Do you know, right now, every place your money sits? Not roughly. Exactly.
Most people we speak with pause at this question. Then they start listing apps, folios, deposits and policies, and the list keeps growing.
That pause is normal. It is also the reason so many families never get a clear answer to "how are we doing?"
At Belong, we help NRIs and resident Indians bring scattered money into one clear picture. This guide shares the exact system we use in those conversations.
It is not an app review. Apps help, but no app can track what you have forgotten exists.
So we start with the forgotten money, the paperwork and the family questions. Then we come to the tools.
We keep two readers separate throughout. Resident Indians and NRIs face different gaps, so each gets its own section.
👉 Tip: Tracking everything in one place is a project, not a download. Give it one focused weekend, then twenty minutes a month.
Why "One Place" Is Harder Than It Sounds
India's financial system is not designed around you. It is designed around products.
Your shares sit with a depository. Your mutual funds sit with registrars. Your EPF sits with EPFO, your NPS with a recordkeeper, and your FDs with each bank.
Each system talks to you separately, in its own format, on its own schedule. Nobody joins the dots unless you do.
The three layers of a scattered portfolio
From our advisory work, scattered portfolios usually have three layers.
The visible layer: Accounts you use often, like your main broker app and salary account.
The forgotten layer: Old FDs, dormant accounts, physical share certificates and lapsed folios.
The invisible layer: Assets no app tracks, like property, gold, ESOPs, foreign accounts and insurance.
Most tracking efforts stop at the first layer. The real work, and the real money, often sits in the second and third.
What you cannot see, you cannot plan, protect or pass on.
Why this matters beyond neatness
A complete picture changes decisions. You notice idle cash losing value to inflation. You notice overlap and hidden concentration.
It also matters for your family. If something happens to you, a clear record decides whether they find everything, or only what is obvious.
Step 1: Build Your Master Inventory
Start with a blank sheet, not an app. The goal is to list every account and holding before you worry about values.
Go category by category. Ask family members to help, especially if parents opened accounts in your name years ago.
The inventory template we use
Do not fill in values yet. A complete list with rough values beats an exact list that misses half your accounts.
Who owns what
Add an owner column. Note whether each holding is single, joint, or held for a minor.
This matters later for tax, nominations and inheritance. It also shows whether your family's wealth is spread sensibly across members.
👉 Tip: Include liabilities from day one. A tracker that shows only assets makes you feel richer than you are.
Step 2: Pull Official Statements, Not Screenshots
Once your list is ready, replace guesses with official records. These are free, and they come from the institutions that actually hold your money.
Your Consolidated Account Statement
The Consolidated Account Statement, or CAS, combines your demat holdings and mutual fund units by PAN. It is your single most useful document.
CDSL's CAS FAQs explain that CAS goes out monthly when there are transactions. Otherwise, a holdings-only statement is sent half-yearly.
You can also download it. NSDL's CAS page describes downloads through its SPEED-e app and IDeAS service.
Mutual funds from MF Central
Some folios, especially very old ones, may not show up the way you expect. MF Central, the joint portal of CAMS and KFintech, gives a registrar-level view.
AMFI's CAS page lists MF Central alongside CAMS and KFintech as routes to your statement.
NPS inside your CAS
Many people track NPS separately and forget it. There is a simpler option now.
A PFRDA circular from August 2023 allows NPS subscribers to include their NPS statement of transactions in their CAS. This is optional and needs your consent on the recordkeeper's website.
The same circular notes that integration with NSDL was complete, while CDSL integration was in progress at the time. Check the current status on your recordkeeper's site.
EPF and PPF
Your EPF balance sits with EPFO, linked to your UAN. Check the passbook on the EPFO member portal and note the latest balance.
PPF accounts sit with banks or post offices. Download the latest statement from your bank's net banking.
Bank accounts through Account Aggregators
Bank balances and FDs do not appear in CAS. The Account Aggregator framework fills this gap through consent-based sharing.
The Department of Financial Services explains that data moves between institutions only on your instruction. You can link several banks through one aggregator app.
Official statements are your truth. Every app you use later should match them.
Cross-check with your tax records
Your Annual Information Statement, or AIS, sits on the income tax portal. It lists interest, dividends and many transactions reported against your PAN. It often reveals accounts you forgot.
