In my house the holiday season is always a whirlwind of activity. If the family gatherings, parties, and general festive pandemonium aren’t enough, it’s even more busy in the finance space. After all, the closing of one year and opening of the next means one big thing is on the horizon.
It’s time for new portfolio data!
Because revising every tool on the site is a significant effort, I decided this year to take advantage of the regularly scheduled update to roll out not just one new year of data, but three notable site changes.
So before you settle back into old routines, check back under the tree for a few last-minute Portfolio Charts gifts — new data, new Toolkit options, and a cool new member perk.
New Year-End Data
The first and most important update is new returns data. Nearly every chart has been updated with numbers through the end of 2024. And beyond the simple extra year of returns, there are a few more less obvious things I’d like to point out.
- Behind the scenes, I also spent some time re-prioritizing a few data sources to make the index methodologies a bit more consistent over time. It mostly just affects US stocks and I wouldn’t expect to see any major changes, but just know that I do my best to present the best data possible.
- In the process of updating the data, I also double-checked old entries and identified a few years in an asset or two where the data needed to be corrected. Again, nothing major. But between the corrections and new sources, I’ve noticed that small cap blend may now look a little better than before in certain metrics. So if that interests you then you might want to revisit your old assumptions.
- I made a few corrections to suggested ETFs in the tools to best track available options in each country.
- The one page I did not update with new data is the Global Withdrawal Rates chart. It’s a bit of an outlier, as it’s the only one that requires extensive external calculations to populate. For now, I’ve settled on treating it as a standalone point-in-time searchable reference for its accompanying research. That said, I’m also open to updating it in the future on its own refresh schedule.
As is the normal pattern with data in the new year, please consider the numbers as only preliminary. Some government sources are notoriously slow to update, and as a result a few things like inflation are calculated through November and not December. I’ll revisit everything in about a month to finalize the numbers, but that’s no reason to wait around because we should already be in the right ballpark.
New Toolkit Options
I was honestly pretty blown away by interest in the Toolkit during the Black Friday sale, which made me reevaluate how I’ve been handling the spreadsheet download options. Clearly there’s a market need for customizable charting tools! So I’ve decided to branch out.
The biggest change is that I’m expanding the Toolkit concept beyond a single spreadsheet to a whole family of downloadable products for DIY investing analysts. The Toolkit as you knew it is still there, but is now called the My Portfolio toolkit to reflect its purpose of replicating the My Portfolio page with your own data. And beyond that one toolkit option, there are now versions for nearly every individual chart as well.
That may sound familiar, as it’s how I originally rolled out the chart downloads. But the fun news is that there are now also toolkits for the Portfolio Matrix, Risk And Return, and Rank Over Time charts! And I also have ideas for several new specialty data management tools in the future, so there’s plenty of room to grow.
As far as pricing goes, I wanted to offer more ability to customize your own personal Toolkit collection. The basic idea is that you can get any one chart for just $8 or the entire My Portfolio toolkit (currently with 15 charts not counting the free sample) for $80. So if you only want three specific charts, you can save a lot of money by getting only what you need. And if you want the full set, you can also save a ton by buying in bulk. Win-win.
Long story short, if you’ve ever wanted to visualize your own data but have struggled justifying the cost, check out the new spreadsheet options. There’s a combination to work for any budget and need.
New Member Perk
One last change revolves around two old member benefits that have now been merged into one more flexible perk.
I previously offered a $5 member discount on certain products in the Patrons shop, but I always wanted a way to expand that without allowing excessive discount use to make it unsustainable. I also tinkered recently with a Chart of the Month feature, but always knew it would be more fun if people could choose their own favorite rather than just wait around for whatever is offered each month.
As luck would have it, the combination of the new individual spreadsheet options and some new promotion possibilities on my end opened up a cool new way to do both — member store credit.
Moving forward, every member will receive $5 in Portfolio Charts store credit every month equal to the standard membership fee. You can use it on any product you want, including your favorite chart, shirt, or anything else that catches your eye. But the credit can only be used once per month, and unused credits do not carry over. So don’t let it sit! Put your monthly membership subscription to good use.
There are two use cases that I think will interest most people:
- If you’re in no hurry, the new credit system allows members to collect a new Toolkit chart every month at a significant discount from the normal price. And instead of being locked into a random one you may not like, you can choose your favorites each month to front load your own collection with what you find most useful.
- If you’re not a member and are interested in buying a spreadsheet, consider becoming a member first to also enjoy a month of membership at the same price. You can easily cancel at any time, so it’s a no-downside way to extend the value of your purchase.
Basically, the new member store credit system is my way to help members get the most out of their money. Not only with their portfolios, but also with their much-appreciated Portfolio Charts support.
Let’s Make 2025 Great
Summing it all up, there’s new data for everyone, new chart options for DIY types, and a new perk for members. Put it all together, and that’s a pretty nice start for what I hope will be a great year not only for Portfolio Charts but also for your own personal financial education.
If you’re thankful for the work that goes into this and would like to support the cause, please take a moment to visit the Patrons page to explore the many ways to give back. I’m not the type to beat you down with sales pitches, but every membership, purchase, and donation really does make a difference. Add up the generosity of many individual investors, and this can also be a great year for Portfolio Charts. In a world full of information targeted primarily at extracting your money, it takes a team effort to build something designed to help you keep and manage it properly. Thank you for being part of that team!
With that small pitch aside, the best thing you can do right now is to just dive in to the new portfolio data and see where it leads. No matter which direction you go, there are lots of avenues to explore. And since the final destination is hopefully an asset allocation you’ll feel great about for years to come, there’s no better way to kick off 2025 than to start that journey today.
Happy New Year!
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