How to find your statement data
Your monthly statement has a lot of numbers. Investor's Report Card needs only three kinds: the
ending balance, any deposits and any withdrawals. Here's where they usually are.
Sample Brokerage · Account statement
October 1 – October 31, 2026 · IRA ending 1234
Account summary
| Beginning value | $102,350.12 |
| 2Deposits / contributions | $2,000.00 |
| 3Withdrawals / distributions | −$500.00 |
| Dividends and interest | $214.33 |
| Fees | −$85.00 |
| Change in investment value | $1,320.55 |
| 1Ending value | $105,300.00 |
Activity
| 10/06 | Deposit · electronic transfer from bank | $2,000.00 |
| 10/15 | Dividend · reinvested | $214.33 |
| 10/20 | Withdrawal · transfer to bank | −$500.00 |
| 10/31 | Advisory fee | −$85.00 |
A made-up statement. Yours will look different, but most have an account summary like this one
near the top of the first page.
- 1
Balance: the ending value
Enter it as a
Balance for the statement's month. Use the total for the whole account, not one fund.
May be called: ending value, ending account value, total account value, closing balance,
net account value.
- 2
Deposit: money you put in
Enter each one as a
Deposit with its date (from the activity list).
May be called: deposits, contributions, additions, transfers in. In a 401(k), your
employer's match counts too.
- 3
Withdrawal: money you took out
Enter each one as a
Withdrawal with its date.
May be called: withdrawals, distributions, subtractions, transfers out.
What not to enter
- Dividends and interest. They're earnings, part of how your account did, even when they're paid out to cash
inside the account.
- Fees. Advisory and fund fees come out of your return, which is exactly what the report card should show.
- Buys and sells. Trading inside the account doesn't add or remove money.
- Change in value or gain/loss. The site works that out from your balances.
A few tips
- Use the month-end statement, and enter a balance for every month. If you only get quarterly statements,
your brokerage's website usually shows each month-end value under "Balances" or "History".
- Money moved between two of your accounts counts: a withdrawal from one and a deposit into the other.
- No deposits or withdrawals this month? Just enter the balance.
- Can't find the activity dates? Your brokerage's website usually lists them under "Activity" or "History".
