15-Year Finance Spreadsheet

Noah Kagan shares his 15-year personal finance tracking system that focuses on simplicity and actionable insights.

Core Tracking System

• Uses a basic spreadsheet (available at okdork.com/wheresmymoney)
• Three main components tracked:
  • Assets
  • Liabilities
  • 30-day action items

Investment Tracking Philosophy

• Only tracks cost basis for private investments
  • Does not track appreciation/valuation changes
  • Example: "$10,000 invested in Buffer stays as $10,000 on spreadsheet"
• Only invests in companies he personally uses
  • Invested in: Circle, Buffer, Element, Huckberry
  • Investment philosophy: "I don't invest in anything I don't use"

Calendar and Activity Management

• Uses automated calendar system instead of manual tracking
• Color-coded calendar system:
  • Yellow = Learning activities
    • Flying lessons (every other week)
    • Hebrew lessons (Thursdays)
    • Therapy (every other Wednesday at 11)
  • Regular activities automatically scheduled
    • Boxing (Fridays at 10am)
    • "Squashy Steamy" (squash + steam room)

Business KPIs

• Separate tracking for business ventures:
  • AppSumo metrics
  • YouTube analytics
  • Keeps business metrics separate from personal finance tracking

The system emphasizes automation and simplicity over complex tracking mechanisms, with focus on actionable insights rather than vanity metrics.