How to figure out YTD %

General TSP Discussion.

Moderator: Aitrus

bad70nova
Posts: 245
Joined: Thu Oct 17, 2013 10:18 am

How to figure out YTD %

Post by bad70nova »

Ok I may be confused, ok let's be honest I am confused. Can you smart people help me out. I am trying to figure out my true YTD % return. I know this site tracks it, but I have made a few early moves and 1 late move so the % in here is not truly accurate. I have downloaded my Quarterly statements for the year Jan - Mar and Apr - May. Just point me in the right direction to figure this out. Just something I want to learn, so in the future I can really know what my % rate is. Thanks to the smart people at this site.

User avatar
mjedlin66
Site Admin
Posts: 1569
Joined: Wed Oct 02, 2013 7:51 pm

Re: How to figure out YTD %

Post by mjedlin66 »

If it is not in the TSP statement as YTD, then you have to compound your quarterly gains. Your gains will be reported as a percentage. You first need to turn them into a decimal. Example:

6.7% quarterly gain-
6.7 / 100 + 1 = 1.067

Do that for each quarterly gain, and then multiply them together:

1.067 * 1.032 * 0.998 = 1.0989

Convert it back to a percentage:

(1.0989 - 1) * 100 = 9.89%

This is how compound gains are calculated by using a combination of time period gains. This is how my calculator determines gains over a long time period- it compounds every day 1 at a time and multiplies them. The 0.998 above is the decimal you get if you have a -0.2%. I put it in to demonstrate what a loss will look like as a multiplicative decimal.

Alternatively, you can plug all of your real world IFTs into my tspcalc.com calculator, and it will show your true YTD in the 2017 row. Keep in mind two things about my calculator:

1. You have to input your trades as trading days, not calendar days. But once you hit submit, it will show you the 2017 calendar days so you can double check.
2. Since this is a seasonal calculator, it will start the year off in whatever the last trade in the calculator is. So if you started 2017 in I fund, then input "December last trading day to I fund". That way it will start you in I fund.
Owner/creator of TSPcalc.com - "Know your numbers"

bad70nova
Posts: 245
Joined: Thu Oct 17, 2013 10:18 am

Re: How to figure out YTD %

Post by bad70nova »

My Quarterly statements from TSP only show the Rate of return for the last 12 months, wish it showed each quarter unless I am just not looking in the right spot on the statement.

I have the gains numbers from both statements no percentages, this is why I am lost.

Gaines were
Jan - Mar = 5589.25
Apr - Jun = 9678.17

These are the numbers I am using to try to figure out the %.

This is not a big deal I know the TSP calculator is with in 1% or so just something I would like to learn.

User avatar
mjedlin66
Site Admin
Posts: 1569
Joined: Wed Oct 02, 2013 7:51 pm

Re: How to figure out YTD %

Post by mjedlin66 »

bad70nova wrote:My Quarterly statements from TSP only show the Rate of return for the last 12 months, wish it showed each quarter unless I am just not looking in the right spot on the statement.

I have the gains numbers from both statements no percentages, this is why I am lost.

Gaines were
Jan - Mar = 5589.25
Apr - Jun = 9678.17

These are the numbers I am using to try to figure out the %.

This is not a big deal I know the TSP calculator is with in 1% or so just something I would like to learn.


Well, using dollar amounts (account balance) instead of percentage gain is going to make it WAY too complicated. That is because you make regular contributions to your account which affect the account balance, but in reality have nothing to do with gains/losses.

In order to calculate YTD yourself, you have to compound. Basically that will be the formula I posted above. Here is one more step that you will need:

[(Price 2 - Price 1) / Price 1] + 1= multiplicative factor

This formula allows you to do this- Say you were in C fund from Jan 1 through March 31st. You can look up the C fund price for December 31st of the previous year (thus the starting price of the C fund on Jan 1st) as well as the C fund price for March 31st. Then C_March31 becomes Price 2, and C_Dec31 is Price 1. Input that into the equation above. The result is your first factor.

Then say you were in F fund until April 10th. So look up the F fund price on March 31st and the F fund price on April 10th. Input that into the Price 2 and Price 1 equation is well. The result is your second factor.

So you get a factor for each fund that you held over a period of time. Multiply them all together, subtract 1, and multiply by 100 (The initial equation from my last post). Now you have YTD as a percentage.

I feel like I presented this information in a confusing way, and for that I am sorry. But this is how the math works, despite my lackluster explanation.

-Matt
Owner/creator of TSPcalc.com - "Know your numbers"

bad70nova
Posts: 245
Joined: Thu Oct 17, 2013 10:18 am

Re: How to figure out YTD %

Post by bad70nova »

Thank you, no I do somewhat understand what you are saying. I guess I will just accept what the TSP fantasy sight is saying and not really worry about the percentage. I see the dollar gain or loss sometimes, so that is truly all that matters in the end. Just surprised that TSP does not put a % on quarterly statements only your 12 month %.

gclapper
Posts: 69
Joined: Wed Sep 28, 2016 12:04 pm

Re: How to figure out YTD %

Post by gclapper »

I keep track daily using Excel and use formulas that Aitrus discussed with me in his 2017 Seasonal thread. See below. Then for the whole year I continue column E calculations for the entire year and have a separate cell with the following equation: =PRODUCT(E3:E260)-1
This gives me a running year to date actual return from beginning of the year to current date. It ignores cells that are blank in the calculation. Hope this helps.
--------

