Beginner Guide

How to Set Up Your First Investment Portfolio in 30 Minutes

You've opened a broker account but don't know where to start tracking your investments? You're in the right place. This guide takes you from registration to your first working dashboard in 30 minutes — no Excel formulas, no scattered spreadsheets.

You'll follow 10 simple steps, each with an estimated time. At the end you'll have a configured portfolio, a benchmark, active rebalancing alerts and a personalised dashboard.

Before You Start: Prerequisites Checklist

Check that you have everything you need. Just 5 things to get started.

An active broker account

Degiro, Scalable Capital, Fineco or any other broker. It doesn't matter which — DonkyCapital supports all major European brokers.

Your monthly investment amount

Even just an estimate. You'll need it to set goals and alerts. You can always change it later.

Your time horizon

Short (1–3 years), medium (3–10 years) or long term (10+ years). Your horizon influences the suggested risk tolerance.

A rough idea of your risk tolerance

Conservative, moderate or aggressive. If you're unsure, think about how you'd react to a 20% portfolio drop: does it scare you a lot? You're conservative.

30 minutes of uninterrupted time

Put your phone on silent. The initial setup requires focus, but then DonkyCapital works automatically.

The 30-Minute Plan

Here's how the 30 minutes are distributed. Each phase has precise goals.

Phase 1

0–5 min

Account & Setup

Register on DonkyCapital
Create your first portfolio
Assign a name and broker

Phase 2

5–15 min

Import Your Holdings

Export the CSV from your broker
Upload the file to DonkyCapital
Review the preview before confirming

Phase 3

15–25 min

Configure Your Dashboard

Add a benchmark (MSCI World or S&P 500)
Set allocation targets per asset class
Enable rebalancing alerts

Phase 4

25–30 min

Set Goals and Reminders

Explore the heatmap and performance chart
Set a monthly review reminder
Invite your partner (optional)

Step-by-Step Guide: The 10 Steps

Follow each step in the exact order. Each step includes estimated time and a practical tip.

Create your DonkyCapital account

2 min

Go to app.donkycapital.com and click "Sign Up". Enter your email and password — no credit card required. The free account already includes everything you need to start: CSV import, multi-broker support, benchmarks.

TIPUse the same email as your main broker so you don't get confused. Choose a strong password and save it in your password manager.

Create your first portfolio

1 min

In the dashboard, click "New Portfolio". Give it a name that identifies the broker — for example "My Degiro Portfolio". You can create separate portfolios for each broker later.

TIPUse descriptive names like "Degiro - Long-term Growth" or "Scalable - Monthly ETFs". It helps when you have multiple portfolios.

Export the CSV from your broker

5 min

The process varies by broker. Degiro: Portfolio → Activity → Export → CSV. Scalable Capital: use the dedicated Chrome extension to export transactions. Fineco: Reports → Excel/CSV. If your broker doesn't support export, skip to step 4 and add transactions manually.

TIPAlways select the widest date range available to import the full transaction history. More history = more accurate average cost calculation.

Import the CSV into DonkyCapital

2 min

Go to Settings → Import CSV. Select your broker from the list and upload the file. DonkyCapital will automatically map the columns. Before clicking "Confirm", review the transaction preview: verify that dates, quantities and prices are correct.

Verify your holdings

2 min

Go to the "Portfolio" section and compare the positions shown with your broker statement. The number of shares/units must match. If you see discrepancies, a transaction is probably missing — you can add it manually from "Add Transaction".

TIPDon't try to be perfect on the first attempt. Even 95% accuracy is a great starting point. You can correct it later.

Add a benchmark

1 min

Go to portfolio settings and select a reference benchmark. For a globally diversified portfolio: MSCI World. For a US-focused portfolio: S&P 500. The benchmark lets you understand whether you're actually outperforming the market.

TIPIf in doubt, choose MSCI World — it's the most widely used benchmark among European retail investors and represents 1,600+ companies in 23 developed countries.

Set allocation targets

3 min

In the "Allocation" section, set target percentages for each asset class. Example for a moderate profile: 70% equities, 20% bonds, 10% cash. Example for an aggressive profile: 90% equities (of which 20% emerging markets), 10% alternatives. You don't need decimal precision — these are guidelines.

