For a long time, I have some unsatisfactory experiences tracking of the intraday movements of my portfolio. I can use the Streamer from Datek and later from AmeriTrade to receive real-time quotes, but I can only use Streamer to manage my portfolio in Datek and AmeriTrade (I also have positions in my Roth IRA account in Fidelity). Although I can get real-time quotes of my Roth IRA positions, there is no way for me to see the real-time value change of my portfolio in a single screen. As a workaround, I also use MSN Money Portfolio Manager to track the overall performance of my actively managed portfolio, but I have to tolerate the nasty 15-to-20-minute delay.
I was referred to Medved QuoteTracker the other day and it appears that this piece of software resolved most of my problem. What is more, this software is free of charge (it is supported by the ad banners in the application itself, but it is not a spyware whatsoever).
Medved allows you to connect to a number of streaming resources (AmeriTrade is one of them) and get real-time data feed. I can customize my portfolio and watch list in whatever ways I like, and the portfolio in Medved does not have to be in sync with what is in AmeriTrade. What's more, Medved allows me to see the Level II quotes for free, a $9.99/month value.
I also love the rich feature set of Medved QuoteTracker. For example, I can track treasury rates on my screen, see the entire intraday chart and raw data for any stock I am interested. QuoteTracker also allegedly allows user to do trade within the application.
Byebye Streamer!
(This post is part of PFBlog Product Review series. Check out more reviews here.)