Investor's Cheat Sheet

One page to print and keep beside the screen: how to read a signal block and its Data & Sources header, the metrics that matter with their rough good/bad ranges, the pre-trade checklist, which skill answers which question, and the red flags. Every range is a rule of thumb, not a law; industry and growth stage always matter. Full definitions are in the Glossary, and the reasoning behind each item is in the Learning lessons.

1 · The signal block, decoded

Every analysis ends in the same box. Each line is a separate axis (Concepts → Anatomy of the signal block).

Score Guide: 8.0–10.0 Strongly Bullish | 6.0–7.9 Moderately Bullish | 4.0–5.9 Neutral | 2.0–3.9 Moderately Bearish | 0.0–1.9 Strongly Bearish
Confidence: HIGH (strong data, clear signals) | MEDIUM (mixed signals) | LOW (limited data, conflicting signals)
Horizon: SHORT-TERM (1 week–3 months) | MEDIUM-TERM (3 months–1 year) | LONG-TERM (1+ years)

Consistency checks:

• The score and the signal must agree: score ≥ 6.0 means BULLISH, 4.0–5.9 means NEUTRAL, below 4.0 means BEARISH. fact-check is the exception, because its score is a Verification Score.
• Read the box as one sentence: “Over a [Horizon], the evidence is [Signal] with [Confidence] confidence ([Score]), implying [Action] at [Conviction] conviction.” If the sentence contradicts itself, the analysis does too.
• A high score with LOW confidence means the case looks good but the evidence is thin, so dig deeper before you act.

2 · The Data & Sources header

The header at the top of every output says where the numbers came from (Data & Accuracy).

Data & Sources
  As of:      2026-07-02
  Source:     SEC EDGAR 10-K (FY2025) · company IR · FRED
  Retrieval:  pasted by user   (or: web/tool retrieval · model memory)
  Confidence: HIGH — primary-source, current

Rules: if Retrieval is model memory, Confidence must be LOW. If sources disagree, prefer the primary source and then the most recent one, show both values, and never average them.

3 · The metrics that matter

Profitability and quality

Balance sheet

Valuation and income

Market, portfolio and funds

4 · Pre-trade checklist

Taken from Lesson 6, Lesson 7 and Lesson 13. Don’t place the order until every box is ticked.

• [ ] Thesis written in one paragraph: what has to happen, why the market is wrong, why now
• [ ] Quality: ROIC above WACC, margins stable, balance sheet sound
• [ ] Statements: FCF backs the profit; none of the red flags below is unexplained
• [ ] Valuation: a bear / base / bull fair-value range, with a margin of safety sized to your uncertainty
• [ ] Market: trend, positioning and the next catalyst or earnings date are known
• [ ] 3–5 KPIs with thresholds, and the invalidation triggers that make you exit
• [ ] Bear case read; you can say which argument worries you most
• [ ] Pre-mortem written: “It is 12 months later and this lost 40% because…”
• [ ] Size is within your cap (often 5–10% per name, less for speculative names), and you know the dollar loss at −30% and −50%
• [ ] Trading plan written: starter, add rungs, trim level, horizon; you sell on the thesis, not the quote
• [ ] Data & Sources checked: current as-of date, primary source, and no model memory numbers left unverified
• [ ] A limit order, at a price you would still pay tomorrow
• [ ] Journal entry drafted before the order

Emotional-trade check. Stop if any of these is true: the stock moved more than 10% today and that is why you’re here · you’ve checked the price more than three times · you’re acting on a headline from the last hour · you want to “get back to even” or “not miss it” · you can’t name the trigger that fired · you’re adding to a WEAKENED or BROKEN thesis. If two or more are true, wait 24 hours and run the checklist again.

5 · Which skill for which question

The full map is on Choose a Skill.

6 · Red flags

Next / Related: the Learning hub for the lessons behind each line · the Glossary for every metric · Concepts for the mental models · Choose a Skill to run an analysis.

Educational content only. Not financial advice. Ranges are rules of thumb.