Where do I Start?

Updated 01/31/14

There are several ways to get started with FastTrack.

1. Read the Manual. This is a 64-page overview document intended to be an easy read from cover to cover. Click to Download this PDF.

2. After reading the manual: There is a cross-reference in this online help for the manual's Table of Contents. If you want to drill down into details, click here for the cross-reference with the printed manual.

3. Free Training: Call 866-295-0166 x 2 from 8:00AM-6:00PM Central market days.
    Then, Only when instructed by tech support Click for support services

First, Get your Data Up to date!

Click here to learn how to connect so that you have the latest programs and current data.

What keys do I hit? Where do I click?

At first glance, FastTrack does not seem to have the menus like other Windows Programs. But they're actually there. Just right-click on the different parts of the screen and the menus relevant to that part pop up. Click here for more.

FastTrack - Slaying Investing Dragons

What does FastTrack do?

On the simplest level, FastTrack is a color picture book of investing.

FastTrack's pictures on your display give an immediate view of risk, reward, and historical record. While the mathematical tools and selection features of FastTrack are helpful, nothing will make as much of an impression as seeing charts of alternate investments.

Try the following:

1. Use only the T Chart and trend lines . Do not use technical indicators for now.
2. Plan to be fully invested at all times. DON'T market time.
3. Understand that you must trade a few times a year. There is no way to pick the issues today that will do the best over the next 2-5 years.
4. Avoid The Big Mistakes!

There is a great variety in funds and stocks. Switch between them for increased profits. FastTrack will show you the basic investing techniques used to pick the right investments.

FastTrack Contains Information, not just Stuff!

FastTrack is an investing system with an informed point of view. Not all timing and selection systems work well for everyone in all circumstances. If subscribing to a newsletter, buying mutual fund directories, looking at charts in IBD,  or listening to lectures worked for you, then you would not be reading this guide. While there are no special secrets embodied in FastTrack mathematical algorithms, FastTrack has special qualities:

• The way the data, technical tools, and commentary direct you toward profitable trading. FastTrack is not just a sophisticated math box . . . it's a complete trading system directed toward profit objectives. See Using FastTrack.
• The way FastTrack makes using your computer easy for investors who are not computer experts. See Customer Technical Support.
• The way FastTrack presents charts and plain language commentary to explain how to use FastTrack tools in current market conditions. See Commentary for a list of the latest comments.
• The way nationwide FastTrack seminars and user groups to improve your skills. See Commentary for a list of the latest meetings.
• The way we show you how the innards work. See the Distribution Adjustment Worksheet. See the Mathematical Computations. To view data details, percentages gained, distributions, each day's prices move the poles around on the Charts

FastTrack's technical selection methods are widely understood, but no other investing software offers FastTrack's technical approach to long term, buy and hold  investing.

Who Benefits from Using FastTrack?

FastTrack was designed for investors who should be actively managing their money with the goal of improving over buy-and-hold returns with a few trades per year. With practice and time, FastTrack will improve returns and reduce the risks of investing. FastTrack is not for day traders who monitor the market all day trading on tick data.

• For growth-oriented investors, FastTrack has virtually all tradable, common stock mutual funds, plus thousands of stocks that have strong institutional followings.

• For money managers, FastTrack finds places to put your clients money and offers investing strategies is a modest number of trade. FastTrack will import lists from Morningstar PrincipiaPro, extract lists of recommendations from opinion on the web , perform stock screening, and produce model portfolios.

• For income-oriented investors, FastTrack includes many bond mutual funds, money market funds, and conservative, dividend-paying stocks. See Distributions.

• For more aggressive investors, FastTrack follows all the sector, international, and aggressive funds, plus a wide variety of hot stocks with  institutional followings.

• For very active investors, FastTrack produces 1-minute and 5-minute charts via links with Internet sources. These charts can be most helpful in making that final decision to trade. See FastTrack's Internet Browser

• For experts, FastTrack can export data from its own internal format to a format suitable for other popular technical analysis programs. See Exporting

FastTrack Pledge

• If FastTrack discovers incorrect data in your database, we will fix it at no charge for you and all subscribers.
• You will never have to edit your database manually.
• Even if your hard disk fails, FastTrack's central database will restore missing programs, corrupted files, and out of date data at no extra charge.
• Your telephone calls for help are always welcome on our 800 number.

How Does FastTrack Do Its Job?

FastTrack includes many elements:

• A database of daily data on your PC covering thousands of  issues. Mutual funds are organized into investment company and objective families. Stock are organized by industry sectors, markets capitalization, and other factors. See Families.
• FastTrack records and adjusts for distributions including cash dividends, splits, long- and short-term capital gains, and other types of distributions. As such, FastTrack charts are true total return charts. See Total Return. To see the data details move the poles around on the chart.
• FastTrack generated spreadsheets that are useful in long/short-term tax calculations. The calculations are virtually impossible by hand.
• Technical analysis programs that draw color charts on your PC's screen that give trading signals. See the Indicators.
• A communications utility that uses your Internet connection to download data and commentaries from FastTrack's Central Database. See FTComm.
• Access to huge volumes of fundamental information through automated Internet links. See FastTrack's Internet Browser
• Data export: FastTrack can export data from its own internal format to a format suitable for other popular technical analysis programs. See Exporting
• Data import: FastTrack can import prices and distributions from text files created by a text editor or another program. Imported funds can be members of FastTrack families and handled in every respect just like FastTrack's native data. See Importing Funds Not in the Database.
• Tax computations: FastTrack will create an Excel/Lotus compatible spreadsheet for any issue in the database that will provide captial gains, dividends, and reinvestment information for any period.
• Printing: FastTrack's charts and information can be printed on your printer.
• Screening: FastTrack can combine families of funds based on criteria that you select. The end result being a family of funds whose characteristics meet your screening criteria. See Families
• A Programmer's interface so that you can write your own programs to access the FastTrack Databases and families. See FastTrack API.