Reading Your Dashboard Like a Pro

The Dashboard is your trading business command center. Learning to read it effectively helps you make better decisions and spot problems early.

The Quick Glance (30 Seconds)

When you first open the Dashboard, take in the high-level signals:

Business Health Status

  • Green (Positive): Income exceeds expenses. Good.

  • Red (Negative): Expenses exceed income. Investigate.

  • Gray (Flat): Breaking even or minimal activity.

Net Business P&L

Is the bottom-line number what you expected? A surprise here means something needs attention.

Sustainability Meter

This shows whether your prop payouts alone are covering your operating costs. Healthy means your trading business stands on its own without relying on private trading or other income to plug the gap. Underwater here, even with a positive Net Business P&L, is worth understanding.

Date Range

Check which period you're viewing. "Last 30 days" and "This year" tell very different stories.

Display Currency

If you trade in multiple currencies, the Dashboard rolls everything into your display currency (set in Settings → Currency). The headline KPI numbers are your aggregate converted view. Expand any card to see the per-currency breakdown.

The Weekly Check (5 Minutes)

KPI Cards

Review each of the four cards:

Total Payouts

  • Your core prop trading revenue from approved payouts.

  • Any recent increase or decrease?

  • This is the cleanest signal of trading performance.

Total Income

  • Includes payouts + general income + realized private account P&L.

  • Is most of this coming from payouts, or other income sources?

  • Heavy reliance on non-payout income is worth noting.

Total Expenses

  • Includes general expenses + challenge costs, net of refunds.

  • Spike here? Likely new challenge purchases.

  • Steady but high? Time to review subscriptions and tools.

Net Business P&L

  • The bottom line: did your business make money this period?

  • Positive: keep doing what you're doing.

  • Negative: is this temporary (new challenges) or a trend?

Module Cards

Quick scan:

  • Active Challenges: How many evaluations in progress?

  • Active Funded Accounts: How many revenue sources?

  • Recent Activity: Anything unexpected?

The Monthly Deep Dive (30 Minutes)

P&L Calendar Analysis

Look at the full year view:

Color Pattern

  • Mostly green = consistently profitable

  • Alternating red/green = volatile

  • Mostly red = concerning trend

Expand Key Months

Click on your best and worst months. What drove them?

  • Big payout? High challenge costs?

  • Unusual expense? Multiple failures?

Compare This Month to Last

  • Better or worse? Why?

  • Is the trend improving?

Money In vs. Money Out Chart

This chart shows gross cash direction, every dollar moving into or out of your accounts. Refunds appear on the Money In side here (since cash physically came back to you), which is the one place on the Dashboard where refunds are shown that way. Everywhere else, refunds reduce expense totals.

Use this chart to spot:

  • Months with unusually high cash outflow

  • Periods where refunds significantly offset costs

  • Visual patterns in your activity

Trend Analysis

If your Dashboard has trend charts:

  • Are payouts growing over time?

  • Is Total Expenses stable or increasing?

  • Is Net Business P&L trending up or down?

Module Deep Dives

Click through to each module:

  • Challenges: Pass/fail rate, cost per funded account, Monthly Cost KPI

  • Funded Accounts: Which accounts produce most revenue?

  • Private Accounts: Is your trading P&L positive across your Active accounts?

Key Questions to Ask

"Am I Actually Profitable?"

Net Business P&L tells you if income exceeds expenses. But dig deeper:

  • Is Total Income mostly payouts (trading success) or other sources (private P&L, general income)?

  • Are challenge costs sustainable given your pass rate?

"Is My Prop Trading Carrying Itself?"

Check the Sustainability Meter. This is the question it answers directly: are your prop payouts alone enough to cover your operating costs, or is your private trading and general income holding things up?

A healthy prop trading business has payouts comfortably above costs. If the meter is showing thin margins or underwater, your trading business is technically being subsidized by other income.

"Where Does My Money Come From?"

Expand Total Income to see:

  • Payouts: Your trading revenue (the gold standard)

  • Private Account P&L: Realized trading gains from your own capital

  • General Income: Other sources (coaching, affiliate, etc.)

Healthy businesses have payouts as the primary source.

"Where Does My Money Go?"

Expand Total Expenses to see:

  • Challenge Costs: Investment in getting funded (net of refunds)

  • General Expenses: Software, tools, education, operational costs

High challenge costs with few payouts = poor conversion rate.

"What Changed?"

If numbers look different:

  • Change date range to isolate periods

  • Compare this month vs. last month

  • Look for new items in recent activity

Reading Warning Signs

Red Flags:

Consistently Negative Net Business P&L: You're spending more than earning. Either increase revenue or cut costs.

High Challenge Costs, Low Payouts: Pass rate may be too low. Review your trading approach.

Sustainability Meter Underwater: Even if Net Business P&L is positive, your prop trading isn't paying for itself. Worth understanding why.

Many Active Challenges, Few Funded Accounts: Pipeline isn't converting. Focus on passing evaluations.

Funded Accounts Active but Few Payouts: Are you trading? Are accounts close to breach?

Yellow Flags:

Single Month Negative: Could be normal, you invested in new challenges. Watch next month.

Expenses Creeping Up: Review if all expenses are necessary.

Revenue Dependent on One Account: Diversify. What if that account gets breached?

Making Decisions from Dashboard Data

"Should I Buy Another Challenge?"

Check:

  • Current pass rate (completed challenges divided by total attempts)

  • Time since last payout

  • Current Net Business P&L and Sustainability Meter

If profitable with good conversion, yes. If already negative with low pass rate, maybe improve first.

"Should I Cut Expenses?"

Check:

  • Are you profitable even with these expenses?

  • Which expenses provide value?

Cut unused tools, not investments that improve your trading.

"Am I Ready to Scale Up?"

Check:

  • Consistent positive Net Business P&L (3+ months)

  • Sustainability Meter clearly healthy

  • Multiple funded accounts generating payouts

  • Challenge costs are small relative to revenue

If yes, consider more or larger challenges.

Dashboard Rhythms

Daily

Quick glance at recent activity. 10 seconds.

Weekly

Review KPI cards and module summaries. 5 minutes.

Monthly

Deep dive on P&L calendar and trends. 30 minutes.

Quarterly

Compare quarters, analyze patterns, plan adjustments. 1 hour.

Next: Preparing for Tax Season →