> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.sterlinglabs.co/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Connecting a brokerage

> Link Chase, Schwab, Robinhood or an Alpaca paper account, complete the one-time preferences survey, and add or remove brokerages later.

## Connect your first brokerage

1. Select **My Portfolio** in the left-hand navigation. The page opens on **Set up your portfolio**.
2. Select your brokerage. Sign in at your broker in the window that opens and approve read access.
3. Complete the investor profile, a short survey asked once. You can change your answers later under **Portfolio Preferences** in your [account settings](/account/manage-account).
4. Wait for the first sync. It usually takes about a minute.

Every connection is read-only. Sterling reads your positions and activity from your brokerage and doesn't place trades.

## Add another brokerage

Select the **+** button in the page header and connect the brokerage the same way. Your portfolio then shows all your brokerages together as one book.

## Refresh

Sterling syncs with your brokerages automatically. To pull in new activity sooner, select the refresh button in the page header. Sterling asks your broker for the latest activity, and the button rests for 45 seconds before you can use it again.

## Disconnect a brokerage

Disconnecting a brokerage deletes its data from Sterling: its positions and holdings, its trade log and balance history, and the portfolio figures and charts built from them. Select the **⋮** beside the brokerage's button in the page header, choose **Disconnect**, and confirm. This can't be undone. You can connect the same brokerage again later.

## If something goes wrong

| What you see | What it means | What to do |
| - | - | - |
| "We couldn't load the brokerages. Refresh the page to try again." | The list of brokerages didn't load | Reload the page |
| "We couldn't finish syncing this account. Try refreshing." | The first sync didn't complete | Select the refresh button. If it persists, disconnect and reconnect the brokerage |
| **Partial** badge in the page header | One brokerage didn't sync. The rest did, and the figures cover those | Select the refresh button. If it persists, disconnect and reconnect that brokerage |
| **Not synced yet** on a brokerage button | That brokerage hasn't completed a sync | Wait for the first sync, or refresh |
| "Couldn't refresh from your brokerage." | The refresh didn't go through | Try again after a moment |
| "Finishing your last sync…" in the disconnect window | A sync is still running | Wait, then try again |
| "Couldn't disconnect. Please try again." | The disconnect didn't go through | Try again |

## Frequently asked questions

### Which brokerages can I connect?

Chase, Charles Schwab, Robinhood and Alpaca paper-trading accounts. Your brokerage credentials stay with your broker.

### A trade I made this morning isn't showing.

Broker changes reach Sterling with the next sync. Select the refresh button to pull them in sooner. Prices for U.S. stocks and ETFs update live regardless.

### What does Sterling do with my brokerage data?

Your brokerage data is used only to show your portfolio and power the features around it, such as risk and performance analysis and the Explainer. It isn't used to train AI models. The Privacy Policy sets out how Sterling handles your data.

## Related articles

* [Your portfolio in Sterling](/portfolio/what-is-portfolio)
* [The Portfolio overview](/portfolio/reading-your-portfolio)


This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.