Portfolio Trackers
Tools to monitor your holdings, performance, and manage tax reporting
Why Track Your Portfolio?
Once you have crypto across multiple wallets and exchanges, keeping track becomes challenging. Portfolio trackers aggregate your holdings in one view, showing total value, allocation, and performance.
Beyond convenience, good tracking is essential for tax reporting. You need accurate records of every transaction to calculate gains and losses correctly.
Types of Portfolio Trackers
Read-only trackers: Connect via public addresses or view-only API keys. They see your balances but can't move your funds. Examples: CoinGecko, Delta.
Connected trackers: Link exchange accounts via API for automatic import of trades and transactions. More comprehensive but requires trusting the service with API access.
Tax-focused tools: Services like Koinly or CoinTracker specialize in tracking cost basis and generating tax reports. Worth it if you trade frequently.
Key Features to Look For
Multi-platform support: Can it connect to all your exchanges and wallets? Check supported integrations before committing.
Automatic syncing: Manual entry is tedious and error-prone. Automatic import saves time and improves accuracy.
DeFi and NFT support: If you use DeFi, ensure the tracker can parse complex transactions like swaps, liquidity provision, and yield farming.
Tax report generation: If you need tax reports, check that it supports your jurisdiction's format and rules.
Privacy considerations: What data does the service collect? How do they use it? Read privacy policies.
Security Best Practices
Use read-only access when possible: Most tracking only needs to view your data. Don't grant withdrawal permissions unless absolutely necessary.
Secure your tracker account: If it aggregates your entire portfolio, it's a valuable target. Use strong passwords and 2FA.
Regular review: Check connected accounts periodically. Revoke access for services you no longer use.
Benefits of Good Tracking
- Complete visibility into your total holdings and allocation
- Accurate cost basis tracking for tax compliance
- Performance insights to inform investment decisions
- Transaction history for record-keeping and audits
Tracking Tool Risks
- •API keys with trading permissions could be misused if service is compromised
- •Centralized view of all holdings creates a valuable target
- •Privacy concerns—service knows your entire portfolio
- •Inaccurate DeFi transaction parsing can cause tax calculation errors
Key Takeaways
- Portfolio trackers aggregate holdings across platforms
- Essential for tax reporting and performance tracking
- Use read-only access when possible to limit risk
- Choose tools that support your exchanges and DeFi usage
- Secure your tracker account—it reveals your entire portfolio