Amateur Investment and personal finance tutorial.

On this page you can learn a lot more about the best free software program "Amateur Invest". - This is a small online tutorial based primarily on pictures from the program.

There is also an online Amateur Invest manual here on the internet, as well as the manual that can be reached from within the program by pushing the F1 key or the help buttons. Those manuals explain the program in detail, and usually delivers explanations for the exact window, you are using.

The best free Amateur Investment online tutorial here is based mostly on pictures, together with small explanations. Used in combination with the online manuals, it gives the hole picture of the many things that Amateur Invest can do for you. But you can now also see a demo / screencast that shows you key features of the program.

Please scroll down the page to find tutorials about both the investment part and the banking parts of the program.

By clicking on each of the small pictures you can get an enlarged picture.

The main window of the program looks like this:

From the main window, almost all other parts of the program can be reached.

Tutorial for investment part :

Downloading prices:

Prerequisites: Set up securities in the securities window or download more security definitions via the internet.
Why: Because you'll not be able to download prices unless a security/company has been set up with a correct "import id" code.

There are 2 ways of doing this:

1) Either use the "Import Tasks" wizard. The wizard is available in an opened window, when you start the program:

Push the "Check" button and then the "Execute" button.

2) Or use the "Import/Export" button and window. The button is located in the main window, left hand side:

Push the "Import" button because other choices a made by default.

Downloading more security definitions:

Prerequisites: Internet connection - set up correctly also with firewall, proxy, etc. inside the "Admin" window in Amateur Invest.
Why: Downloading will eliminate the need for typing them in yourself. A connection must be established to get more predefined securities.

There are 2 ways of doing this.

1) Either use the "Import Tasks" wizard. The wizard is available in an opened window, when you start the program:

Set a mark next to "More securities" and push the "Execute" button.

2) Or use the "Import/Export" button and window. The button is located in the main window, left hand side:

Push the "Securities" button.

Adding a security by yourself:

Prerequisites: Knowing the import id code from Yahoo.
Why: Because Amateur Invest needs a way to know which price to get for each security/company.

From the main window, push the "Securities" button and open the securities window:

Push the "Add" button.

The important fields here are the "Name" field, the "Currency" field and the "Import ID" field.

The "import id" field has to contain a correct code that can be found on Yahoo. Read more about this under import codes and in the how to guide. You should also set the currency field. - In coorporation with setting a base currency in the "Admin" window, and getting currency exchange rates, this makes it possible to see international investments in your own currency.

Buying and adding securities to your portfolio:

Prerequisites: Having set up the security or downloaded security definitions via the internet.
Why: Because Amateur Invest need to know the securities/companies before you can add them to your portfolio - and to be able to get prices, and update the value of your buys.

From the main window, push the "Portfolio" button and open the portfolio window. Push the "Buy" button:

Push the "Add/Buy" button.

The list of available securities, comes from the securities window. - So you need to set up a security there before you can add it to your portfolio.

Selling securities from your your portfolio:

Prerequisites: Having added a buy to your portfolio.
Why: Because you cannot do a sell without having bought first. Short selling can be accomplished by "buying a negative amount of securities".

From the main window, push the "Portfolio" button and open the portfolio window. Push the "Sell" button:

Taking international investments (currencies) into account:

Prerequisites: Set a base currency in the "Admin" window.
Why: Because setting a base currency, plus adding currency exchange rates, plus setting a currency when adding securities, makes it possible to see your investments all in the same base currency.

From the main window, on the second most horizontal line, select the menu "Bank" and from the list, choose "Currency":

Alarms and watches:

Prerequisites:
Why:

In the main widow, the alarms and watches window is always available:

Technical analysis:

Prerequisites:
Why:

From the "watches" window, push the icon for technical analysis:

Investment wizard:

Prerequisites:
Why:

From the "watches" window, push the icon for the investment wizard:

Financial calendar:

Prerequisites:
Why:

From the "watches" window, push the icon for financial calendar:

Financial links:

Prerequisites:
Why:

From the "watches" window, push the icon for technical analysis:

Graph:

Prerequisites:
Why:

From the "watches" window, push the icon for technical analysis:

Tutorial for Banking part:

Adding a bank account:

Prerequisites: None.
Why: Because setting up a bank account is the starting point - the basis - for the banking part of the program.

From the "watches" window, push the icon for technical analysis:

When you add a bank account, you can set up different default interest rates.

Transactions on an account:

Prerequisites: Having set up a bank account.
Why: Because otherwise there is no way to know which account a transaction belongs to.

From the "watches" window, push the icon for technical analysis:

You can enter your own transactions, or you can havde them imported in the im- / export window.

Budgeting:

Prerequisites: Having set up bank accounts and made transactions to those accounts.
Why: Because budget codes are set on transactions, so it is possible to sum up and group transactions to be able to compare them to a budget.

From the "watches" window, push the icon for technical analysis:

More:

Besides the above mentioned functions, there is a lot more, that Amateur Invest can do. You have reports, filters, graphs, technical analysis', investment wizards, and much more.

Please "play" around with the program, and try the many functions - do not be afraid to explore all of the program. That is the best way to learn, and ultimately the best tutorial: learning by doing. Use the "F1" keyboard key and/or help buttons in the program - explanations are usually given.

Disclaimer: The software program Amateur Invest can only aid you in making your investment decisions. You and only you yourself is responsible for the investments you make. Good investment advice dictates that you seek information from many sources before you invest. Amateur Invest and Simply Data cannot be held responsible for your investments.

- Free to download
- Free to try, and easy to use!

The name "Amateur Invest" is used because it is a program that is easy to use, also for the not so trained investor. But at the same time it is a very broad program, that you can grow with. It also has many features also found in expensive professional programs. Invest like a pro...

Read more about, what Amateur Invest can do for you on these pages: