My Plan for the Compound Portfolio Tracker
The idea for the Compound Portfolio Tracker started when I wanted a simple way to see how my own investments would grow over time. I have dividend stocks, crypto staking rewards, and covered calls that bring in income on different schedules. I wanted to view everything together and understand the long-term compounding effect. I also wanted to experiment with portfolio construction and see how different assets could create consistent monthly cash inflow that builds on itself.
There are tools online that do parts of this, but I could not find one that combines deposits, contributions, dividends, staking, and income in a way that is clean and easy to understand. That is when I decided to build my own tracker. It also gave me the perfect excuse to learn backend development with Spring Boot, which has been something I have wanted to dive into for a while.
Why This App Needs a Backend
Most of the apps I build work completely on the device. Summit Loan Calculator and LeaseLimit do not need servers. All of their calculations are quick and predictable. But the Compound Portfolio Tracker needs reliable access to market data and dividend information that changes often. Stocks move. Crypto prices change. Dividends get updated. Income from covered calls depends on expiration cycles and premiums.
Doing all of that on the device would mean pulling APIs constantly, storing large amounts of data locally, and burning through rate limits. A backend solves this. It lets me cache data, schedule updates, reduce requests, and send the app exactly what it needs. It keeps the app fast and reduces API costs. It also makes long-term storage and cross-device syncing possible if I want to add those features later.
Using massive.io For Market Data
For stock, options, and dividend data, I plan to use massive.io. It is fast and reliable, and it gives me the flexibility to pull historical prices, dividend histories, upcoming ex-dividend dates, and option chains. This will let the app support more advanced features like estimating annual income, projecting dividend growth, and tracking covered call strategies.
The backend can fetch and store this data on a schedule, so when the app requests it, everything loads instantly. This makes the app feel light even though the calculations behind it are more complex.
Building the Backend With Spring Boot
I chose Spring Boot for the backend because I wanted a real project to learn it with, and this app was the perfect opportunity. Spring Boot is stable, scalable, and great for APIs and background tasks. It also has very good support for storing data with PostgreSQL, which I will use for positions, transactions, market data, and user history.
I like that the backend lets me expand the app later. I can add a web version, an Android version, or a desktop version and have them all share the same data source. That flexibility is something I wanted from the start.
What I Want This App To Do
The Compound Portfolio Tracker is designed for long-term planning. I want it to show how investments grow with steady contributions and consistent income. Some of the main features I want to build include:
- Tracking deposits and withdrawals
- Tracking stock positions, average cost, and allocation
- Viewing contributions versus portfolio value
- Dividend tracking and estimated yield
- Crypto staking income and projected rewards
- Covered call income tracking
- Monthly income calendar
- Graphs that show real compounding over time
- Forecasting models like Monte Carlo simulations
The goal is not to create another trading app. I want this to be a tool that helps people understand their long-term progress. It should make financial planning feel clear instead of overwhelming.
A Long-Term, Evolving Project
This app will take time to build. There are a lot of parts, and I want the experience to feel smooth and reliable. I am not rushing it. This is a long-term project that I want to support for years. It fits perfectly into the idea behind Kurt and Leo Labs. It is a clean, focused tool that solves a real problem for me, and I am sure it will help others too.
Working on this project has already helped me grow as a developer. It has pushed me into backend development, taught me more about data management, and helped me understand how real financial tools need to work behind the scenes. I am excited to keep building it.
If you are interested in long-term investing, steady income, or building financial tools, I hope this gives you a good picture of what the Compound Portfolio Tracker will become.