Answers to the most common questions about IndexAlpha — what the platform does, how pricing tiers work, how the analytical methodology is grounded, and how to get started. If your question is not here, email [email protected] — we respond within 24 hours.
IndexAlpha is an institutional-grade stock research and portfolio risk analysis platform built for individual investors. The platform surfaces three analytical workflows: multi-factor stock research, Value-at-Risk and historical-scenario portfolio modelling, and a research assistant that returns structured analytical cards. Every output is auditable — the underlying methodology and inputs are visible alongside the result.
Visit indexalpha.ai in any modern browser. No installation required.
Three workflows are available immediately: multi-factor stock research, portfolio risk analysis, and the research assistant. Sample portfolios let you exercise the full analytical surface before entering your own data.
Sign in to save portfolios and watchlists, enable continuous risk monitoring, and unlock working-tier allowances.
IndexAlpha is an institutional-grade stock research and portfolio risk analysis platform built for individual investors. It runs the same fundamental, valuation, dividend-quality, and risk-adjusted analysis professional research desks use — packaged as a research workstation you can open in any browser, with every input and methodology surfaced and explained.
Three workflows: multi-factor stock research (financial health, growth, valuation, dividend quality — every metric auditable), portfolio risk analysis (Value-at-Risk and Conditional VaR via Monte Carlo and parametric methods, plus historical-scenario stress testing against 1987, 2000, 2008, 2020, and 2022), and a research assistant that returns structured tables, charts, and risk-adjusted comparables — not freeform paragraphs.
Individual investors who want the analytical depth professional desks rely on — multi-factor scoring, Value-at-Risk modelling, historical-scenario stress testing — on a workstation designed for personal decision-making rather than market-making. Beginner-friendly framing where helpful, but the underlying methodology is the same.
No. IndexAlpha is a research and analysis platform — every output is auditable analytical work product, not a personalized recommendation. The underlying methodology, inputs, and assumptions are visible alongside every result. Investment decisions remain yours. For personalised advice, consult a licensed financial adviser.
Stock research and the research assistant are usable without signing in. An account is required to save watchlists, portfolios, and to unlock the working-tier allowances.
The research tools are free. Stock research, portfolio risk analysis and the assistant cost nothing to use, and there is no card to enter. A paid plan is for having that analysis run for you — your portfolio watched every day, a note the moment its risk shifts, and a proposed change tested against past crashes before you commit. What each plan covers is on the pricing page, inside the app.
Enter any stock symbol (e.g. AAPL, MSFT, TSLA) on the Stock Research page. The platform returns a full analytical breakdown — financial health, growth, valuation, dividend quality, recent news, analyst price targets, sector comparables — with every metric auditable and every score explained alongside its methodology.
Every stock is scored across four dimensions: financial health (balance-sheet strength, debt coverage, liquidity), growth (revenue, earnings, and free-cash-flow trajectory), valuation (multiples versus sector and historical bands), and dividend quality (payout ratio, growth, coverage). Each dimension is auditable — the underlying metrics, sector comparables, and methodology are visible, not hidden behind an opaque rating.
Wide coverage of the US and international markets — NYSE, NASDAQ, AMEX, London Stock Exchange (LSE), Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), Hong Kong (HKEX), Singapore Exchange (SGX), and Japan Exchange Group (JPX). Fundamental and risk data refresh daily.
Stock prices update throughout the trading day. Company fundamentals (earnings, balance sheet, cash flow) update as companies file new reports. Multi-factor scoring re-runs daily before market open.
Fundamental comparisons (e.g. peer-relative valuation across a sector), portfolio-level questions (sector concentration, factor exposure, dividend yield aggregation), methodology lookups (how a metric is calculated, what a result implies), and analytical drill-downs on any stock. Responses come as structured cards — tables, charts, comparable lists, risk-adjusted peer benchmarks — not freeform paragraphs.
No. The assistant surfaces analytical signals — whether multi-factor scoring, valuation, or risk metrics look strong or weak based on the underlying data — but does not issue personalized buy/sell recommendations. Every analytical claim ships with its methodology and inputs so you can interrogate the result rather than accept it on trust.
Free includes Smart mode. A paid plan unlocks the assistant's deeper reasoning modes for longer, harder questions. Fair-use limits run quietly in the background; there's no point system or per-question counter to think about.
Enter the holdings you own (or are modelling) and the position sizes. IndexAlpha computes Value-at-Risk (Monte Carlo with 10,000 paths, plus parametric Cornish-Fisher), Conditional VaR (expected loss in the worst 5% of outcomes), and historical-scenario stress tests that replay your exact holdings through past crashes — outputting specific dollar exposure and recovery time, not a generic percentile.
Stress-test output is a specific dollar amount for your exact holdings, calculated from actual historical price paths. Example: in a 2008-style crash, a $50,000 portfolio modeled on actual GFC price paths fell to $23,000 and took 49 months to recover. The number reflects what would have happened to your exact holdings — it is a measurement, not a forecast.
Yes. All portfolio data is encrypted in transit and at rest on Google Cloud infrastructure, never shared with third parties, and deletable from account settings at any time.
Yes. A full risk analysis is available on a sample portfolio without an account. Signing in unlocks saving multiple portfolios, continuous risk monitoring, and alerts on key metric changes.
Sign in, then click the bookmark icon on any Stock Research page, or go to the Watchlist page and add stocks by symbol. You can create multiple lists (e.g. 'Tech Growth', 'Dividend Income') and each one updates in real time.
After running a risk analysis, click 'Save Portfolio' and give it a name. You can save multiple portfolios, revisit their risk reports anytime, and get alerts when key metrics change.
Having the work done for you. A paid plan runs the risk analysis on your portfolio daily and alerts you the moment your exposure changes, with a weekly summary of what moved and why. The fuller plan adds the rebalance workflow — simulate a change, see how each version would have held up through past crashes, and get a nudge when your mix drifts. Both include the assistant's deeper reasoning modes. The plans, and what each costs, are on the pricing page once you're signed in.
There is nothing to evaluate around — the research itself is free and stays free. Run stock research, model a portfolio's risk and ask the assistant as much as you like without paying. You only need a plan when you want that work done for you daily rather than when you remember to ask.
Yes. All data is encrypted in transit and at rest on Google Cloud, we never sell your data, and you can delete your account at any time. We follow the same security practices used by banks and fintech companies.
We collect your email when you sign up, your saved portfolios and watchlists, and anonymous usage analytics to improve the product. We do not collect your bank account or brokerage credentials — you enter stock holdings manually.
Email us at [email protected] and we respond within 24 hours. Paid users get priority support. Our team genuinely reads every message.
Bloomberg Terminal, FactSet, and Refinitiv are built for institutional desks — market-makers, sell-side analysts, fund managers — with five-figure annual subscriptions per seat. IndexAlpha delivers the analytical depth individual investors actually need — multi-factor stock scoring, portfolio Value-at-Risk, historical-scenario stress testing, risk-adjusted comparables — on a workstation tuned for individual decision-making, at a fraction of the cost.
Yes, IndexAlpha runs in any mobile browser with no app to install. Stock research, the blog, the AI assistant, the Academy and this FAQ are laid out for a phone. Portfolio risk analysis, rebalancing and your watchlist open on a laptop or desktop, where their charts and tables have room.
Against Yahoo Finance or Google Finance, IndexAlpha's distinct value is analytical depth — Value-at-Risk modelling, historical-scenario stress testing, and multi-factor scoring are not surfaced on either. Against Bloomberg Terminal, FactSet, or Refinitiv, the depth is comparable on the analytical workflows individual investors actually need, on a workstation tuned for personal decision-making rather than market-making, at a fraction of the institutional cost. The CFPB's investing resources remain the best government-published primary reference for foundational concepts.
Beginners: If you are new to investing, start with the AI chat. Ask "What's a stock?" or "Should I invest in the S&P 500?" and work from there. You do not need to create an account.
Intermediate investors: If you already invest, the portfolio risk tool is the fastest way to see if your holdings have hidden concentration. The stock research tool is most useful as a second opinion before adding a new position.