Investment dashboard has become an essential tool for investors and financial professionals to track and analyze their investment portfolio performance. With comprehensive visualization of key metrics and trends, a good investment dashboard provides actionable insights to support data-driven investment decisions. While many choose ready-made dashboard solutions, creating your own investment dashboard using Word and Excel allows for full customization to your specific needs. In this article, we will explore steps and tips on how to create an investment dashboard template in Word leveraging tables, charts and visual elements. With proper layout and presentation of investment data, an investment dashboard on Word can look highly professional yet easy to build.
Use Word table features to showcase investment data cleanly
The foundation of an investment dashboard is the data table that contains all the raw figures and metrics you want to track. In Word, you can insert a table and input your investment data points across different asset classes and time periods. Make use of Word’s table formatting options such as banded rows, header row, total row and borders to structure your data cleanly. You may also want to use background table shading to color code your assets. For smooth data analysis, ensure your table is set up with clear categories and consistent time frames.
Present performance trends clearly with Word charts
Once your investment data table is set up, insert relevant charts next to it to provide visualizations of key performance trends and metrics. For example, use line charts to show the growth of total portfolio value over time. Consider column or bar charts to compare returns across different assets. Pie charts can showcase asset allocation distribution. Make sure to choose easy-to-understand chart types that help accentuate insights relevant to your analysis and investment decisions. Format the charts to maintain visual consistency with data table colors and style.
Include important investment metrics like returns and risk analysis
An investment dashboard would not be complete without showcasing key metrics like returns and risks. Use Word shapes and text boxes to highlight key figures such as annual portfolio returns, 3-year average returns, standard deviation and Sharpe ratios. Also include visualizations like scatter plots to demonstrate risk-return profile. Provide clear definition and calculation methodology for the metrics. For easy comparison, present benchmark figures alongside your own portfolio’s metrics.
Make strategic use of dashboard layout and placement
With all your investment data, charts and metrics ready, put careful thought into the dashboard layout and element placement. Use text sections to separate different asset categories and statistics. Make logical connections between data tables and corresponding charts. Find strategic places for your key figures apart from clutter. A clean layout ensures smooth flow and understanding. Leave white space for visual relief and avoid cramming disparate elements together.
In summary, creating an investment dashboard using Word mainly involves 1) setting up data tables, 2) inserting relevant charts for data visualization, 3) including key investment metrics, and 4) paying attention to layout and placement. With its powerful tables and charts features, Word provides an easy way to build a professional-looking investment dashboard customized to your needs and analysis methodology.