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Portfolio Guide
A complete walkthrough of how to add stocks to your portfolio, record trades, understand pricing modes, and track your investment performance.
Your First Trade
Adding a stock to your portfolio is done by recording a trade. Here's how to buy your first stock step by step.
Go to the Portfolio page
Navigate to the Portfolio page from the sidebar (desktop) or bottom tab bar (mobile). Scroll down to the "Record Trade" section.
Select a ticker
Open the Ticker dropdown and choose the stock you want to add. All 22+ LuSE-listed companies are available — displayed as "SYMBOL — Company Name" (e.g. "ZCCM — ZCCM Investments Holdings").
Set the side to "Buy"
The Side dropdown defaults to "Buy". Keep it as is for your first trade. You'll only use "Sell" when you want to close or reduce a position later.
Enter the trade date
Select the date the trade took place. This can be today or a past date if you're entering a historical trade.
Choose a pricing mode
This determines how the price is set. For your first trade, "Market lookup" is the simplest — it fetches the current market price automatically. See the next section for all 4 modes.
Enter the quantity
Type in how many shares you purchased. For market lookup and manual price modes, this is required.
Click "Review Trade"
A confirmation modal will appear showing all the trade details — ticker, type, date, price, quantity, and total cost. Review everything carefully.
Click "Confirm & Submit"
Once you're satisfied, confirm the trade. Your portfolio will update instantly with the new position, and you'll see it in your Holdings Ledger.
First timer? Start with "Market lookup" pricing mode — it's the easiest. Just pick a ticker, enter how many shares, and submit. The platform handles the rest.
Understanding Pricing Modes
The platform offers 4 pricing modes to match different scenarios — whether you know the exact price, just the total amount, or want the platform to look it up.
Market Lookup
EasiestThe platform fetches the current market price automatically.
Fields required
Example
You want to buy 100 shares of ZCCM at whatever the current price is. Select "Market lookup", enter 100, and submit. The platform will use the latest market price.
Best for: When you want to record a trade at the current market price without typing it manually.
Manual Price Per Share
PreciseYou specify exactly how much you paid per share.
Fields required
Example
You bought 50 shares of NATB at ZMW 3.25 each last week. Select this mode, enter 50 for quantity and 3.25 for price.
Best for: When you know the exact price you paid (e.g. entering a historical trade or a trade at a specific price).
Manual Total
FlexibleYou enter the total amount you spent. The platform calculates how many shares that buys at the current market price.
Fields required
Example
You invested ZMW 5,000 in SCBL. Enter 5000 as the total. The platform looks up the market price and calculates shares automatically (e.g. if SCBL is ZMW 25 per share, you get 200 shares).
Best for: When you know how much money you invested but not the exact number of shares.
Manual Total & Price
Full controlYou enter both the total amount and the price per share. The platform calculates the number of shares.
Fields required
Example
You invested ZMW 10,000 in ZCCM at ZMW 50 per share. Enter 10000 for total and 50 for price. The platform calculates 200 shares.
Best for: When you know both the total amount and the exact price per share (e.g. from a broker statement).
The Confirmation Screen
Every trade goes through a confirmation screen before being submitted. This is your chance to review all the details and catch any mistakes.
What You'll See
Ticker
The stock symbol (e.g. ZCCM)
Type
Buy or Sell
Date
The trade date you selected
Price per share
Market price or your manual entry
Quantity
Number of shares (entered or auto-calculated)
Total cost
Price × Quantity
Confirm & Submit
If everything looks correct, click the green confirmation button. The trade is recorded, your portfolio metrics update immediately, and the new position appears in your Holdings Ledger.
Cancel
If something is wrong, click "Cancel" to go back and edit the form. No trade is recorded until you confirm.
For the Manual Total and Manual Total & Price modes, the confirmation screen will show the auto-calculated number of shares — so you can verify it makes sense before confirming.
Selling Stocks
Selling works the same as buying, with a few differences. Here's what to know:
Change the side to "Sell"
In the Record Trade form, change the Side dropdown from "Buy" to "Sell".
Select the ticker you own
Choose a stock that you have in your portfolio. You can only sell shares you actually hold.
Enter quantity and pricing
Enter how many shares to sell and choose a pricing mode, just like a buy trade.
Review and confirm
The confirmation screen shows the sell details. Confirm to record the sale.
How FIFO Works for Sales
When you sell, the platform uses FIFO (First In, First Out) to determine which lots are being sold. This means:
- •The earliest shares you bought are sold first.
- •Realized P/L is calculated based on the cost of those specific lots vs. the sell price.
- •If you bought shares at different prices, a single sale may span multiple lots.
Example
You bought 100 shares of ZCCM at ZMW 40, then later 50 more at ZMW 45. If you sell 120 shares at ZMW 50: the first 100 are matched against the ZMW 40 lot (profit = ZMW 10 × 100 = ZMW 1,000), and the next 20 against the ZMW 45 lot (profit = ZMW 5 × 20 = ZMW 100). Total realized P/L = ZMW 1,100.
