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How to use Atlas
Three steps to a full CFA-grade tearsheet on your portfolio. No credentials shared. Your data stays private and is never sold.
Download the template
The Atlas template is a standard .xlsx workbook with two pre-filled sheets and clear column headers. Open it in Excel, Numbers, or Google Sheets. Every row is a trade or a cash flow; there's no other special structure to learn.
Export your transactions
Find your brokerage below for step-by-step export instructions. Most brokerages let you download all transactions as a CSV in under 60 seconds. If your brokerage isn't listed, look for “Account activity → Export” or “Transaction history → Download.”
Fill in the template
Copy your transactions into the Trades tab, and any deposits/withdrawals/dividends into CashFlows. Atlas accepts any number of accounts (Taxable, Roth IRA, 401k, HSA, etc.) — just put your own label in the Account column.
| Date | Account | Symbol | Side | Quantity | Price | Fees | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-03-15 | Taxable | VOO | BUY | 50 | $420.00 | $0.00 | Initial S&P position |
| 2024-11-02 | Roth IRA | AAPL | BUY | 10 | $178.45 | $0.00 | — |
| 2025-01-20 | Taxable | VOO | DRIP | 0.1234 | $445.67 | $0.00 | Dividend reinvestment |
| 2025-04-05 | Taxable | VOO | SELL | 5 | $460.12 | $0.00 | Rebalance |
Trade execution date. Any date format that Excel understands.
Your own label — e.g. Taxable, Roth IRA, 401k, HSA, Joint.
Ticker in uppercase (VOO, AAPL). Options use the format UNDERLYING#... (see FAQ).
BUY, SELL, DRIP (dividend reinvestment), OPT_BUY, OPT_SELL, ABANDON.
Shares (or contracts for options — 1 contract = 100 shares).
Per-share execution price in USD. For options, premium per share (not total cost).
Total commissions and SEC/FINRA fees for this fill (optional; defaults to 0).
Free-form notes. Not used in calculations.
Don't have full history? Just enter your current positions with the original purchase date and average cost in a single BUY row per holding. Atlas will still give you weights, P&L, risk, beta, and the Brief.
CashFlows sheet is optional. Skip it entirely and every analytic still works. Adding deposits, withdrawals, dividends, interest, and fees unlocks true portfolio-level cash tracking and more precise time-weighted returns.
Not a spreadsheet person? Use the Enter manually tab on the dashboard — just type symbol, shares, and cost.
Account types — why the column matters
The Account column isn't just a label — it drives Atlas's Asset Location analysis, which flags holdings that are placed in a sub-optimal account type for their tax profile. Done well, asset location can add 0.25–0.75% per year to after-tax return without changing your overall allocation.
Taxable
- Taxable — individual brokerage
- Joint Taxable — JTWROS
- Trust — revocable or irrevocable
Tax-Deferred (pre-tax)
- Traditional IRA
- 401k / 403b / 457b
- SEP IRA / SIMPLE IRA / Solo 401k
Tax-Free
- Roth IRA / Roth 401k
- HSA — triple-tax-advantaged
Specialized
- 529 — education savings
- UGMA / UTMA — custodial
- DAF — donor-advised fund
Rough placement heuristic:put tax-inefficient assets (bonds, REITs, high-yield, high turnover) in tax-deferred; put highest-growth assets in tax-free (Roth / HSA); put tax-efficient broad equities and international (for the foreign tax credit) in taxable. Muni bonds only in taxable — they're already tax-free, and placing them in an IRA wastes the advantage.
Atlas doesn't tell you to move anything. It surfaces the placement grade and the reasoning; decisions are yours and your advisor's.
Upload and go
Head to the dashboard and drag your completed workbook into the drop zone. Atlas will parse it, pull live prices and factor data, and render a full tearsheet in 20–60 seconds.
Go to dashboardFrequently asked
Atlas is an educational research tool. Outputs are informational only and not investment, tax, or legal advice. Market data and AI-generated commentary can be inaccurate. Always verify with a licensed professional before acting. Full disclaimer.