Overview
The Balances-Only Importer template is designed for those who want to include only account balances for certain accounts, not transactions. This is especially useful for retirement or investment accounts that generate tons of transactions when all we want are the balances to feed reports like Balances and Net Worth.
Tiller Money Feeds does not currently have this functionality, but you can vote for it in this feature request. It’s been out there for a long time, so don’t hold your breath.
I should also mention that three common workarounds work pretty well and can be found in this discussion. I’m not crazy about those options because of the large number of investment accounts and I don’t want to mess around with the Transactions sheet.
So I’ve been using this method…
Connect the Balances-Only Importer spreadsheet to your investment accounts using Tiller Money Feeds and turn on Autofill. This basically sets up an additional Tiller Spreadsheet with updated balances. It also fills a Transactions sheet, but we ignore that and all other sheets. We only need the Balance-Only Importer sheet.
Setup time: 5-10 minutes
Recurring workflow: 1-2 minutes
Installation
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Open the Balances-Only Importer template and choose File > Make a Copy > and name it such that you’ll know it contains your balances-only accounts (e.g. “Investment Balances”).
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Go to Extensions > Tiller Money Feeds > Launch, then choose Link Sheet. The sidebar displays your accounts. Select those for which you want balances only, then choose Confirm. This runs the initial feed of balances and transactions. (If the hidden Transactions sheet appears, you can ignore or hide it again; we won’t use it.)
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Select Accounts from the Dropdown - Choose which accounts you want to track balances-only from the dropdown list in column B.
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Add the GID - In cell L2, input the template sheet’s GID. You can find this in the URL as a 10-12 digit number after …gid=
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Choose a Period such as Last Month, from the dropdown.
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Copy the Generated Rows - Follow the Workflow instructions in the column “I” header area. The hyperlink will automatically highlight the rows to copy if you entered the GID in step 5 above.
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Open Your Primary Tiller Spreadsheet, then go to the Balance History sheet and insert the number of blank rows indicated in the workflow instructions.
Click for a PRO TIP to append a large number of rows and values to an existing table
- Scroll to the bottom of the sheet, select the last row, then choose right-click > Insert 1 row below. With the new blank row highlighted, choose Edit > Paste special > Values only. The sheet will automatically expand for the required number of pasted rows.
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Paste as Values Only - Go to Edit > Paste Special > Values Only to paste the balances to the blank rows.
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Add Accounts to the Accounts Sheet - If this is the first time adding these accounts to your primary Tiller spreadsheet, go to the Accounts sheet, use the dropdowns in column B to add them, and add a Group label such as “Investments.” Another way to find new and ungrouped accounts is to open the Balances sheet to look for “Ungrouped Assets.” OR…
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If this is NOT your first time adding these accounts, unlink them with these instructions to no longer download their transactions and balances.
Usage
When you want to update your balances, such as monthly or weekly, follow these steps:
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Open the Balances-Only Importer - Open the Tiller spreadsheet you set up which contains the Balances-Only Importer.
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Select a Period to retrieve the desired balance history:
- Last Update returns only the latest balance for each account at the time you run the workflow.
- Last Week and Last Month returns the daily balances for the time period selected.
- Custom allows you to enter any date range, retrieving daily balances for that range.
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Copy the Balances Records - Select and copy the resulting records.
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Paste into Primary Tiller Spreadsheet - Open your primary Tiller spreadsheet. In the Balance History sheet, insert blank rows and paste the copied balances using Paste Special > Values Only to ensure proper formatting.
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Repeat as Needed - You can repeat this process at your chosen frequency (weekly, monthly, etc.) to keep your account balances current.
Permissions
You are welcome to copy, use, and modify this template to fit your needs. Please note that a few updated versions may be released periodically as improvements are made.
Notes
- This sheet has a hidden section with formulas. Do not delete or insert rows. Instead, insert or delete “cells” and shift.
Versions
Version | Released | Description |
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version 1.1 | 9/20/2024 | initial release, latest balance only |
version 2.1 | 9/29/2024 | added template “Daily Balances-Only Importer” with Period selection |
version 2.2 | 10/23/2024 | converged templates into one “Balances-Only Importer” with Period selection including Last Balance |
version 2.3 | 2/1/2025 | simplified process to reduce setup time |
FAQ
I don’t see a Balance History sheet?
This sheet may be hidden. Go to View > Hidden Sheets > Show Balance History.
Why don’t I see my account in the Select Accounts dropdown?
Ensure that you have filled out the green section of the Accounts sheet. That is the source of the dropdown values.
I already have a separate Tiller spreadsheet with my investment accounts; can I use that file instead of creating a new one?
Yes, you can. Simply copy the template into your existing spreadsheet and choose the accounts that you want balances-only.