How do I find duplicate and missing trades in my investment records?
Look for rows that share the same account, date, security, and quantity, and compare their price and amount. Then look for gaps: cash that goes negative, a sale larger than the position, or a dividend or stock split with no matching row. In Portle, Ledger check on Home lists these gaps, and it lists rows as possible duplicates only when every detail is identical: account, date, type, security, quantity, price, amount, fee, tax, and currency. Each one is a possible duplicate or omission, not a confirmed error, because two separate fills on the same day can look identical.
Rows that differ in any detail are not listed, so check near matches yourself. A common case is one row that uses a ticker and another that uses the company name. Keep the original broker text available while resolving names. That makes it possible to see whether two rows are the same transaction or two separate fills.
When you import a broker file, Portle checks the rows against your existing ledger and deselects likely duplicates before anything is saved. Only the rows you select are recorded.
How do I check my records against my broker statement?
Open your broker beside your records and compare the quantity of every security, starting with the largest market value. In Portle, the Reconcile screen asks only for the quantities that differ, and you enter 0 for a position the broker no longer shows. Portle then lists what still differs, with the ledger quantity next to the broker quantity.
Do this before reviewing performance. Returns, allocation, and tax estimates are all calculated from the ledger, so a wrong quantity carries into every number. A small fractional difference in a large holding often matters more than a full-share mistake in a tiny position.
Reconcile compares quantities. For cash, compare the closing cash balance on the statement with the cash in your records yourself, one account and one currency at a time.
My portfolio numbers do not match my broker. How do I trace the difference?
Narrow it down in order: quantity first, then cash, then prices and exchange rates. If a quantity is off, find the first date on which the holding in your records stops matching the broker history. The missing or doubled row is on or just before that date. If quantities match but cash does not, look for a deposit, withdrawal, dividend, fee, or currency exchange that was never recorded.
Each finding in Portle says why it was flagged. Negative cash suggests a missing deposit or transfer. A negative quantity suggests a missing purchase or opening balance. A stock split that is not in the ledger leaves every later quantity off by the split ratio.
If the original transaction cannot be found, Portle shows the adjustment row that would bring the ledger quantity in line with the broker. An adjustment matches the quantity. It cannot recover the date and price of the trade that was missing.
If quantity and cash both match and the total still differs, the remaining gap is usually price timing or exchange rates. Portle labels delayed prices, and a broker may value holdings at a different time or rate.