FAQ - Tools

In designing the thinkorswim sharing system, we were very aware of the security concerns some users may have so we took several steps to ensure your data is protected. The technology for sharing has been built into thinkorswim since early 2013; we have performed an internal security review and all of the data required to create the Sharing links is handled by our technology via our secure backend servers, not on your local computer or the public Internet. Only data that is validly shared from inside the thinkorswim application can be communicated via the sharing links themselves.

When a user clicks on a Shared link, the only information that is passed from the browser to the thinkorswim application is the sharing link pointer; all other data is delivered by our secure servers directly to the thinkorswim application. This ensures only valid data is retrieved and shared. Your account and other personal information is not shared, but if you have a public MyTrade profile then that public display name is used.

myTrade is a service of myTrade, Inc., a separate but affiliated firm. TD Ameritrade is not responsible for the services of myTrade, or content shared through the service.

All thinkorswim Sharing links cannot be redirected or deleted. If you'd like to remove a link from your thinkorswim platform, go to the Tools tab> Shared Items > and you can click on the 'X' next to the link you wish to remove. ‘Removing’ means you will no longer find the thinkorswim Sharing link in the "Shared Items" view.

Heat Map lets you see the relative performance of stocks in an index or watch list in graphic terms. Each symbol is listed in a box, with the color indicating the percentage change up or down, and the area of the box indicating relative market cap.  To see how it works, please see the tutorial below:

Heat Map
 

The easiest place to create an alert on a symbol is on the Alerts section of the MarketWatch tab. If you navigate to this page, you will see a quote entry box at the top-left hand corner of the screen. When you enter your symbol here to get a quote you can create an alert on that security based upon various criteria. From here, simply left-click on the part of the quote you wish to be alerted on (e.g. bid, ask, last, volume) and you will get an alert ticket which looks like and can be edited like an order ticket. Once you input your criteria, click “Create Alert” to activate the alert. Alerts can also be placed in various locations in the platform by right-clicking on a symbol or its data and selecting "Alerts" in the pop-up menu.

Note: Due to liquidity concerns and wide bid and ask spreads, alerts on equities will not trigger during extended hours at this time.

Alerts on futures, forex, news, and study alerts that have “Include Extended-Hours Trading Session” checked in the conditions, will trigger during extended hours.

Alerts can be sent to your e-mail or to your mobile phone through a SMS message (also known as a text). To setup a text alert, login to thinkorswim, then click the "Setup" button at the top right of the main window. In the menu, select “Application Settings”. A new window will appear. In it, select the “Notifications” tab at the top. Here you will see a field toward the upper right, that says “Send text to: Add number”. Click the add number button. In the new window, enter in your 10 digit phone number with NO dashes. Then check the box to agree to the terms, and finally click the button at the bottom right that reads "Get confirmation code".

You should receive a text message with a four digit code. Type the code into the field next to your phone number on the existing window on your desktop computers screen. Then click "Confirm". You have now successfully entered your number.

The next step is to tell the software to send you a text when your order fills, an alert is triggered, etc. In this same window, you will see a list of checkboxes on the left had side. If you select “Order Fills” for example, and check the box next to it, the settings on the right hand side of the page will show checkboxes specifically for order fills. Here, make sure "Send SMS during US market hours" is checked. You can also check the option for after US market hours if you please. Finally, click “Apply Settings” at the bottom of this window.

To setup an e-mail alert, login to thinkorswim, then click the "Setup" button at the top right of the main window. In the menu, select “Application Settings”. A new window will appear. In it, select the “Notifications” tab at the top. Here you will see a field toward the upper right, that says “Send e-mail to:”, enter your e-mail and click the button that reads “Get confirmation code”. You should get an e-mail with a code. Take the code and input it into the filed provided on the notification setup window, then click “Confirm”.

The next step is to tell the software to send you an email when your order fills, an alert is triggered, etc. In this same window, you will see a list of checkboxes on the left had side. If you select “Order Fills” for example, and check the box next to it, the settings on the right hand side of the page will show checkboxes specifically for order fills. Here, make sure “Send e-mail” is checked. Finally, click “Apply Settings” at the bottom of this window.
 

MyTrade is an online community operated by a separate, but affiliated, third party. MyTrade allows individuals to share their trade ideas and/or post trade related comments with other traders. It can be accessed through the platform by following Tools > MyTrade.
MyTrade is a service provided by TOS RED, Inc., a separate but affiliated third-party firm. Any content shared by users through MyTrade is neither endorsed nor approved by TD Ameritrade. TD Ameritrade is not responsible for the services of MyTrade, or content shared through the service.

Within your watchlist, right click on any security symbol and choose "thinkLog notes on (symbol)" and then choose "Create thinkLog note with (symbol)". To view the note later, right click and select the same "thinkLog notes on (symbol)" then choose "View (symbol)". You can also go to Tools>thinkLog> and use the Search. You may also add text notes to your charts by following:

Charts > charts > Drawings > Text Note.

Think OnDemand is a back-testing feature that replays historical market activity in real-time, leaving the user in charge of moving forward and backward as they wish in the past to test their trading strategies. think OnDemand gives the user a virtual account with a virtual balance of $100,000 so they can enter simulated trades based on the historical prices and see the hypothetical P/L change over time. Keep in mind that back testing is the evaluation of a particular trading strategy using historical data. Results presented in think OnDemand are hypothetical and may not take into consideration all transaction fees or taxes you would incur in an actual transaction. Past performance of a security or strategy does not guarantee future results or success. Results could vary significantly, and losses could result.

Pairs trader is a tool that allows you to trade two correlated securities to profit (or loss) on a regression towards (or divergence from) their historical relationship all through one simple trading tool.

Strategy Roller is an intuitive trading tool interface that allows you to create and manage strategies for covered calls.  It automatically generates orders to roll any covered-call position from one expiration to another based upon a set of specific criteria that is fully customizable.  To see how it works, please see the tutorial below:

Strategy Roller

Spread Hacker is a scanning tool specifically designed for searching for options spreads based on user entered criteria.  To see how it works, please see the tutorial video below:

Spread Hacker
 

Spread Book allows you to see any working (not executed) spread orders of other TD Ameritrade clients that have been placed but not filled.  To see how it works, please see the tutorial video below:

Spread Book
 

The FX Currency Map is a visual presentation on the chosen base currency’s worldwide performance.  Stacked comparisons give you a better look at the currency’s overall performance.  To see how it works, please see the tutorial video below:

FX Currency Map
 

Available through the Trade>All Products page of the platform,  futures calendar spreads are able to be created and routed as a single trade directly to the supporting exchanges to provide the most accurate reflection and tightest fills the market offers.