Nothing. Signing up, tracking your portfolio, every tool, your journal and the lessons are free, with no card to enter.

What is Red Start Journal, in simple words?

A diary for your money. You write down what you buy and sell, and it shows how your investments are doing. The founder keeps their own real portfolio here in public, mistakes and all, so you can learn along with them.

I know nothing about investing. Can I still use it?

Absolutely, that's who it's made for. You only type what you bought, when, and for how much. The app does the maths: what it's worth now, how much you put in, the fees you paid and how much it grew.

Do I need to connect my bank or broker?

No, it is optional. You can sync Interactive Brokers or eToro with a read-only key, import a statement (Interactive Brokers, Zerodha, Groww and Angel One reports all work) or add entries yourself. We never ask for bank details, card numbers or broker passwords, and never touch your money.

Can other people see my portfolio?

No. Your journal is private and only you can see it when you're logged in. You choose which entries, if any, to share on Connect.

Will you tell me what to buy?

No, and please don't just copy the public portfolio. It shows what one person chose to do with their own money. It's a record to learn from, not a tip sheet or financial advice.

What does "Total return" (XIRR) mean?

How fast your money is growing, per year. It fairly counts when you added money, so a top-up last week isn't judged like one from years ago. Until your portfolio is a year old you'll see the plain total instead.

Which currencies can I see?

Euros, US dollars and Indian rupees. Switch any time; amounts are converted with public exchange rates.

Can I just talk to it?

Yes. Tap the microphone and say what you want: "I bought €500 of ASML today", "delete yesterday's fee" or "how am I doing?". Anything that changes your journal is shown to you to check before it's saved.

Does it work on my phone?

Yes. It runs in your phone's web browser, so there's nothing to install.

Sign up with your email, or with Google in one tap. Then add your first trade.

Can I delete my account?

Any time, from your Profile page. Your account and every entry in it are deleted for good.

Company facts

Everything about Red Start Journal, in one place.

Red Start Journal is an investing journal, in public: three free-to-start web apps on one account. Portfolio tracks every trade, fee and debt and shows the real return. Connect is where you write down why you made each trading decision and see how it turned out. Education teaches money and investing from real market history: short books, market stories, 48 Red Lines you play, and open cheat sheets. It is based in the EU (Italy), private by default, has no ads, and never gives financial advice.

Last updated 2026-10-12 · support@redstartjournal.com · Also as plain text: llms-full.txt

Overview

Name: Red Start Journal
Tagline: Three products. One goal: get better at investing. Also: "An investing journal, in public."
What it is: A small suite of web apps for individual investors: a portfolio tracker, a trading journal and a money-learning game, all on one account.
Who it is for: Individual (retail) investors, including complete beginners. Built first for people in the European Union; India is a supported market.
Price: Free. No card, and nothing is for sale.
Website: redstartjournal.com
Contact: support@redstartjournal.com
Stage: Early stage, built in the open by its founder.

Where the name comes from

The founder had no money but wanted to invest, so he borrowed and invested: his portfolio started below zero, "in the red". Red Start means starting in the red and climbing from there. The journal records that climb in public: every buy, every fee, every euro of borrowed money and every mistake.

The company

Legal status: Run by its founder as a private person from Italy. Not yet registered as a company; business details will be published before any payment is taken.
Based in: Italy, European Union. EU law applies: GDPR for personal data, EU consumer rules, EU VAT for digital services.
Founder and CEO: Dhrona (see "The founder" below).
Money: Euro-first: prices in euros, totals added up in euros. Each trade keeps its own currency (EUR, USD or INR).
Business model: Free for everyone. No advertising, no tracking, no selling of data.
Payments: Not open yet. All paid features are switched off until the business is registered.
Privacy notice: redstartjournal.com/privacy/
Terms: redstartjournal.com/terms/

Principles

Not financial advice: Red Start Journal never tells anyone what to buy or sell and makes no recommendations. Shared portfolios are records to learn from, not tips. For Indian users this follows SEBI guidance on the same stance.
Private by default: A new journal is private. You choose what, if anything, to share.
Percentages, never amounts: When something is shared, other people see percentages (how it went), never money amounts (how much).
No ads, no tracking, no data selling: The apps earn nothing from attention or data.
No bank connection: No bank logins, card numbers or broker passwords are ever asked for. Broker sync is read-only and can never move money.
Honest numbers: Returns are rebuilt from the raw transaction log, after fees and with debt counted. Losses stay in the record.
Age: One line at sign-in: by continuing you confirm you are 14 or older (Italy's age of digital consent under GDPR). Nothing else is asked or checked, and every app works the same for every member.

Product: Portfolio

Track your money in one place. Every broker, account and debt on one page, with the real yearly return.

Address: portfolio.redstartjournal.com
Transaction log: Every buy, sell, fee, dividend and borrowed amount, entered by hand, imported or synced.
Real return: Total return as XIRR (money-weighted yearly growth), after fees and with debt counted; the plain total before the portfolio is a year old.
Broker sync (read-only): Interactive Brokers (IBKR) and eToro, with a read-only key.
Statement import: Interactive Brokers, Zerodha, Groww and Angel One reports. Indian charges are understood: STT, stamp duty, GST and SEBI fees.
Markets and prices: European and US listings; India: NSE and BSE stocks and Indian mutual funds.
Currencies: Euro (base), US dollar, Indian rupee. Converted with public exchange rates.
Voice: Say what you did ("I bought €500 of ASML today"); anything that changes the journal is shown for checking before it is saved.
Public page: Optional public portfolio at portfolio.redstartjournal.com/@handle, showing percentages only.
Tools (all free): Debt Payoff Planner: See the day you are debt-free. · Goal Planner: Are you on track for your big number? · Dividend Calendar: Your passive income, month by month. · Fee Analyzer: What fees will cost you over 30 years. · Mistake Detector: Spots the habits that cost you money. · What-If Simulator: Simulate moves, see the reaction. · Family Portfolio: Household net worth in one view. · Rebalancing Assistant: Exactly what to buy or sell. · Trade Scorecard: Win rate, profit factor, your real edge. · Risk Report: Sharpe, drawdown and beta. · Diversification Check: Are you really spread out? · Tax-Loss Harvester: Turn this year's losses into savings.

