AlphaDesk User Guide
Everything you need to run your advisory practice — market data, AI memos, portfolio tracking, fee billing, and more.
Getting Started
AlphaDesk is an OS for registered investment advisors — live market data, AI-generated investment memos, portfolio management, and institutional fee billing in one platform.
Plan Tiers
Market Dashboard
Real-time market data for the indices and sectors your clients care about — updated throughout the trading day.
Index Overview
| Ticker | What It Tracks | Why It Matters for Advisors |
|---|---|---|
| S&P 500 | 500 largest US public companies | Benchmark for most equity portfolios |
| NASDAQ | Tech-heavy composite index | Growth stock exposure signal |
| Dow Jones | 30 blue-chip industrial stocks | Traditional market sentiment gauge |
| VIX | CBOE Volatility Index | Market fear gauge — high VIX = client anxiety calls |
| 10Y Treasury | US 10-year bond yield | Risk-free rate baseline; affects bond & equity valuations |
Sector ETF Sidebar
The sidebar shows all 11 GICS sectors with their daily performance. Sectors are color-coded: green for gains, red for losses. This gives you a fast read on rotation trends before client calls.
| ETF | Sector |
|---|---|
| XLK | Technology |
| XLF | Financials |
| XLV | Health Care |
| XLE | Energy |
| XLI | Industrials |
| XLP | Consumer Staples |
| XLY | Consumer Discretionary |
| XLB | Materials |
| XLRE | Real Estate |
| XLU | Utilities |
| XLC | Communication Services |
AI Investment Memos
Institutional-quality investment memos generated in ~14 seconds. Use them to prepare for client meetings, document investment rationale, or communicate market views.
Memo History & Timeline
Every memo is saved with a timestamp and stored in your account. Access past memos from the briefing timeline or the AI Memos section. Memos are private to your account.
Morning Briefing
A curated daily briefing covering what moved overnight, key macro events, and what to watch today — written for advisors, not traders.
What's Included
- Overnight market summary — what happened in Asia and Europe before US open
- Pre-market movers — stocks moving significantly before the bell
- Macro calendar — Fed meetings, CPI releases, earnings, key economic data
- Sector themes — rotation signals and sector-specific news
- Client conversation starters — what your clients are likely reading and asking about
Accessing Briefings
Portfolios
Track public and private holdings for each client. Public holdings get live prices; private/alternative assets use manual NAV updates.
Adding a Portfolio
Holding Types
| Type | Examples | Pricing | Updates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public Holdings | Stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, bonds with a ticker | Live market price via API | Automatic, real-time |
| Private / Alternative | PE funds, hedge funds, real estate, venture, private credit | Manual NAV input | You update when you receive new statements |
Allocation & Drift Tracking
Each portfolio shows a breakdown by asset class with target vs. actual allocation percentages. When market moves cause a holding to drift beyond its target band, AlphaDesk flags it so you can review and rebalance.
- Allocation pie — visual breakdown of the portfolio by asset type
- Drift indicators — red/amber flags when allocations exceed tolerance bands
- Valuation history — see how total portfolio value has changed over time
Fee Engine
Automate your billing workflow — from fee schedule setup to Schwab/Fidelity export files. Available on the Desk plan.
Fee Schedule Types
| Schedule Type | How It Works | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Tiered | Different % rates apply to different AUM breakpoints (e.g. 1% on first $1M, 0.75% on $1M–$5M, 0.5% above $5M) | Most common RIA structure |
| Flat Rate | Single % applied to total AUM regardless of size | Simple pricing or small accounts |
| Blended | Fixed annual dollar fee or combination of flat + tiered | Retainer-style advisory relationships |
Fee Calculator
The fee calculator shows you the exact dollar amount you'll bill each client based on their AUM and assigned schedule. Use it to verify billing before running exports.
Custodian File Export
Billing Groups & Households
Bill multiple accounts together under one household to qualify for better fee tiers. AlphaDesk aggregates AUM across all accounts in a group before calculating breakpoints.
- Create a billing group — go to Billing Groups tab, click + New Group, add accounts
- Held-away assets — include assets custodied elsewhere (external 401k, real estate) for fee calculation without including in the export
- Pay-from accounts — designate which account fees are deducted from within each household
CSV Client Import
Migrating from another system? Use the CSV Import Wizard under the Import Clients tab. The wizard walks you through column mapping, validation, and confirmation before importing.
Mobile Access & PWA
AlphaDesk works on any mobile browser. Install it as a Progressive Web App (PWA) for a native app experience — no App Store required.
Mobile Navigation
On mobile, the top nav collapses into a hamburger menu. Tap it to access all pages. All features are available on mobile — the layout adapts to smaller screens.
Offline Mode
AlphaDesk uses a service worker to cache previously-loaded pages. If you lose connectivity, cached content (like past memos and portfolios) may still be accessible. Live market data requires an active connection.
Pricing & Billing
Analyst, Desk, Desk Team, and Enterprise options with monthly or annual billing. Upgrade or downgrade any time.
| Feature | Analyst — from $149/mo | Desk — from $599/mo |
|---|---|---|
| Live market dashboard | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| 11 sector ETF sidebar | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| AI Investment Memos | 10 / month | Unlimited |
| Morning Briefing | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Custom Ticker Watchlists | ✗ Not included | ✓ Included |
| Portfolio Drift Alerts | ✗ Not included | ✓ Included |
| Multi-Portfolio Support | ✗ Not included | ✓ Included |
| Client Management & CRM | ✗ Not included | ✓ Included |
| Client Onboarding Wizard | ✗ Not included | ✓ Included |
| Client Tasks | ✗ Not included | ✓ Included |
| Fee Engine & Billing | ✗ Not included | ✓ Included |
| Schwab / Fidelity Export | ✗ Not included | ✓ Included |
| Billing Groups / Households | ✗ Not included | ✓ Included |
| CSV Client Import | ✗ Not included | ✓ Included |
| Compliance Hub | ✗ Not included | ✓ Included |
| Compliance Calendar | ✗ Not included | ✓ Included |
| Compliance Audit Trail | ✗ Not included | ✓ Included |
| E-Signature Workflows | ✗ Not included | ✓ Included |
| Client-Ready PDF Export | ✗ Not included | ✓ Included |
| Support | Standard | Priority |