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What you will accomplish
Create one investment account, add or import a few holdings and understand why its displayed value might differ from your brokerage statement.
1. Add the investment account
Open Portfolio and add an account with the correct account type and currency. Give it a name that makes sense to you, such as “Brokerage TFSA”. Account names help with organization but should not contain full account numbers.
2. Add or import holdings
Choose a supported import method for your brokerage data, or add holdings manually. Check each symbol, exchange, units and book cost when available. Automatic connections are optional and provider-dependent; they are not required to use Portfolio.
3. Work through a value example
Suppose your account contains 10 shares at $80 CAD, plus $200 CAD of uninvested cash. The illustrative holdings value is $800 and total account value is $1,000 only if the $200 cash has also been entered or synced. A holdings import does not guarantee its cash balance comes across.
4. Understand prices and currencies
Quotes can be delayed, missing or denominated in a different currency. If you hold a US-listed ETF, check whether its price is shown in USD and how Cashflow estimates its CAD value. A display conversion does not change the currency or tax treatment of your actual holding.
5. Verify the account total
Compare the statement date, share quantities and uninvested cash with the brokerage record. If the value differs, inspect stale quotes, currency selection, stock splits, unsupported symbols and the cash amount before editing investment transactions.
6. Review history and back up
Portfolio history and performance can require more complete data than a first import provides. Save a backup before extensive corrections. See why portfolio values differ and currency explanations.
Next step: How to include investment cash
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