Question 1

Is PortLens financial advice?

Accepted Answer

No. PortLens gives you general information and risk-analysis tools, not personal financial advice. We don't tell you what to buy or sell, and nothing here takes your personal circumstances into account. Always do your own research, or speak with a licensed financial adviser, before making any decision.

Question 2

How is PortLens different from my broker's app or a stock-picker?

Accepted Answer

Your broker's app shows prices and lets you trade. Stock-pickers tell you what to buy next. PortLens does neither — it's about risk. We don't predict the market; we show you exactly where your ship is positioned and what could change its course: your real concentrations, what's driving each holding, and how a shift in rates, iron ore or China would ripple through your portfolio.

Question 3

Do you give buy/sell recommendations or price predictions?

Accepted Answer

No, and that's deliberate. PortLens is a risk copilot, not a stock picker. Rather than guessing where a price is headed, it helps you understand what is driving your portfolio's risk today — concentration, commodity, China and interest-rate exposure — and what could move it next.

Question 4

Which ASX names do you cover?

Accepted Answer

The entire ASX — roughly 1,980 listed companies — plus 54 popular ASX-listed ETFs. That includes the under-covered names most tools gloss over, like Pilbara Minerals, Liontown, Karoon and Deep Yellow.

Question 5

Where does your data come from? Is it real?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Macro signals are real (RBA cash rate, ABS inflation, live AUD/USD), prices are real end-of-day market data, news sentiment is drawn from ASX-tagged market news, and short positioning comes straight from ASIC's daily report. Factor exposures are hand-tuned for flagship names and clearly labelled as GICS sector estimates for the rest, so you always know what's precise and what's an estimate.

Question 6

How often is the data updated?

Accepted Answer

PortLens refreshes daily from a range of market-data APIs. Prices are end-of-day, and the macro signals (RBA cash rate, inflation, FX), news sentiment and ASIC short positioning update on their own daily cycles. It's built for the investor who checks in with a calm daily brief, not a second-by-second trading screen.

Question 7

What happens when your data sources disagree?

Accepted Answer

We show you the disagreement instead of hiding it. If the news reads bullish on a stock but a large slice of its shares are sold short, we flag it as 'Mixed signals' and explain both sides — because a clean, confident-looking number would be misleading. Conflicting signals are information, not noise, and we'd rather you saw the tension than a false sense of certainty.

Question 8

How fresh is the data, and what if something is missing?

Accepted Answer

Every live signal carries an 'as of' date so you always know how current it is — news sentiment, ASIC short positioning and macro figures each update on their own cycle. When a stock has no recent news coverage, we don't invent sentiment: we clearly mark it as coming from our sector model rather than live news. And if a source is temporarily unavailable, we say so plainly rather than showing a stale number as if it were current.

Question 9

Can I import my portfolio from my broker?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can import a CSV from CommSec, SelfWealth, Stake or a generic export. We map your holdings automatically and skip anything that isn't ASX-listed.

Question 10

Do you cover international shares or crypto?

Accepted Answer

PortLens is ASX-only by design — Australian-listed shares and ETFs, including the ETFs Australians use for global exposure (like VGS or NDQ). Direct international shares and crypto aren't covered yet.

Question 11

Is PortLens suitable for SMSFs?

Accepted Answer

PortLens can be a useful risk lens for SMSF trustees — it helps you see your fund's concentration, factor exposures and what's moving the portfolio. But to be clear, it is not an SMSF compliance, audit or investment-strategy tool: it doesn't check SIS Act rules, in-house asset limits, borrowing arrangements or your documented strategy, and it isn't a substitute for your accountant, auditor or licensed adviser. Use it to understand risk; keep your usual professionals for compliance.

Question 12

How much does it cost?

Accepted Answer

Three plans: Watcher (A$19/mo), Copilot (A$49/mo) and Analyst (A$99/mo). Annual billing gives you two months free. During our private beta, every feature is free for everyone.

Question 13

What's the difference between the plans?

Accepted Answer

Watcher gives you the core dashboard, risk gauges and your daily Morning Brief. Copilot adds the Macro Lab, Risk Radar, sentiment, custom alerts, CSV import and daily email briefs. Analyst adds advanced analytics (volatility, Sharpe, value-at-risk, correlations) and deep ASX research on any name.

Question 14

Is it really free right now?

Accepted Answer

Yes. PortLens is free for everyone during the private beta — no card required. Paid plans go live at launch, and beta members keep full access for a grace period afterwards as a thank-you for being early.

Question 15

What happens to my access when the beta ends?

Accepted Answer

Your account and your data stay with you. As a thank-you for being an early beta member, you'll keep full access for a grace period after we launch paid plans. After that, you'll choose a subscription to continue — and your plan then decides which features and insights you can access. There's no obligation to continue, and your data remains yours.

Question 16

Can I cancel anytime?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. Once plans are live you can manage or cancel your subscription in one click through the secure Stripe billing portal — no emails, no phone calls.

Question 17

Do you have a mobile app?

Accepted Answer

Sort of — and arguably better than a download. PortLens is an installable web app (a PWA): open it on your phone and choose 'Add to Home Screen', and it behaves like a native app with its own icon and full-screen view. No app store, no waiting on updates. A dedicated iOS/Android build may come later.

Question 18

Is my portfolio data private?

Accepted Answer

Your holdings are yours. We use them only to generate your own risk analysis and brief. We don't sell your data.

Question 19

Can I request features or report an issue?

Accepted Answer

Please do — we build PortLens alongside our users. Send ideas, feature requests or issues to connect@portlens.com.au and we read every single one.

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