Getting Started Guide

Step-by-step setup instructions for your taxable account, IRA, and TSP — with links to every tool you need.

A. Taxable Account (Alpaca)

  1. Create a free Alpaca paper trading account at alpaca.markets
  2. Connect your Alpaca account on the Connect Alpaca page
  3. Choose a strategy variant in Account Settings — start with N5 (Balanced Risk-Adjusted) if unsure
  4. Enable daily trading signals — the system will auto-execute trades in your paper account each market day
  5. Monitor performance on the Paper Trading Dashboard
  6. When ready to go live, switch to a live Alpaca API key in Account Settings

B. IRA Account

  1. Open an Alpaca IRA account (Traditional or Roth) at alpaca.markets — Alpaca supports IRA accounts with the same API access as taxable
  2. Connect the Alpaca IRA account on the Connect Alpaca page (same OAuth flow as taxable)
  3. Choose an IRA variant in Account Settings: I5 (Growth Aggressive), I6 (Balanced Risk-Adjusted), or I1 (Conservative Risk-Adjusted)
  4. IRA strategies use the same stock ranking system with IRA-optimized overlays — no wash sale concerns, different tax treatment
  5. Monitor IRA variant performance on the Paper Trading Dashboard — filter by "IRA" group
  6. The system generates and executes trades daily, same as taxable accounts

C. TSP (Thrift Savings Plan)

  1. The TSP system is separate from stock trading — it switches between C, S, I, and G funds
  2. View current recommendations on the TSP Dashboard
  3. Sign up for email/text alerts on the TSP Dashboard to get notified when a switch is recommended
  4. Log into tsp.gov and submit an Interfund Transfer (IFT) when alerted
  5. TSP allows 2 IFTs per month — the system is designed to stay within this limit
  6. Historical analysis shows optimal switching added 1-3% annually vs. a static C Fund allocation in backtesting

D. Risk Management & Alerts

  1. Check the Signal Dashboard daily — it combines regime, crash risk, and sector signals into one view
  2. The Crash Prediction page runs ML models that flag elevated crash risk 1-5 days ahead
  3. During bear markets, check the Recovery Advisory for re-entry timing
  4. Use the Buy-In Advisor for seasonal timing when deploying new capital
  5. The Market Cycle & Risk page shows the current regime (Bull/Bear/Neutral) and risk tier breakdown

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