Understanding Your Metrics
Your portfolio page shows several key metrics. Here's what each one means:
Total Cost (Capital Deployed)
The total amount of money you've invested across all your buy trades. This is your cost basis — what you spent to acquire your holdings.
Market Value
The current market value of all your open positions, based on the latest stock prices. If Market Value > Total Cost, you're in profit.
Unrealized P/L
Your "paper" profit or loss — the difference between Market Value and Total Cost for positions you still hold. This changes as stock prices move. Shown in ZMW and as a percentage.
Realized P/L
The actual profit or loss from sold positions. This is locked in when you sell — calculated using the FIFO method. Positive means you sold for more than you paid.
Simple Return
Your overall percentage return: (Market Value - Total Cost) ÷ Total Cost × 100. A quick measure of how your portfolio is performing.
XIRR (Money-Weighted Return)
A more advanced return metric that accounts for the timing and size of your cash flows. It answers: 'What annualized rate of return did my money actually earn, considering when I invested?'
Time-Weighted Return
Measures pure investment performance independent of cash flow timing. Useful for comparing your portfolio's performance against a benchmark.
Performance Charts
Your portfolio includes several visual tools to help you understand your performance at a glance.
Portfolio Value Chart
An interactive line chart tracking your total portfolio value over time. Use the time range buttons to zoom in or out:
Ranges marked Premium require a Premium subscription.
Individual Holding Chart
Select any ticker from the dropdown to see a dedicated value chart for just that holding. Useful for understanding which stocks are driving your performance.
Unrealized P/L Bar Chart
A bar chart showing the unrealized P/L for each holding. Green bars = profit, red bars = loss. Quickly see which stocks are winners and which aren't.
Allocation Pie Chart
A donut chart showing what percentage of your portfolio each stock makes up. Helps you understand concentration risk and diversification.
Transaction History
Every trade you record is saved in the Transaction Log at the bottom of the Portfolio page.
Transaction Log Columns
Date
When the trade occurred
Type
Buy (green) or Sell (red)
Ticker
The stock symbol
Quantity
Number of shares
Price
Price per share (ZMW)
Total
Total trade value (ZMW)
Deleting a Transaction
Each row has a delete button. Click it to remove that specific trade. A confirmation dialog will appear before the trade is permanently deleted. This will recalculate your portfolio automatically.
Deleting a trade is permanent and will recalculate your entire portfolio — including realized P/L if the deleted trade was a sell. Use with caution.
Managing Your Portfolio
Beyond recording trades, you have full control over your portfolio with these management tools.
Remove a Ticker
In the Danger Zone at the bottom of the Portfolio page, you can remove a specific ticker and all its associated transactions from your portfolio.
Select the ticker from a dropdown, then click the delete button. A confirmation modal will appear.
Clear Entire Portfolio
Want to start fresh? The Danger Zone also has an option to delete your entire portfolio — all holdings, transactions, and performance history.
This is irreversible. A confirmation dialog will require you to click the delete button to proceed.
Refreshing Data
Your portfolio auto-refreshes with the latest market prices every 15 minutes. You can also manually refresh by navigating away and back, or by recording a new trade — which triggers a full recalculation.
Free vs Premium Limits
The portfolio features differ based on your subscription plan.
Free Plan
- •1 stock in your portfolio
- •Performance charts: 7 Days & 1 Month only
- •Chart data limited to 30 data points
- •Additional holdings are hidden with an upgrade prompt
- •A Limit Badge shows "1/1 tickers used"
Premium Plan
- •Unlimited stocks in your portfolio
- •All performance chart ranges: 7D through ALL
- •Full historical data with no truncation
- •All holdings visible at all times
- •No limit badge — add as many tickers as you like
Even on the Free plan, you can still trade your existing holdings (buy more or sell). The limit only restricts adding new tickers beyond your quota.
Tips & Best Practices
Make the most of your portfolio with these tips:
Record trades as they happen
The sooner you log a trade, the more accurate your performance tracking will be. The trade date field lets you backfill, but real-time entry is ideal.
Use the right pricing mode
If you have a broker statement with exact prices, use "Manual price per share" or "Manual total & price". If you just know the amount you spent, "Manual total" works great.
Check the confirmation screen
Always review the auto-calculated values (shares, total cost) in the confirmation modal before submitting. This is your safety net.
Review the P/L Bar Chart regularly
The unrealized P/L bar chart quickly shows you which holdings are outperforming and which may need attention. Use it for rebalancing decisions.
Use the allocation pie chart
If one stock dominates your portfolio, you may be over-concentrated. The pie chart helps you see this at a glance and decide whether to diversify.
Understand FIFO before selling
When you sell, the oldest shares are sold first. This matters for realized P/L. If you bought at different prices, the profit/loss depends on which lots get matched.
Ready to Build Your Portfolio?
You now know everything you need. Sign in and record your first trade.