.

Morningstars free service offers some of its tools, but Morningstar Premium gives you full access to all of the services it provides, including professional analysis and a stock screener that you can use to find potential investments.

Normally, one year of Morningstar Premium costs $199, but with our special offer for Dough Roller readers, you can subscribe for a discounted rate. Our readers get $30 off a one-year subscription, $70 off a two-year subscription, and $100 off a three-year subscription.

Visit Morningstar or read the full Morningstar Review

3. SigFig Portfolio Tracker

The SigFig Portfolio Tracker tool is free to use and available on Android and iOS. With this stock tracking app, you can see every asset you own after connecting your account to the brokerages that hold your portfolio. You can even connect your retirement accounts.

With the SigFig Portfolio Tracker, you receive the following free tools:

External Analysis

Find the fees you’re paying and get suggestions for moving your money to assets that are more efficient. You can also get information about whether you’re overexposed to a specific industry or stock. This can be helpful, especially when you consider the overlap in many mutual funds and ETFs.

Real-Time Market Tracking

Get news and commentary, as well as real-time price action. You can see exactly what’s going on right at this minute.

Live Support

One feature that sets SigFig apart is the access to live chat and phone support--even with the free version. You can talk to someone to get a little help. Additionally, if you decide you want more involved help, SigFig offers a paid premium robo-advisor option.

Portfolio X-Ray

Morningstars Portfolio X-Ray takes analysis of your holdings to the next level. Not only can you see whether you’ve got too much overlap, but Morningstar will show you exactly how much of each stock a mutual fund is holding, and the dollar amount represented in your own portfolio.

For investors that focus heavily on funding investing and asset allocation, this is a valuable tool that can help you make adjustments as needed. You might be surprised to discover that your portfolio asset allocation needs to be rebalanced, just due to fund overlap.

4. Ticker: Stocks Portfolio Manager

This is the best stock tracking app mainly because of the way it’s possible to track multiple stock portfolios from a single dashboard. It’s possible to divide your portfolios according to your goals (growth vs. retirement) or by sector (technology vs. utilities) and see what’s happening with everything.

Ticker provides you with the ability to see real-time values, analyze your daily profit and loss, and even see time-weighted rate of return. The tool also curates relevant news based on the ticker symbols in your portfolio.

This app takes a little more work to be effective, however. You might need to manually enter some trade information on your positions. You can also create watch lists and alerts to help you decide when to buy or sell.

While this app might not be ideal for more hands-off investors, it’s a great tool for active traders who are interested in building and tracking dynamic portfolios.

5. Yahoo! Finance

If you’re more interested in getting information about ticker symbols and getting access to real-time and relevant news, the Yahoo! Finance app is a great choice. You can use it on Android and iOS, as well as access information online.

Add your stocks and funds to the app to get real-time news, information, and quotes on your assets. You can see historical data and charts, and even get information on futures. Its also possible to track assets beyond stocks, including bonds, commodities, currencies, and international stocks and funds.

Because the app is free, though, you can expect to see quite a few ads. This can be distracting, but the information provided is rich and can help you make better decisions with your portfolio.

6. MoneyPatrol

MoneyPatrol offers a way for you to receive insights about your money including investments from one place. The app features advanced monitoring and tracking that gives you the tools to make better financial decisions.

This app costs $84 per year, billed annually after a 15-day trial. Depending on your situation, it might make sense to pay the cost. Some of the features include:

Track Investment Holdings

If you link your investment accounts, MoneyPatrol allows you to customize your dashboard to see where your money is invested. With this feature, it’s possible to get a picture of your asset allocation and other items so that you can decide where to put your money to work for you next.

Drill Down Capability

With MoneyPatrol, you can drill down into your dashboard to get a detailed look at your finances, including your investments. You can see the big picture and then focus on where you’re going next.

Summaries

See summaries of your activities, based on the timeframe you choose. You can receive summaries weekly, monthly or annually. This can help you see your saving and spending in one place, and then figure out what’s next for your money.

Other Sources of Information

There are plenty of other sources of information if you want access to the best stock tracking app. Some other places to get news, build watch lists and see what’s happening with your portfolio (and stocks in general) include:

• Marketwatch: Get real-time information about indices and investments, as well as news about the market. You can also build watch lists and see historical data for various ticker symbols.
• Sharesight: This portfolio tracker tool allows you to see what’s going on, as well as track your real returns and see the benefit from dividends. However, it comes with a monthly fee ranging from $12 to $25 after your first 10 holdings.
• Mint: While focusing mainly on budgeting, Mint has added the ability to track your investment accounts when you link them. You can see the fees and how they impact your returns. The tools arent as robust as what you get with Empower, but its worth a look.

Read More:

• The Best Way to Track Your Investments Online

FAQs

Is It Safe to Connect Your Account?

Many stock tracking apps use encryption, as well as make efforts to protect your data. In many cases, it’s safe to connect your account to a stock tracking app.

How Should I Use a Stock Tracking App?

In general, how you use a stock tracking app depends on your goals. You can gauge portfolio performance, use the app to help you calculate net worth and also get an idea of your overall portfolio makeup. How you use a stock tracking app to meet your financial goals depends on your strategy and interests.

Can I Trade Stocks with a Tracking App?

In many cases, you can’t actually trade stocks with a tracking app. Instead, you can see your holdings and where you stand, as well as identify inefficiencies, but you can’t actually execute trades from inside a stock tracking app. Some apps, like SigFig and Empower, offer the ability for you to invest while also providing tracking services.

Summary Table

Summary

The best stock tracking app for you is the one that helps you accomplish your goals. There are a number of apps out there that can help you track your portfolio holdings, as well as see how your investments fit into your overall financial picture. Carefully consider your needs and look for a stock tracking app that best helps you execute your investment strategy over time.

Empower Personal Wealth, LLC (“EPW”) compensates Webpals Systems S. C LTD for new leads. Webpals Systems S. C LTD is not an investment client of Personal Capital Advisors Corporation or Empower Advisory Group, LLC