How to track IRA w/o entering individual securities

Question

I have several managed IRAs with numerous securities (stocks & ETFs). The prices/shares can't automatically download. I would like to at least update the overall value once a month but don't see a way to do this. Everything I've tried affects the cash balance. Create a fake security with a share balance of 1 and change the price? Thanks for your ideas.

Jim_Harman · Answer

If you keep the share price at $1.00, you Add and Remove shares to make the balance match your statements, so you will have a record of the historical balances. That is probably the easiest way to handle it, especially if you have ongoing cash contributions to the account. When you make a contribution, the cash goes into the account and you Buy shares at $1.00 to use up the cash.

dghilpert · Answer

Thanks all. In reply I think that keeping the share price at $1 would not allow me to track the history of the value even though I would be keeping my paper statements (old guy). I started out tracking it as cash and realized that's throwing off my actual total cash balance so that's out. Way to much work to track manually now. As I concentrate more of my other accounts into the IRAs it may make sense.

Ps56k2 · Answer

just a note.... I would UPDATE the Price List for the security for each touch, so you would retain some kind of market value history.