Our guide to the Annual Information Statement explains how to read it. An FD you forgot will often show up here through its interest.
Step 3: Find the Money You Have Forgotten
This is the step most guides skip. In our experience, it is also the most rewarding one.
Indians leave a surprising amount of money unclaimed. Old accounts go dormant, dividends go unpaid, and shares move to government funds.
Unclaimed bank deposits: use UDGAM
The RBI launched UDGAM, a centralised portal to search unclaimed deposits across banks. The name stands for Unclaimed Deposits, Gateway to Access inforMation.
According to the RBI press release of August 17, 2023, the portal helps users find unclaimed accounts in one place. You can then claim the amount or make the account operative again.
The press release says seven banks were available at launch, with the rest added in phases. Search for yourself and for elderly parents, using old addresses if needed.
Unclaimed shares and dividends: check IEPF
When dividends stay unclaimed for long, companies transfer them, and sometimes the shares, to the Investor Education and Protection Fund. This often happens with physical shares bought decades ago.
The IEPF refund page explains that you can claim back unpaid amounts and shares. You file the IEPF-5 web form, then send documents to the company's nodal officer for verification.
The process is slow and paper-heavy. But for families with old share certificates, it can recover real wealth.
Old physical share certificates
Many families still have share certificates in a cupboard. These need to be converted into demat form before you can easily sell or track them.
Start by contacting the company's registrar. Keep copies of everything you send.
Dormant mutual fund folios
Old folios opened through agents or banks sometimes carry outdated addresses and contact details. They may not appear cleanly in your statements.
MF Central lets you search and service folios across fund houses. Update your email, mobile number and bank details while you are there.
👉 Tip: Run a forgotten-money search once a year, for yourself and for your parents. It takes an hour and often pays for itself.
A Lucknow scenario: the cupboard folder
Imagine a resident investor in Lucknow helping his retired father organise finances. They find a folder of share certificates and two old bank passbooks.
The UDGAM search shows one dormant account. The company registrar confirms some shares were moved to IEPF because dividends went unclaimed for years.
Neither asset appeared in any app. Without the cupboard folder, both would have stayed invisible to the family.
This is why we always say inventory first, apps second.
Step 4: Choose One Home for Your Data
Now that you have a complete list and official statements, you need one place to bring them together. This is where apps come in.
There are three broad choices. Each suits a different kind of person.
Option A: An all-in-one tracker app
Apps like INDmoney, Kuvera and MProfit can pull data from CAS, MF Central, depositories and Account Aggregators. INDmoney's net worth page lists stocks, funds, deposits, EPF, NPS, gold and property.
This suits families who want automation and a visual dashboard. The trade-off is sharing data with a company that may also sell you products.
Option B: A spreadsheet you control
A well-structured spreadsheet gives you full control and privacy. Update it monthly from your CAS and quarterly for everything else.
This suits people who enjoy order and prefer not to link accounts. The trade-off is manual effort and the risk of formula errors.
Option C: A hybrid
Many of our clients use a hybrid. An app tracks the automated parts, and a small spreadsheet holds the invisible layer.
The spreadsheet also holds the notes apps cannot capture. Think nominee names, account types, and where physical documents are kept.
Choose the option you will still maintain two years from now. Consistency beats sophistication.
Safety rules, whatever you choose
Never share broker, bank or email passwords with any app.
Prefer consent-based imports like CAS, MF Central or Account Aggregators.
Read what the app does with your data, and whether you can delete it.
Turn on two-factor authentication on every financial account.
SEBI's 2023 consultation paper on Account Aggregator use cases warns about credential sharing. It notes this can lead to fraud or mis-selling. That risk is easy to avoid with consent-based imports.
Step 5: Add What No App Can See
Even the best tracker misses some assets. These need deliberate manual entry, with a date beside each value.
Property
Record each property's ownership, current estimated value and any loan against it. Note rental income separately.
Property values are estimates, so update them once a year. Avoid inflating them, because that distorts your whole picture.
Gold
Physical gold, jewellery and coins rarely appear in any statement. Record approximate weight and purity, then value them conservatively.
Sovereign gold bonds and gold ETFs usually appear in your CAS. Do not count them twice.
