Portfolio rebalancing calculator
How far your allocation has drifted from the one you chose, and exactly what to buy or sell to put it back.
Largest drift
−3.8%
Nothing has drifted more than 5 percentage points from target. This portfolio does not need rebalancing today.
Portfolio total
€320.000
Holdings off target
0 of 5
To move
€20.000
| Holding | Value | Current | Target | Drift | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equities | €180.000 | 56.3% | −3.8% | Buy €12.000 | |
| Bonds | €40.000 | 12.5% | −2.5% | Buy €8.000 | |
| Property | €60.000 | 18.8% | +3.8% | Sell €12.000 | |
| Crypto | €18.000 | 5.6% | +0.6% | Sell €2.000 | |
| Cash | €22.000 | 6.9% | +1.9% | Sell €6.000 | |
| Total | €320.000 | 100% | 100% | — | €20.000 |
Drift is only visible if you measure it
Track every holding in one place and your allocation updates as prices move — with concentration warnings when something runs away from you.
Drift raises your risk quietly
Pick 60% equities and 40% bonds, then leave it alone through a good few years for shares. You do not still hold 60/40 — you hold something closer to 75/25, and you never decided to. Whatever performed best grows past its target, and the portfolio ends up riskier than the one you signed up for.
The uncomfortable part is the timing. Drift is largest after a long run up, which is exactly when raising your risk feels most reasonable and cutting back feels like leaving money on the table. That is the whole reason to use a rule rather than a judgement call.
When to act
Two rules are in common use, and both work. Calendar rebalancing checks on a schedule — annually is plenty. Threshold rebalancing acts whenever a holding drifts more than a set distance from target; five percentage points is the usual trigger, and it is what the amber marks above use.
What does not work is rebalancing constantly. Every trade costs something in spread, commission or tax, and chasing small deviations spends real money correcting noise. Checking once a year and acting only on material drift captures nearly all the benefit.
Rebalance with new money before you sell
The action column shows what to buy and sell to hit your targets exactly. But if you are still contributing, there is usually a better route: point new money at whatever is underweight and let the drift correct without selling anything.
That avoids trading costs entirely, and in a taxable account it avoids realising capital gains — which in some countries is the single largest cost of rebalancing. It is slower, and it will not fix a portfolio that has drifted a very long way, but for ordinary maintenance it is the cheaper tool.
One caveat this calculator cannot see: holdings in tax-sheltered accounts can usually be traded freely, while the same trade in a taxable account has a bill attached. Rebalance inside the shelter first where you can.
Common questions
The gap between what a holding is meant to be worth as a share of your portfolio and what it is actually worth now. Whatever performed best grows past its target, which quietly raises your risk exactly when it feels most comfortable.
Two common rules: on a schedule, such as once a year, or when any holding drifts past a threshold — five percentage points is a widely used trigger. Both beat rebalancing constantly, which mostly generates costs and tax.
Directing new contributions at whatever is underweight corrects drift without selling anything, which avoids both trading costs and capital gains tax. It is slower, but for anyone still contributing regularly it is usually the better route.
Not reliably. Its purpose is controlling risk, not raising returns — it systematically trims what has run up and adds to what has lagged, keeping the portfolio at the risk level you chose. In a long bull market it will usually cost you return, and that is the trade being made.
Any of the 31 NetWorthTrackr supports.
No. Your holdings never leave the page, and no account is required.
Estimates only, not financial advice. Every figure is calculated in your browser from what you typed — nothing is sent to us and nothing is stored.All tools →