Product: Connect

Reflect on every trading decision. Your own investing journal first; other people's journals when you are ready.

Address: connect.redstartjournal.com
Auto-posted entries: A buy or sell in Portfolio arrives in Connect as a journal entry by itself; you add one line: why.
Calls: Settle each call later and build a "called it" record of how your reasoning held up.
Journal of the Day: Every day one journal is picked and shown to everyone.
Other investors: Read and follow other people's journals; they see your percentages, never your amounts.
Where it runs: In the web browser, with a phone app built on the same code.

Product: Education

Free lessons on money and investing, built from a hundred years of real market crashes and comebacks. You play with the numbers instead of reading about them.

Address: education.redstartjournal.com
What is in it: From Zero: 48 short books in 8 seasons, from the first euro. Markets: 26 market histories in eight stops each. Red Lines: 48 rules, each one a game on real history. Portfolio, explained (67 parts), The Vault (118 topics) and open cheat sheets (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).
No waiting: No daily gates, cooldowns or "come back tomorrow": the next book or game opens at once.
Your record: My path counts every stage; finished Red Lines light their star, and shelves, seasons and stages give collectible cards.
Price: Free to start.

One account for every app

Address: accounts.redstartjournal.com
Sign in: Email with a one-time code, Google, or passkeys; optional two-step sign-in.
Profile: Name, photo, a short bio and one handle, used across the apps.
Shared settings: Language and look (Cream, or Black & Cream) follow you to every app.
Deleting: Delete the account any time; every app deletes its part of your data first.

The founder

Dhrona started Red Start Journal. He was broke but wanted to invest, so he borrowed money and invested it, starting in the red. He writes down every fee and every mistake on the way up, in public.

His money was spread across brokers and payment apps that never talked to each other, so he put it all in one app. He built it for himself; now it is for everyone. The basics stay free; a small fee for more will keep the servers running, never your data.

Founder page: redstartjournal.com/founder/
Founder story (on About): redstartjournal.com/about/#founder
Instagram: www.instagram.com/redstartjournal/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UC2DwFy-RVOFIJhnBDS0DzPQ
X (Twitter): x.com/redstartjournal

Languages and access

Written in: English.
Read in: Over 40 languages through Google's page translator, chosen once and shared by every app (among them Español, Français, Deutsch, Italiano, Português, Nederlands, Polski, العربية, 中文, 日本語, हिन्दी, தமிழ் and Русский).
Devices: Any modern web browser, phone or computer; nothing to install.

Glossary

Journal entry: One recorded decision: a trade with the reason behind it.
Real return / XIRR: Yearly growth that counts when money was added or taken out, after fees and with debt counted.
Called-it record: How many settled calls in Connect turned out the way you said.
Broker verified: Numbers synced straight from a broker, which nobody (not even Red Start Journal) can edit.
In the red: Below zero: owing more than you own. Where the founder started.

Questions

What does it cost?: Nothing. Signing up, tracking your portfolio, every tool, your journal and the lessons are free, with no card to enter.
What is Red Start Journal, in simple words?: A diary for your money. You write down what you buy and sell, and it shows how your investments are doing. The founder keeps their own real portfolio here in public, mistakes and all, so you can learn along with them.
I know nothing about investing. Can I still use it?: Absolutely, that's who it's made for. You only type what you bought, when, and for how much. The app does the maths: what it's worth now, how much you put in, the fees you paid and how much it grew.
Do I need to connect my bank or broker?: No, it is optional. You can sync Interactive Brokers or eToro with a read-only key, import a statement (Interactive Brokers, Zerodha, Groww and Angel One reports all work) or add entries yourself. We never ask for bank details, card numbers or broker passwords, and never touch your money.
Can other people see my portfolio?: No. Your journal is private and only you can see it when you're logged in. You choose which entries, if any, to share on Connect.
Will you tell me what to buy?: No, and please don't just copy the public portfolio. It shows what one person chose to do with their own money. It's a record to learn from, not a tip sheet or financial advice.
What does "Total return" (XIRR) mean?: How fast your money is growing, per year. It fairly counts when you added money, so a top-up last week isn't judged like one from years ago. Until your portfolio is a year old you'll see the plain total instead.
Which currencies can I see?: Euros, US dollars and Indian rupees. Switch any time; amounts are converted with public exchange rates.
Can I just talk to it?: Yes. Tap the microphone and say what you want: "I bought €500 of ASML today", "delete yesterday's fee" or "how am I doing?". Anything that changes your journal is shown to you to check before it's saved.
Does it work on my phone?: Yes. It runs in your phone's web browser, so there's nothing to install.
How do I start?: Sign up with your email, or with Google in one tap. Then add your first trade.
Can I delete my account?: Any time, from your Profile page. Your account and every entry in it are deleted for good.