Keeping track of interest rates on multiple accounts

DiamondLil

Excel for me too - and @ChilliBob I keep a copy just in case.

ForumUser7

ChilliBob said:

To all those using an Excel spreadsheet, like myself, do you implement any kind of version control, archiving etc?

So often a spreadsheet can grow organically and you spot an error, and oh, of you could go back  three iterations ago it can be useful. 

I'm the corporate world this was always easy with say shadow copies, or some other fancy system.. Home user wise I'm less sure besides saving a copy when you make significant changes.

Spreadsheets are also helpful for the conditional formatting, validation etc that you can have to cross check etc

I use numbers on my Mac, and then I have a 'Time Machine' backup for my whole computer, including this file of course - 'Time Machine makes hourly backups for the past 24 hours, daily backups for the past month and weekly backups for all previous months. The oldest backups will be deleted when your backup disk is full' ~ Apple. This is really helpful for archiving and version control. There is probably similar software/hardware available for those who use windows, but I have no experience with any other backup software

Stubod

ChilliBob said:

To all those using an Excel spreadsheet, like myself, do you implement any kind of version control, archiving etc?

So often a spreadsheet can grow organically and you spot an error, and oh, of you could go back  three iterations ago it can be useful. 

I'm the corporate world this was always easy with say shadow copies, or some other fancy system.. Home user wise I'm less sure besides saving a copy when you make significant changes.

Spreadsheets are also helpful for the conditional formatting, validation etc that you can have to cross check etc

Yes, every so often I just save the current spreadsheet and include the "date saved" at the end of the file name, (eg file name "savings - 2023 03 10" so that they appear in cronological order), I then save them in a seperate folder named "archive". I then also back these folders up onto a USB hard drive.

Goldenyears

Another vote for Excel and "date saved" on the document.  I print if something significant happens and store paper back for about 12 years. My tables are separated into taxable and non-taxable accounts.  I have five worksheets in the file. Current savings position, projected 6 months, income tax  , premium bond winnings, premium bond numbers/stats etc. The file exists only on a separate encrypted USB stick and never on desktop/laptop/cloud.

dealyboy

... I've always hated Excel ... paper notepad for me. Only problem is I can't read my own terrible handwriting.

  

bertsilver

VKE said:

I keep track using excel document I've put together it includes:
Provider
Interest rate %
£ value in the account 
Account details: sort code & account number 
£ of projected Interest 
Linked bank name
Date account opened/closed/switch info
Then each month I copy, amend, update info 
I also password protect the document

Do you use a separate worksheet for each account, I've tried to put all mine on 1 sheet so I can see them all but its to cluttered.

VKE

bertsilver said:

VKE said:

I keep track using excel document I've put together it includes:
Provider
Interest rate %
£ value in the account 
Account details: sort code & account number 
£ of projected Interest 
Linked bank name
Date account opened/closed/switch info
Then each month I copy, amend, update info 
I also password protect the document

Do you use a separate worksheet for each account, I've tried to put all mine on 1 sheet so I can see them all but its to cluttered.

I have all our accounts on 1 excel spreadsheet; going left to right the document is split into three: partner, myself, joint and then under each of the 3 main headers I track for each the things I listed in my original post. When it comes to printing I print in landscape rather than portrait and print the document at about 80/85% - yes we both need our glasses on to read but that's more down to eyesight issues but it all prints on x2 pages due to the number of accounts we have and I use font size 10/11.

What you can do with excel is hide/unhide info which some may find useful.
Vke

VKE

VKE said:

bertsilver said:

VKE said:

I keep track using excel document I've put together it includes:
Provider
Interest rate %
£ value in the account 
Account details: sort code & account number 
£ of projected Interest 
Linked bank name
Date account opened/closed/switch info
Then each month I copy, amend, update info 
I also password protect the document

Do you use a separate worksheet for each account, I've tried to put all mine on 1 sheet so I can see them all but its to cluttered.

I have all our accounts on 1 excel spreadsheet; going left to right the document is split into three: partner, myself, joint and then under each of the 3 main headers I track for each the things I listed in my original post. When it comes to printing I print in landscape rather than portrait and print the document at about 80/85% - yes we both need our glasses on to read but that's more down to eyesight issues but it all prints on x2 pages due to the number of accounts we have and I use font size 10/11.

What you can do with excel is hide/unhide info which some may find useful.
Vke

I forgot to say:
1: When I do my monthly update I always go to headers and date the document 
2: My main financial excel is password protected 
3:. Each month is on a separate tab-sheet so everything is all together month by month
Vke

pecunianonolet

Excel here as well. Each bank/building society gets it's own savings account tab. Small table at the top with key info such as account number, sort code, name of account, date opened, date first funded, interest payment intervall (monthly/annully), any restrictions e.g. number of withdrawals, current interest rate, any other comments. Next to it a small table so I can track interest changes. Below that I just track the interest payments on a monthly basis with payment date, amount and the total per financial year. 

All the totals from all savings account go into a central table so I have an overview of total by institution and overall. 

I do the same but in reverse with all my credit cards so I track monthly repayments, payment dates and amounts. Since they are all balance transfer cards I projected this into the future so I know at what point I need to repay and can track how my stooze pot develops. Since it is projected I just cross check with statements as only dates change from time to time due to month length but amounts have been accurate every month so far. All that data goes again in a central tab. 

So I have the Dashboard with that data. In addition I build a comprehensive P&L table. lst day of each month I track the account balance of each account I hold. This is split by savings & current accounts and credit cards. That way I can see the total cash balance of all accounts, I can also see the total debt I have and as a result how much is actually my money and how much is working for me via 0% balance transfer cards as stooze pot. I then compare the total numbers vs previous month so I can see if I am on or off track with my savings target each month. The P&L tracks this also for the OH in the same table so we can see on individual basis and aggregated. Special events providing either a peak in savings, e.g. work bonus payment or a dent e.g. expensive holiday payment or not on time paid work expenses are coverd off in a comments section so we know the nature of the event. 

Any new accounts can be easily added in with a new row added and previous months greyed out so we know when account was opened and why previous months show a 0 balance.

Only started tracking 3 monhs ago really so ot enough data yet but next step is the visualisation of said dasboard. 

Band7

pecunianonolet said:

Excel here as well. Each bank/building society gets it's own savings account tab. 

Your approach sounds very comprehensive but would never work for me.  I would need well in excess of 50 tabs, not allowing for multiple accounts with different providers, and not to talk about archived banks and accounts.

I use what‘s in effect an elaborate, ready-made spreadsheet called AceMoney, very similar to MS Money. It does everything and more a home-made spreadsheet does. If you have, or expect to have, more than - say - a dozen accounts (current, savings, investments), a professional tool like AceMoney or MS Money is the way to go IMO.