Let me start by saying that...
Most online brokers do not make it easy for their clients!
There are absolutely no standards for trade history reporting from one broker to the next. This presents a real challenge for any trader who wants to analyze his or her trade history.
How does one get their trades into some sort of trade analysis software or spreadsheet? How can this be done for several different brokers?
What do they provide?
Some brokers provide simple trade history reports while others provide very complex statements or reports which have so much HTML formatting that it makes it virtually impossible for any one to copy and paste the information into a personal spreadsheet! Few provide a comma or tab delimited text file or Excel file download, and even these differ greatly in column formatting.
A few brokers have interfaces to personal finance software programs such as Quicken or MS Money. But these programs were never designed to handle the volumes of trades made by the active trader, and most have serious limitations when it comes to properly matching these to IRS requirements.
Active traders need to analyze their profits and losses. Trades must be imported and matched. This needs to do be done simply and regularly if they are to ever get a handle on their trading gains and losses.
This may be the most overlooked problem facing active traders today.
David Eich, Author
TradeLog? trade accounting and tax software
http://www.armencomp.com/tradelog
Financial markets provide their participants with the most favorable conditions... Read More
Ever jumped out of an airplane? It's OK if you... Read More
I love roller coasters. The steeper the better. High and... Read More
Well, not really. What I mean is I don't mind... Read More
In today's volatile and confusing stock markets everyone is searching... Read More
You should ignore analysts on TV, the radio, the newspaper... Read More
Both the stock market and oil prices rallied recently, which... Read More
Refuse is a serious issue in any society, about as... Read More
One of the most believed bits of conventional wisdom from... Read More
Sometime around 1980, can't remember exactly, there was a flight... Read More
As I said in Part I everyone in the insane... Read More
'Sector funds are too risky.' 'I doubled my money with... Read More
With an insecure job market, overworked employees, insufficient retirement savings... Read More
Every year I go to the Money Show in Orlando,... Read More
You have a lock on your house. You have a... Read More
Disclaimer: Please note that I do not necessarily purchase, own,... Read More
Success in small cap & micro cap stock trading like... Read More
It takes a total mental commitment to the task. It... Read More
People are constantly asking me why is the stock market... Read More
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall and all the King's... Read More
If you haven't heard of the technical indicator with the... Read More
The basis of diminishing return discussions surround such simple notions;... Read More
The Dow TheoryCharles H. Dow... Read More
The spring-loaded rat catcher is the ultimate low-tech device invented... Read More
Sidney felt sick as she looked at her latest OptionsXpress... Read More
Index Fund Trading can be one of the most profitable...or... Read More
"If you don't know where you are going, any road... Read More
One of the great "secrets" of successful people is discipline... Read More
With all the bad news that has been dumped upon... Read More
Having lived aboard a sailboat for 2 years I was... Read More
Even if you don't own any of their stock or... Read More
The following are a list of nine things you want... Read More
As an investor you will want to check out any... Read More
AS BUILDERS BEGIN WORK ON THE FREEDOM TOWER in New... Read More
During the day I watch CNBC-TV, the stock market channel.... Read More
Alfred Winslow Jones started hedge funds in 1949. He was... Read More
If you go to Haiti or other places in the... Read More
There has been great condemnation recently because China has been... Read More
Forget making a profit; instead focus on the income provided... Read More
I have watched my cat play with a bag of... Read More
You may have wondered why your mutual funds have been... Read More
Should the market turn against you, it is important that... Read More
The Surgeon General of the United States says that smoking... Read More
Are you attracted to the idea of being in control... Read More
After some forty years of banking and investments, I retired... Read More
Whenever I see mutual fund comparisons in the trade publications... Read More
Well, not really. What I mean is I don't mind... Read More
Ever notice how behavior in one area of life can... Read More
In his wonderful book, 'Multiple Streams of Income', best selling... Read More
First let's see what protectionism is. According to Mr. Webster... Read More
As one of my regular readers you know I have... Read More
The World Bank claims that some two billion of the... Read More
Much like the middle child, mid-cap stocks have long struggled... Read More
All stock trading and investing methods must deal with the... Read More
With the internet such a huge part of our daily... Read More
During our travel down life's path we come to many... Read More
A stock market index is a statistical measure of changes... Read More
One of the great truisms of Wall Street is "Don't... Read More
When is a dividend not a dividend?The latest thing "conservative"... Read More
04/28/2005NASDAQ dropped -12.5% year to date in 2005. S&P500 index... Read More
One of the greatest challenges of investing in stocks is... Read More
Most stock market traders have a favorite technical indicator.The one... Read More
Wall Street has been preaching for years and years to... Read More
Right now there doesn't seem to be any "gold fever".... Read More
We all know the expression, "My country, right or wrong",... Read More
Most stock traders know that momentum trading can be a... Read More
Stocks & Mutual Fund |