CHARM TRADER

Getting Started Guide - Your First 30 Minutes

Version 8.80

STEP 1: LAUNCH CHARM

STEP 2: CONNECT TO ALPACA

Create Free Paper Trading Account

1. Go to alpaca.markets in your web browser
2. Click "Sign Up"
3. Choose "Paper Trading" (FREE - practice with $1,000,000 fake money)
4. Verify your email
5. You now have a free practice account!

Get Your API Keys

1. Log into Alpaca dashboard
2. Click "API Keys" in the left menu
3. Click "Generate New Keys"
4. IMPORTANT: load your LIVE.env file and PAPER.env file with the secret and ID keys (see manual for details)

Check Keys that you entered when you start CHARM

1. Click "Test Keys" button
2. You should see: "✅ Connection successful!"

STEP 3: ADD YOUR FIRST STOCK

Add a Row

1. Click "1. add a STOCK" button (bottom left)
2. A new empty row appears in the grid

Enter Stock Symbol

1. Click in the SYMBOL column
2. Type a stock symbol (example: AAPL for Apple)
3. Press Enter
4. The row fills with current price information!

Set Your Parameters

Click in each column and set these beginner-friendly values:

• BUDGET: 1000 (spend up to $1,000)
• L (Limit): 10.0 (sell if price goes up 10%)
• S (Stop): 5.0 (sell if price drops 5%)
• C (CHARM): 0 (leave at 0 for now - advanced feature)

STEP 4: PLACE YOUR ORDER

Buy the Stock

1. Click your stock row (it turns blue when selected)
2. That's it! CHARM processes the order automatically

What Happens Next

After Order Fills

You will see:

• QTY = number of shares you own
• COST = total money you spent
• P&L = your profit or loss (starts at $0)
• MODE = WATCH (CHARM is now monitoring)
• STATUS = "🛡️ CHARM ACTIVE"

STEP 5: LET CHARM WORK

Once MODE = WATCH, CHARM automatically:

• ✓ Checks price every 8 seconds
• ✓ Calculates your profit/loss in real-time
• ✓ Monitors for stop loss trigger (-5%)
• ✓ Monitors for limit sell trigger (+10%)
• ✓ Auto-sells when either is reached

Three Possible Scenarios

UNDERSTANDING THE GRID

Key Columns Explained:

• SYMBOL: Stock ticker (AAPL, TSLA, etc.)
• PRICE: Current stock price
• QTY: How many shares you own
• COST: Total money you invested
• P&L: Your profit/loss (+ green, - red)
• MODE: BUY (ordering) / WATCH (monitoring) / SELL (manual sell)
• L: Limit - take profit at this % gain
• S: Stop - stop loss at this % drop
• C: CHARM - advanced - follow the uptrend if you are...

TESTING WHO DOES IT BETTER!

SAFETY TIPS FOR BEGINNERS

• START WITH PAPER TRADING! Practice with fake $1,000,000 first - no risk!
• Start small: $500-$1,000 per position when you go live
• Always use stop losses: Set S to at least 5% to protect yourself
• Diversify: Don't put all your money in one stock
• Be patient: Let CHARM work - don't manually interfere
• Keep learning: Read about stocks and trading strategies

YOUR NEXT STEPS

Week 1 - Learn the Basics:

• Trade 1-2 positions in paper trading
• Watch what CHARM does automatically
• Read the log messages at bottom of window
• Understand how L and S work

Week 2 - Experiment:

• Add 3-5 positions
• Try different L/S settings
• Check SOLD STOCKS report (CHARM Report menu)
• Analyze your wins and losses

Week 3 - Scale Up:

• Manage 5-10 positions simultaneously
• Refine your strategy
• Try enabling CHARMie to see the results for yourself
• Consider live trading if consistently profitable

QUICK TROUBLESHOOTING

Problem: "Connection failed"

• Check API keys are copied correctly (no extra spaces)
• Make sure you're using Paper Trading keys
• Check your internet connection

Problem: "Order rejected"

• Make sure paper account has funds ($1,000,000 available)
• Check if stock symbol is correct
• Verify market hours (9:30 AM - 4 PM Eastern)

Problem: "Position not updating"

• Check if market is open
• Look at log window for error messages
• Try restarting CHARM