What the Transactions Module Does

The Transactions module tracks general business income and expenses, the day-to-day financial activity that doesn't belong in the specialized modules for Challenges, Funded Accounts, or Private Accounts.

The Purpose of This Module

Transactions is your central tracker for business cash flow. It answers questions like:

• What are my monthly business expenses?

• What income do I have outside of payouts?

• What's my net business result from general operations?

• How much am I spending on tools and subscriptions?

What Transactions Tracks

General Income

Money coming in that isn't a payout or refund:

• Consulting or coaching income

• Affiliate commissions

• Course sales

• Other trading-related income

General Expenses

Money going out that isn't a challenge cost:

• Software subscriptions (TradingView, VPS, etc.)

• Education and courses

• Data feeds

• Hardware purchases

• Office expenses

• Any other business costs

What Transactions Doesn't Track

This module is intentionally separate from specialized tracking:

Challenge costs, use the Challenges module. When you buy a prop firm evaluation, record it in Challenges, not here.

Payouts, use the Funded Accounts module. Payouts from prop firms are tracked in Funded Accounts.

Deposits and withdrawals, use the Private Accounts module. Personal account capital movements belong in Private Accounts.

The separation keeps each module focused on its purpose.

How Transactions Feeds the Dashboard

Every income and expense you record here flows to your Dashboard:

• Income transactions add to Total Income

• Expense transactions add to Total Expenses

• Together they affect your Net Business P&L and your Business Health status

Your Dashboard combines these with payouts and private account trading P&L (Total Income) and challenge costs (Total Expenses) to show the complete picture. Refunds reduce Total Expenses rather than adding to income.

Editing and Deleting Transactions

Trader Node is a tracking tool, so every transaction is fully editable and deletable. Open any transaction to change its details, or delete it to remove it entirely. A deleted transaction is taken out of every total and report that used it, and there are no correction or reversal entries, you simply edit or delete the original.

If you want a transaction out of your day-to-day view but kept on record, use Archive instead of Delete. Archived transactions are hidden from your default view but remain in your history and reports.

Core Principles

All Transactions Represent Real Money

Record real income and expenses, the actual financial activity of your business. This includes money you've committed but not yet settled (see Payment Status below), but not hypothetical or planned amounts that may never happen.

Payment Status Is an Informational Flag

Every transaction is marked Paid or Unpaid. This flag is for your own tracking, so you can see what's settled versus outstanding. Both Paid and Unpaid transactions count toward your totals, so the flag doesn't change your numbers. If you want to see only settled or only outstanding items, use the Payment Status filter.

Transactions Feed Dashboard Metrics

What you record here directly affects your business health indicators, so keeping this module current keeps your Dashboard accurate.

Module Data Ownership

General income and expenses are created here. Challenge costs, payouts, and similar items are created in their respective modules.

When to Use Transactions

Add Income When:

• You receive payment for a trading-related service

• You earn affiliate commissions

• You sell educational content

• Any other business income arrives

Add Expenses When:

• You pay for trading software

• You purchase education or courses

• You buy hardware for trading

• You pay for any business-related service

Don't Use Transactions When:

• You're buying a challenge (use Challenges)

• You're recording a payout (use Funded Accounts)

• You're depositing to your own account (use Private Accounts)

Common Transaction Categories

The platform provides categories to organize your transactions, and you can add your own under Settings.

Income categories might include:

• Consulting

• Affiliate

• Courses and Education

• Other Income

Expense categories might include:

• Tools & Software

• Education & Coaching

• Data & Research

• Hardware

• Office and Admin

• Other Expenses

Categories help with reporting and tax preparation.

Transaction Lifecycle

1. Create: Add the transaction when it occurs

2. Set Payment Status: Mark as Paid or Unpaid

3. Track: The transaction is included in your totals, and the Paid/Unpaid flag lets you see what's still outstanding

4. Review: See it in tables and reports

5. Export: Include it in CSV reports for your records or your accountant

Both Paid and Unpaid transactions are included in your Dashboard totals. Payment Status is there to help you track what's settled, not to filter your numbers.

Next: Adding Income Transactions →