ESOPs and RSUs
Employee stock options often sit with an overseas plan administrator. Record vested and unvested units separately.
Only vested units are truly yours. Unvested units can disappear if you change jobs.
Insurance
Record each policy's insurer, policy number, sum assured, nominee and premium due date. Investment-linked policies also need a current fund value.
Pure term insurance has no investment value. Record it anyway, because your family must know it exists.
Loans and pledged assets
If any investment is pledged as collateral for a loan, note it clearly. Pledged assets cannot be freely sold until the pledge is released.
👉 Tip: Put a "last updated" date next to every manual value. A stale number is worse than no number.
Step 6: Tag Every Holding with the Details That Matter
A value alone tells you very little. The real usefulness of a tracker comes from the details beside each value.
For every holding, add these tags:
Owner: Single, joint, or held for a minor.
Nominee: Who receives it, and whether the nomination is registered.
Account type: Especially for NRIs, whether it is NRE, NRO, FCNR, foreign or GIFT City.
Currency: Rupees, dollars, dirhams or another currency.
Asset class:Equity, debt, gold, property or cash.
Liquidity: Whether you can access it within a week, a year, or only at maturity.
Goal: Which goal this money is meant for.
Tagging by goal is the habit that changes behaviour most. Money labelled "daughter's education" is far less likely to be spent on a whim.
Nominations deserve special attention
Missing or outdated nominations are among the most common problems we find. They create delays and stress for families at the worst possible time.
SEBI issued a circular on revising and revamping nomination facilities in the securities market in January 2025. A later SEBI circular of December 2025 deferred one implementation phase of that framework.
Reports such as this Moneylife summary note one key change. Investors can now add multiple nominees to mutual fund folios and demat accounts. The stated goal is to reduce unclaimed assets.
Use your tracking project to check every nomination. Update anything outdated, especially after marriage, divorce or a death in the family.
A missing nominee can turn a simple transfer into months of paperwork for your family.
Step 7: Set a Review Rhythm You Can Keep
Tracking is not a one-time project. Once your system is set up, a short, regular review keeps it accurate.
Here is a simple calendar that works for most families.
The monthly CAS check is also a security habit. It helps you spot unauthorised transactions quickly.
Do not track too often
There is a risk on the other side as well. Some investors start checking their tracker several times a day.
This rarely improves decisions. It usually increases anxiety and tempts people to react to short-term noise.
Our article on how to simplify your investments explains why fewer, clearer holdings make reviews easier.
Step 8: Create a Family Access File
This final step is about people, not numbers. Your tracker is only useful to your family if they can find and understand it.
Create a simple, secure document that lists:
Every account and holding from your inventory, with the institution's name.
Where physical documents are kept, such as property papers and policy bonds.
Contacts for your advisor, chartered accountant and relationship managers.
The location of your will, and the executor's name.
Do not store passwords in this file. Store where to find things, not how to log in.
Share the file's location with one or two trusted family members. Review it every year.
If you live abroad, estate planning has extra layers. Our guide to retirement and estate planning for NRIs covers these. So does our guide to writing a will in the UAE.
A reflective note here. Many families we meet have done well financially, but have never spoken openly about money.
A family access file does not need a long conversation. It needs one honest hour, and it protects the people you care about most.
👉 Tip: Tell at least one family member that the access file exists, and where it is. A hidden file helps no one.
For Resident Indians: Bringing Global Investments into the Picture
This section is for resident Indians. NRIs can skip to the next section, which is written for them.
More resident Indians now hold some money outside India. This could be US stocks, a GIFT City mutual fund, foreign ESOPs or an overseas account.
These holdings usually sit outside your CAS. That makes them the easiest to forget, and the most important to track.
Why foreign holdings need extra care
Resident Indians must report foreign assets in the income tax return every year. This applies even when nothing was bought or sold.
A clean record of each foreign holding, with its opening date, peak value and closing value, makes this far easier. If your foreign holdings are complex, our tax filing service handles foreign asset reporting.
Track the currency separately
When you hold dollar assets, two things move your return. The asset price moves, and the rupee moves against the dollar.
Record each foreign holding in its own currency first. Then convert to rupees for your overall view.
This way, you can see whether a gain came from the investment or from currency movement. That clarity helps you judge each holding fairly.
Is your whole portfolio in one country?
Once everything sits in one place, many resident investors notice something uncomfortable. Almost all their wealth depends on India and the rupee.
That is a concentration risk, even if Indian markets have done well. Our guide to building a portfolio outside India explains why some global exposure makes sense.
There is also an opportunity cost to staying fully domestic. Global markets offer sectors and companies that Indian markets simply do not have.
Adding global exposure that is easy to track
If you want global exposure without many new accounts, a GIFT City mutual fund is one tidy option. These funds are USD-denominated and regulated by IFSCA.
For example, the DSP Global Equity Fund gives exposure to global equities. You can compare options with our GIFT City mutual funds tool.
Our pillar guide on how to invest in the USA from India compares every route, including direct US stocks.
One well-chosen global fund is easier to track than ten random foreign stocks.
Stocks, IPOs and derivatives in your tracker
If you pick Indian stocks yourself, compare your results honestly with a simple index fund. Our coverage of the best stocks can support research, but your tracker should show the real outcome.
IPO allotments often land in a separate account and get forgotten. Add them to your tracker as soon as they are credited.
If you apply to IPOs through a regulated route, see our IPO offering. Our explainer on the GIFT City IPO covers listings in the IFSC.
Keep any futures and options positions separate from your long-term tracker. Short-term trades distort a long-term picture.
Many investors also watch global cues before the Indian market opens. Our GIFT Nifty tracker and GIFT Nifty weekly outlook give that context.
If you want to understand the contract itself, read about GIFT Nifty futures. Our GIFT Nifty historical data and GIFT Nifty chart guide help with patterns.
Remember that market tracking is not portfolio tracking. Your review rhythm from Step 7 matters more than daily prices.
For NRIs: Tracking Money Across Countries and Account Types
Now we switch audiences. This section is for NRIs living and earning outside India.
As an NRI, your money crosses borders, currencies and tax rules. That adds two extra layers to the system above.
Layer one: account type matters as much as balance
NRE, NRO and FCNR accounts follow different rules on tax and repatriation. Mixing them up leads to costly mistakes.
Our guide to NRE, NRO and FCNR accounts explains the differences simply. Tag every Indian account by type in your tracker.
Also note which investments are repatriable. Our explainer on repatriable versus non-repatriable investments shows why this tag matters.
Layer two: two home currencies
Most NRIs think in two currencies. Your earning currency matters for life abroad, and rupees matter for goals in India.
Record each holding in its own currency, then view the total in both. This shows your true exposure to the rupee.
For an NRI, a single rupee total hides half the story.
Too many banks, too many accounts
NRIs often open accounts with several Indian banks over the years. Each one adds statements, KYC updates and minimum balance rules.
Our guide on holding NRE accounts with multiple banks covers the trade-offs. If an account no longer serves a purpose, read how to close an NRI account cleanly.
Keep your KYC current across all of them. Our guide on linking Aadhaar and PAN with your NRI bank account helps avoid frozen accounts.
A Dubai scenario: the deposit map
Imagine you are working in Dubai, with NRE FDs at three Indian banks. You also have an NRO account for rent from a flat in Kochi. You also hold a UAE brokerage account and some GIFT City funds.
When you list everything, you notice two FDs maturing in the same month. Neither has instructions, so both will auto-renew at whatever rate applies then.
Our guide to FD maturity planning for NRIs helps you decide whether to reinvest, repatriate or redeploy. Add every maturity date to your calendar.
Before your next FD matures: compare current NRI deposit rates with our NRI FD rates tool. If you would rather hold dollars, look at USD fixed deposits through Belong.
Our comparison of GIFT City FD versus FCNR, NRO and NRE FDs shows how each is taxed and repatriated. Tag each deposit under the correct type.
Track GIFT City holdings deliberately
GIFT City investments are in US dollars, sit in an Indian jurisdiction and follow IFSCA rules. Many Indian trackers will not pick them up automatically.
Add them manually, in dollars, with the fund name and date. Our tools list options like the Tata India Dynamic Equity Fund and the Sundaram India Mid Cap Fund.
Some investors also hold regional funds, such as the Edelweiss Greater China Equity Fund. Higher-ticket investors may use our GIFT City AIF tool to compare alternative funds.
