Ask Matt: Portfolio Tracker can help investors

• Investors must learn how to track their portfolio's progress
• USATODAY.com's Portfolio Tracker tool can give unbiased advice to investors
• Investors can either type in portfolio information, or import it automatically

USA TODAY markets reporter Matt Krantz answers a different reader question every weekday. To submit a question, e-mail Matt at [email protected].

Q: Is there a way to automatically import my stock portfolio into USATODAY.com's Portfolio Tracker?

A: Investors who don't track how they're doing in the stock market are setting themselves up for failure.

Keeping track of how a portfolio is doing, relative to the market, is one of the best ways for investors to know if they're steering toward, or away from, their financial goals. Unfortunately, investors often get confused tracking their portfolios if they have accounts at several brokerage firms, or if their brokerage doesn't provide good tracking tools.

An easy solution is for investors to use USATODAY.com's Portfolio Tracker. This free online tool, with real-time quotes, will keep track of your holdings and tell you how your portfolio is doing relative to the market.

The tool will also make suggestions on how to optimize your portfolio, by suggesting investments with lower fees, for instance.

You can enter your holdings manually into the USATODAY.com Portfolio Tracker tool if you choose to. But you can save all that typing, if you prefer, by connecting directly to each brokerage, and entering your username and password to import your information.

The Portfolio Tracker will automatically pull down all your holdings and transactions so you can see how all your investments are doing, in one place, right away.