Enable rebalancing alerts

2 min

In the alerts settings, enable rebalancing notifications with a deviation threshold. A ±5% threshold is a good starting point: you'll receive a notification only when an asset class deviates significantly from its target. This avoids excessive rebalancing that generates transaction costs.

TIPDon't set thresholds too low (like ±1%) or you'll get constant notifications. ±5% is the ideal balance between discipline and simplicity.

Explore your dashboard

5 min

Spend 5 minutes exploring the main sections. The heatmap shows individual asset performance visually. The performance chart compares your return against the benchmark. The P&L breakdown shows realised and unrealised gains and losses for each position.

TIPCustomise the dashboard by adding the widgets that interest you most. You can reorganise them by dragging. You don't need to use everything — start with 2–3 key widgets.

Set a monthly review reminder

1 min

Open your calendar (Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, or whatever you use) and create a monthly recurring event — ideally the first day of the month. Spend 10–15 minutes reviewing performance, comparing with the benchmark and deciding whether rebalancing is needed. Consistency is the secret to investment success.

The 5 Classic Beginner Mistakes

Almost everyone makes these mistakes at the start. Knowing them in advance lets you avoid them.

Checking your portfolio every day

Daily checking leads to emotional decisions. When you see a 3% drop in one day, the urge to sell is overwhelming — even if you're following a long-term strategy. Studies show that investors who check less frequently achieve better returns.

Set a monthly review rhythm and stick to it. Rebalancing alerts notify you when something important happens — you don't need to check manually.

Not having a benchmark

Without a benchmark, you don't know if you're actually getting good results. A portfolio that gained 10% in a year seems great — but if MSCI World returned +22%, you actually underperformed by 12 points.

Add a benchmark immediately (step 6 of the guide). Even if the comparison hurts at first, it's the only way to improve your strategy.

Ignoring fees and commissions in return calculations

Trading commissions, ETF ongoing charges (TER) and capital gains taxes silently erode returns. An ETF with 0.5% more TER per year, over 20 years on €50,000, can cost over €10,000 in lost return.

DonkyCapital includes commissions in the average cost and return calculation. Regularly check the "Costs" tab for a clear picture of fee impact.

Mixing all brokers in one portfolio

If you have Degiro and Scalable in the same DonkyCapital portfolio, it becomes difficult to understand which broker is performing better, reconcile statements and optimise costs per broker.

Create a separate portfolio for each broker. DonkyCapital then shows you a consolidated view of all portfolios together — the best of both worlds.

Not reconciling after import

CSV import is almost always correct, but "almost" isn't good enough when it's your money. A missing transaction, an unimported dividend or an unhandled stock split can distort the average cost and performance calculation.

Always spend 5 minutes after each import comparing the portfolio total in DonkyCapital with the value shown by your broker. A discrepancy of less than 1% is acceptable.

Next Steps: What to Do After 30 Minutes

You've set up your first portfolio. Here's what to explore in the next sessions.

Add a second portfolio

If you have a second broker (or want to separate different strategies — e.g. "core ETFs" and "speculative individual stocks"), create a second portfolio. DonkyCapital automatically shows a consolidated view of all portfolios.

Add portfolio

Explore the Heatmap

The heatmap is the most powerful tool for understanding at a glance which assets are performing best. Each cell represents an asset: green = gaining, red = losing, size = portfolio weight.

Open Heatmap

Invite your partner

DonkyCapital supports couples tracking: you can share the portfolio view with your partner without sharing login credentials. Perfect for planning investments as a couple.

Invite partner

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to enter all historical transactions to get started?

No. You can start with a "snapshot" of your current positions: enter a buy transaction for each asset you already own, using the average purchase price (your broker shows this). From that point DonkyCapital tracks everything automatically. Historical performance won't be available, but future performance will.

What happens if I make a mistake during setup?

No problem: you can edit or delete any transaction from the "Transactions" section. You can also delete the entire portfolio and start over — there are no consequences. DonkyCapital is not connected to your real broker account, so changes only affect the visualisation.

Is it safe to upload my portfolio data to DonkyCapital?

DonkyCapital never asks for your broker credentials. You only upload a CSV file with historical transactions — no direct connection to your account. Data is encrypted and stored in compliance with GDPR regulations. Nothing is shared with third parties.

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