• Registered: 2012-11-09
  • Posts: 2

Topic: Help function; Brokerage

I'm just beginning to lean the investment process.  Recently downloaded Icarra to my PC desktop.  Now trying to set up a test portfolio, which I can name OK but not get any results.  Questions:
1.  When I click FILE>HELP I get a pop screen that says "Help coming..." and then nothing else happens.  Is this correct?  or a bug?
2.  Do I have to be signed up with a broker to import  stock data for my portfolio?  I can get prices manually on-line thru MSN.COM, but I can't seem to make anything work in Icarra after I enter a cash deposit and then a stock symbol.  Where can I find more in-depth help?

  • Jesse
  • Administrator
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  • Registered: 2009-09-22
  • Posts: 112

Re: Help function; Brokerage

There is no help right now.  It's not a bug, just a non-implemented feature.

Icarra is designed around importing transaction data from your brokerage.  You can still use Icarra if you don't have a brokerage but you will have to enter transactions manually.  Is your goal to track your investing performance?

  • Registered: 2012-11-09
  • Posts: 2

Re: Help function; Brokerage

Jesse wrote:

There is no help right now.  It's not a bug, just a non-implemented feature.

Icarra is designed around importing transaction data from your brokerage.  You can still use Icarra if you don't have a brokerage but you will have to enter transactions manually.  Is your goal to track your investing performance?

Thanks.  Using the application is not obvious, and it would be great to have some basic instructions on how to use it before I sign up with a broker.  It is indeed my goal to track investing performance, first with a trial portfolio or two, then with the real thing, as I learn more.  I can manually enter cash and buys (which show negative dollars), which I don't mind doing.  But are you implying that, if I have no broker, I would also have to enter all stock values by hand in addition to transactions?  I'm doing that now in two Excel files, but it's tedious, and I was hoping that Icarra had some easier way of updating portfolio values by connecting with one of the reporting services or exchanges.

Sorry for such ignorant questions, but the fact is, I'm pretty ignorant (but learning!).  Terry

  • Jesse
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  • Registered: 2009-09-22
  • Posts: 112

Re: Help function; Brokerage

ACKFAN wrote:

Thanks.  Using the application is not obvious, and it would be great to have some basic instructions on how to use it before I sign up with a broker.  It is indeed my goal to track investing performance, first with a trial portfolio or two, then with the real thing, as I learn more.  I can manually enter cash and buys (which show negative dollars), which I don't mind doing.  But are you implying that, if I have no broker, I would also have to enter all stock values by hand in addition to transactions?  I'm doing that now in two Excel files, but it's tedious, and I was hoping that Icarra had some easier way of updating portfolio values by connecting with one of the reporting services or exchanges.

Sorry for such ignorant questions, but the fact is, I'm pretty ignorant (but learning!).  Terry

Hi Terry,

No problem at all and these are not bad questions!  You do not need to enter pricing information yourself.  As long as the tickers you enter are valid (MSFT, AAPL, XOM, etc.) then Icarra will automatically download the price data at the end of the day.  Downloading transactions from a broker simply eases the difficulty of maintaining a portfolio.  If you only enter a few buy transactions by hand it's not a big deal but a lot of people have several hundred or thousand transactions.  Entering those all by hand can be quite a pain.

Jesse