Give every pot of money a job
Tracking works best when each pot has a clear purpose. Our guide to structuring your money as an NRI explains one practical approach.
Many NRIs find the three-bucket strategy helpful. It separates short-term safety money, medium-term goals and long-term growth.
When you plan to return to India
Your tracking system becomes even more valuable before a move back. Residency, tax treatment and reporting all change.
Once you become an ordinary resident, foreign assets must be reported in your Indian tax return every year. A clean record built while abroad makes this transition much easier.
Update KYC across every institution after your status changes. Our returning NRI KYC checklist lists what to update.
If you plan to buy a home, read about NRI home loans early. Lenders look closely at your CIBIL score, which may be thin after years abroad.
A domestic credit card is often the first step in rebuilding credit history. Our list of the best credit cards in India helps you choose sensibly.
👉 Tip: Start your consolidated tracker at least a year before you return. It will make every decision during the move calmer.
Decision Clarity: Where to Start Based on Your Situation
Here is the practical summary in simple rules.
If you have never consolidated before, start with Step 1 and Step 2 only. Do not download any app yet.
If your money is mostly in mutual funds, use MF Central and your CAS as the core of your system.
If you have old paper certificates or dormant accounts, spend your first weekend on Step 3.
If you hold foreign assets as a resident, add a currency column and keep records for tax reporting.
If you are an NRI, tag every account by type and track in two currencies.
If you are returning to India within a year or two, build your system now, before residency changes.
If privacy is your main concern, use official statements and a personal spreadsheet only.
What Resident Indians Should Do, and What NRIs Should Do
If you are a resident Indian
Build a full inventory, including liabilities and family holdings.
Use CAS, MF Central and AIS as your official baseline.
Search UDGAM and IEPF for forgotten money once a year.
Track foreign holdings separately, in their own currency.
Check every nomination and create a family access file.
If you are an NRI
Tag every Indian account as NRE, NRO, FCNR, foreign or GIFT City.
Track holdings in both your earning currency and rupees.
Map every FD maturity and decide in advance what happens to it.
Close accounts that no longer serve a purpose, and keep KYC current.
Build a clean record before you return, so resident reporting is simple.
One closing thought. In our experience, families that track well do not have more money. They have fewer surprises.
If you want help bringing it all together: our team helps NRIs and resident Indians consolidate portfolios. Explore our mutual fund offering, or speak to Belong. We are a SEBI-registered advisory team, and our licences are listed here.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the easiest way to track all my investments in one place?
Start with your Consolidated Account Statement, which combines demat holdings and mutual funds by PAN. Add bank deposits through an Account Aggregator app. Then record property, gold, insurance and foreign assets manually in one tracker or spreadsheet.
Does my CAS show bank FDs, EPF and NPS?
CAS mainly covers demat holdings and mutual funds. NPS can be added to CAS with your consent, as per a PFRDA circular. Bank FDs and EPF need to be tracked separately, through bank records and the EPFO portal.
How do I find old or forgotten bank accounts in India?
The RBI's UDGAM portal lets you search unclaimed deposits across participating banks in one place. For unclaimed shares and dividends transferred to the government fund, check the IEPF refund process.
How should NRIs track NRE, NRO and foreign accounts together?
Tag each account by type, because tax and repatriation rules differ. Track holdings in their own currency, then view totals in both rupees and your earning currency. A spreadsheet often works better than an Indian app for the foreign part.
How often should I update my investment tracker?
Check your CAS monthly, update manual values quarterly and review allocation every six months. Before tax filing each year, match your records with AIS and review foreign assets.
Sources
PFRDA: Inclusion of NPS statement of transactions in CAS, August 2023
Department of Financial Services: Account Aggregator framework
SEBI: Circular on nomination framework timeline, December 2025
SEBI: Consultation paper on Account Aggregator use cases, August 2023
Moneylife: SEBI nomination changes for mutual funds and demat accounts
Disclaimer
This article is for education and general information only. It is not investment, tax or legal advice for your specific situation.
Regulatory processes, portals and app features change over time. Verify current steps on the official website of each regulator or institution before acting.
App names are mentioned for illustration only. Their inclusion is not an endorsement by Belong.
Investments carry market risk. Consult a qualified professional on tax, nomination and estate matters.