Most investment calculators only handle stocks and bonds. But your wealth is more than just your brokerage account. Your house, side business, rental properties, and even your car can be part of your net worth picture.
Here's how to use CompoundChart's multi-asset portfolio feature to track everything and get a complete view of your financial future.
🏠 Your House as an Investment
Key Insight: Your primary residence is one of your largest assets, and it typically appreciates over time.
How to Track Your Home
Add your house as a separate investment in your portfolio with these settings:
- Initial Investment: Your home's current value (not what you paid, but what it's worth today)
- Monthly Contribution: Your principal payment each month (not the interest portion)
- Annual Return: Historical home appreciation in your area (typically 3-5% nationally, but varies by location)
- Standard Deviation: 5-8% (real estate is less volatile than stocks)
💡 Example: Tracking a $400,000 Home
- Name: "Primary Residence"
- Current Value: $400,000
- Monthly Principal: $800 (from your mortgage payment)
- Expected Appreciation: 4% per year
- Volatility: 6%
This shows you how your home equity grows from both price appreciation and paying down the mortgage.
Should You Include Your Mortgage?
Short answer: This calculator shows asset growth, not liabilities. Track your home's value growth here, and track your mortgage balance separately in a debt payoff calculator.
If you want to see net equity, subtract your mortgage balance from your home value when setting the initial investment amount.
🏘️ Rental Properties & Real Estate Investments
Rental properties are perfect for the portfolio calculator because they generate both appreciation and cash flow.
Setup for a Rental Property
- Initial Investment: Your current equity in the property (property value minus remaining mortgage)
- Monthly Contribution: Net rental income after expenses + principal paydown
- Annual Return: 6-9% (combines appreciation + cash flow)
- Standard Deviation: 10-15%
Pro Tip: If you have multiple rental properties, add each as a separate investment to see which ones perform best and contribute most to your wealth.
💼 Side Businesses & Freelance Income
Have a side hustle or small business? Track its growth as an asset that generates cash flow you reinvest.
Modeling Your Side Business
- Initial Investment: Value of equipment, inventory, or initial setup costs
- Monthly Contribution: Profit you reinvest back into the business
- Annual Return: Your business's growth rate (could be 15-30%+ for high-growth ventures)
- Standard Deviation: 20-40% (businesses are volatile!)
💡 Example: E-commerce Side Hustle
- Name: "Etsy Shop"
- Current Value: $2,000 (inventory + equipment)
- Monthly Profit Reinvested: $500
- Growth Rate: 20% per year
- Volatility: 30% (month-to-month revenue varies)
🎯 Other Creative Assets to Track
College Savings (529 Plans)
Track each child's 529 plan as a separate investment to see if you're on track for tuition costs.
Collectibles & Alternative Investments
Have a valuable collection (art, wine, classic cars)? Add it with its estimated appreciation rate. Historical returns for collectibles vary widely but often average 5-8% for high-quality items.
Your Own Education/Skills
This is unconventional, but some people model their career as an "investment" - your initial education costs and growing salary over time. If you're switching careers or getting an advanced degree, this can help visualize the ROI.
Vehicles (With Depreciation)
For expensive vehicles that might appreciate (classic cars) or depreciate slowly (certain trucks), you can model these too. Use a negative return rate for depreciation (e.g., -5% per year for most cars).
📊 Putting It All Together: Sample Portfolio
Here's what a comprehensive portfolio might look like in CompoundChart:
| Asset | Value | Monthly | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| S&P 500 Index | $50,000 | $1,000 | 10% |
| Bond Fund | $30,000 | $500 | 4% |
| Primary Residence | $400,000 | $800 | 4% |
| Rental Property | $80,000 | $600 | 8% |
| Side Business | $5,000 | $300 | 20% |
| Total Portfolio | $565,000 | $3,200 | ~6.8%* |
Now you can see your entire financial picture in one place, with each asset's individual growth and contribution to your total net worth over time.
💡 Pro Tips for Comprehensive Tracking
- Be conservative with appreciation rates: It's better to be pleasantly surprised than disappointed. Use historical averages for your area/asset class.
- Use the "Hide" feature: Want to see your portfolio with or without your house? Hide/unhide assets to compare different scenarios.
- Share with your spouse: Use the Share button to send your complete portfolio to your partner and align on your financial plan.
- Update quarterly: Set a reminder to update values quarterly. Your house might be appraised, your portfolio rebalanced, etc.
- Enable scenario analysis: Turn on the advanced features to see how volatility affects your different assets. Real estate and stocks behave very differently in market downturns!
🎯 The Big Picture
Most people dramatically underestimate their total net worth because they only think about their investment accounts. By tracking your house, rental properties, side businesses, and other assets, you get a much more accurate and motivating view of your financial progress.
The multi-asset portfolio feature in CompoundChart makes this easy. You can visualize how all your wealth-building strategies work together, identify which assets are pulling their weight, and make smarter decisions about where to invest your time and money.
Ready to Track Your Full Portfolio?
Add your house, investments, and more to see your complete wealth picture
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