Aitrus wrote:
I have a spreadsheet set up to track my daily performance. There's a lot of data I track, but in essence, the columns look like this:
A: date
B: day's balance (manually input)
C: $ difference between yesterday and today [formula also subtracts any pay contributions, so formula is =SUM(B2-B1-F2)]
D: % difference between yesterday and today (formula also subtracts any pay contributions, so formula is =(B2-B1-F2)/B1]
E: Identical to D, except represented in a decimal rather than % form [formula is =SUM(D2+1)]
F: Pay contributions (manually input)
Y: End of month calculation [formula is =PRODUCT(E2:E30)-1]

bad70nova
Posts: 245
Joined: Thu Oct 17, 2013 10:18 am

Re: How to figure out YTD %

Post by bad70nova »

wow thanks I will set one up and play with it appreciated.

bad70nova
Posts: 245
Joined: Thu Oct 17, 2013 10:18 am

Re: How to figure out YTD %

Post by bad70nova »

Gclapper,

Tried to made the spread sheet no luck. I have everything working from what I can tell but the over all running % total. Gain for day works, % of gain per day works, but can not get the over all percentage to work. Oh well I will keep trying.

User avatar
evilanne
Posts: 2067
Joined: Thu May 14, 2015 6:52 pm

Re: How to figure out YTD %

Post by evilanne »

See viewtopic.php?f=14&t=13394 MrSnrub had figured out how to calculate the PIP accurately.

nodak
Posts: 69
Joined: Sun Apr 02, 2017 6:36 pm

Re: How to figure out YTD %

Post by nodak »

bad70nova:

- Log into tsp.gov
- Select Activity Summary on the left
- Change the date to the period you want (start of the year for YTD)
- Divide your gain by your beginning balance
- Multiply by 100
- Answer = % gain for time period selected

User avatar
mjedlin66
Site Admin
Posts: 1569
Joined: Wed Oct 02, 2013 7:51 pm

Re: How to figure out YTD %

Post by mjedlin66 »

nodak wrote:bad70nova:

- Log into tsp.gov
- Select Activity Summary on the left
- Change the date to the period you want (start of the year for YTD)
- Divide your gain by your beginning balance
- Multiply by 100
- Answer = % gain for time period selected


Rep points coming your way.

I cannot access that portion of tsp.gov right now. Apparently it is being worked on. However, it sounds like this method will include gains or losses on new contributions. In that case, it would be a skewed representation of what the funds have actually done.
Owner/creator of TSPcalc.com - "Know your numbers"

User avatar
evilanne
Posts: 2067
Joined: Thu May 14, 2015 6:52 pm

Re: How to figure out YTD %

Post by evilanne »

mjedlin66 wrote:
nodak wrote:bad70nova:

- Log into tsp.gov
- Select Activity Summary on the left
- Change the date to the period you want (start of the year for YTD)
- Divide your gain by your beginning balance
- Multiply by 100
- Answer = % gain for time period selected
Rep points coming your way.

I cannot access that portion of tsp.gov right now. Apparently it is being worked on. However, it sounds like this method will include gains or losses on new contributions. In that case, it would be a skewed representation of what the funds have actually done.


If you are contributing a set amount or percentage each payday, take the beginning amount and add 1/2 of your additions/contributions as the divisor and you will get pretty close to the actual RoR. If you want to be exact...look at the MrSnrub thread on calculating PIP.

TomCollins
Posts: 10
Joined: Fri Mar 10, 2017 6:08 pm

Re: How to figure out YTD %

Post by TomCollins »

nodak wrote:bad70nova:

- Log into tsp.gov
- Select Activity Summary on the left
- Change the date to the period you want (start of the year for YTD)
- Divide your gain by your beginning balance
- Multiply by 100
- Answer = % gain for time period selected


Good info thanks.

gclapper
Posts: 69
Joined: Wed Sep 28, 2016 12:04 pm

Re: How to figure out YTD %

Post by gclapper »

bad70nova wrote:Gclapper,

Tried to made the spread sheet no luck. I have everything working from what I can tell but the over all running % total. Gain for day works, % of gain per day works, but can not get the over all percentage to work. Oh well I will keep trying.


This should work. I double checked my equations and they are all what I posted and work. Make sure that when you copy down the equations into the cells below them that they are not getting jacked up. Also, make sure cells with no data are actually empty. I am in no way an EXCEL guru so that is the best suggestion I have.

bad70nova
Posts: 245
Joined: Thu Oct 17, 2013 10:18 am

Re: How to figure out YTD %

Post by bad70nova »

TomCollins wrote:
nodak wrote:bad70nova:

- Log into tsp.gov
- Select Activity Summary on the left
- Change the date to the period you want (start of the year for YTD)
- Divide your gain by your beginning balance
- Multiply by 100
- Answer = % gain for time period selected


Good info thanks.


Tom thank you so much, that worked so easy, I am still trying to work the excel sheet, but this is giving me what I wanted. Appreciate the help.

Post Reply

Fund Prices2024-03-28

FundPriceDayYTD
G $18.15 0.05% 1.05%
F $19.08 -0.06% -0.74%
C $82.21 0.11% 10.55%
S $82.43 0.30% 6.92%
I $42.57 -0.24% 5.95%
L2065 $16.38 0.02% 8.37%
L2060 $16.39 0.02% 8.38%
L2055 $16.39 0.02% 8.38%
L2050 $32.73 0.01% 6.95%
L2045 $14.91 0.02% 6.58%
L2040 $54.38 0.02% 6.22%
L2035 $14.34 0.02% 5.79%
L2030 $47.67 0.02% 5.38%
L2025 $13.15 0.03% 3.43%
Linc $25.61 0.03% 2.82%

Live Charts

Pending Allocations

Under development. For now, you may view Pending Allocations by going to "fantasy TSP" and selecting "Leaderboard sort" of "Pending Allocations".