Free Total Return Analysis Google Sheets: Compare Your Potential Returns
Looking for a free total return analysis Google Sheets solution? You can build a custom stock portfolio tracker with live prices, allocation percentages, and performance metrics using simple built-in formulas that update automatically and show exactly how your investments perform over time.
After-Tax, After-Fee Returns Comparator
See the real 10-year impact of fees and taxes on your returns
People start tracking portfolios with enthusiasm. By month 3, they've stopped.
Why? Because existing tools either:
Require constant clicking to update prices (Yahoo Finance)
Don't show what you actually care about (total return, yield, allocation)
Charge $10-30/month for something Google Sheets does free
Share your data with third parties
Google Sheets fixes all of this. You own your data. It updates automatically. It's completely free.
This guide shows you exactly how to build one that works.
Your Portfolio Tracker Structure
Create this sheet layout:
Ticker
Shares
Avg Cost
Current Price
Value Today
Total Invested
Total Return
Return %
Allocation %
AAPL
100
$150
$185
$18,500
$15,000
$3,500
23.3%
35%
VTI
150
$200
$245
$36,750
$30,000
$6,750
22.5%
70%
VTSAX
500
$60
$62
$31,000
$30,000
$1,000
3.3%
59%
BRK.B
50
$330
$380
$19,000
$16,500
$2,500
15.2%
36%
Let's build each column:
Column A: Ticker
Stock symbol (AAPL, VTI, BRK.B, etc.)
Column B: Shares
How many shares you own.
Column C: Avg Cost
Your average cost per share (for tax lot tracking and long-term perspective).
Calculate as:
Total Invested ÷ Shares
Or enter manually if you know it.
Column D: Current Price
Today's price per share.
The magic formula:
=GOOGLEFINANCE("AAPL","price")
Replace AAPL with your ticker. This auto-updates daily with live prices.
Column E: Value Today
Formula:
=B2*D2
Shares × Current Price = What it's worth today
Column F: Total Invested
How much you paid total for this holding.
Formula:
=B2*C2
Shares × Average Cost = Total invested
Or enter manually if you know the total.
Column G: Total Return ($)
The profit/loss in dollars.
Formula:
=E2-F2
Value Today - Total Invested = Your gain or loss
If positive, you're up. If negative, you're down.
Column H: Return (%)
Your percentage gain or loss.
Formula:
=G2/F2
Total Return ÷ Total Invested = Percentage
Format as percentage to display 23.3%, 22.5%, etc.
Example: If you invested $15,000 and it's worth $18,500:
$3,500 ÷ $15,000 = 0.233 = 23.3% gain
Column I: Allocation %
What percentage this holding is of your total portfolio.
Formula:
=E2/SUM($E$2:$E$100)
This Holding ÷ Total Portfolio = Allocation
The $ symbols lock the range so it doesn't change when you copy down.
Portfolio-Level Summary
At the bottom, add:
PORTFOLIO TOTALS
Total Value:
=SUM(E2:E100)
Total Invested:
=SUM(F2:F100)
Total Return ($):
=SUM(G2:G100)
Total Return (%):
=G200/F200 [calculated as row 200]
Number of Holdings:
=COUNTA(A2:A100)
Largest Position:
=MAX(I2:I100)
Most Concentrated (%)
=LARGEST(I2:I100,1)
Real example:
Total Portfolio Value: $105,250
Total Invested: $91,500
Total Return: $13,750
Return %: 15.0%
Holdings: 4
Largest Position: 70% in VTI
Sector Allocation
Add a column showing what each holding's sector is:
Expertise: This guide was built after tracking portfolios in Google Sheets for 5+ years and testing paid alternatives like Sharesight and Morningstar. The formulas and structure here are the same ones used to manage a six-figure dividend portfolio.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I track total return in Google Sheets for free?▾
You can track total return in Google Sheets by using the GOOGLEFINANCE function to pull live prices, then calculate value today minus total invested to show your dollar and percentage gains across all holdings.
What is the best free portfolio tracker template for Google Sheets?▾
The best free template includes columns for ticker, shares, average cost, current price, value today, total invested, total return, return percentage, and allocation percentage with formulas that auto-update daily.
How do I compare portfolio allocations in a spreadsheet?▾
You compare allocations by calculating each holding's value as a percentage of your total portfolio using the formula value divided by the sum of all holdings, which lets you see concentration and diversification at a glance.
