FAQ: Personal Portfolio

By Stash Team

Last updated: June 10, 2026

Your Personal Portfolio is your self-directed, taxable brokerage account at Stash. It is where you can add cash, choose investments, sell investments, set recurring contributions, and transfer available cash out when you need to.

A quick plain-English note before the steps: Personal Portfolio Cash is money in your portfolio that is not currently invested. Think of it like the waiting area inside your brokerage account. Cash can sit there until you use it to buy an investment, or until you transfer it to another eligible account.

Stash believes investing should be understandable, not locked behind jargon. The basics matter: invest for the long term, diversify, invest consistently, and know what each action does before you tap the button.

What is a Personal Portfolio?

A Personal Portfolio is a Stash investment account you control. You choose what to buy and sell from the investments available on Stash.

A few important details:

• It is a taxable brokerage account, not a retirement account like an IRA.

• You can invest in fractional shares, so you do not always need the full share price to get started.

• Investments can gain or lose value.

• Selling investments may create taxable gains or losses.

• Cash from sales may need to settle before it can be transferred out.

How do I add funds to my Personal Portfolio?

Follow these steps to make a one-time deposit:

• Use this link to begin a transfer.

• Enter the dollar amount you would like to transfer.

• Select your funding source as the From account.

• Select your Personal Portfolio as the To account.

• Review the transfer details.

• Click or tap Transfer to submit the transfer.

Transfers submitted before 3:30 p.m. ET on business days are generally available to invest using Personal Portfolio Cash within minutes. Transfers submitted after that time, on weekends, or on market holidays generally process on the next available business day. Timing can vary based on bank processing, account status, or transfer review.

Why is my deposit showing as cash instead of invested?

A deposit into your Personal Portfolio does not automatically buy an investment unless you set up a recurring investment or another automated feature. The money first lands as Personal Portfolio Cash.

Example: If you transfer $25 into your Personal Portfolio, that $25 may appear as Personal Portfolio Cash. To invest it, you still need to choose an investment and place an order, unless you have already set up Auto-Stash for that investment.

How do I purchase an investment for my Personal Portfolio?

In the app:

• Decide which investment you would like to purchase.

• Tap the investment.

• Tap the blue Invest button.

• Enter the amount you wish to invest.

• Select your funding source as the From account.

  • Your Personal Portfolio Cash represents funds in your Personal Portfolio that are not invested.

• Select your Personal Portfolio as the To account.

• Review the details.

• Tap Invest to submit the order.

On the web:

• Decide which investment you would like to purchase.

• Click the investment.

• Click the blue Invest button.

• Choose your funding source for this investment.

  • Your Personal Portfolio Cash represents funds in your Personal Portfolio that are not invested.

• Select Personal Portfolio as the location for your investment.

• Enter the amount you wish to invest.

• Click Continue.

• Review the details.

• Click Confirm to submit the order.

Orders are generally executed during market hours. If you submit an order when the market is closed, it may be placed when the market reopens. Market prices can move between the time you submit an order and the time it executes.

If you would like to make this a recurring investment, use this Auto-Stash article to learn how to set or edit your amount and frequency.

How do I sell the investment(s) in my Personal Portfolio?

• Select the My Stash tab.

• Scroll to the Accounts section.

• Select your Personal Portfolio.

• Scroll to Top Holdings.

• Select View all investments.

• Choose the investment you would like to sell.

• Tap Sell.

• Enter the dollar amount you would like to sell.

• Tap Sell and follow the prompts to confirm the sale.

You must repeat this process for each investment you want to sell.

For stocks and ETFs, sale proceeds generally settle on the next business day under the current U.S. market settlement cycle, known as T+1. Once settled, the cash is generally available in your Personal Portfolio Cash. If you purchased the investment recently, or if there is an account restriction or review, additional delays may apply.

Selling should not be treated like a panic button. Investing works best when it is tied to a plan, not a headline. If you are selling because the market moved, pause and make sure the decision fits your time horizon and risk tolerance.

To transfer available cash after a sale, see the How do I transfer funds from my Personal Portfolio to another account? section below.

How do I turn on or edit Auto-Stash contributions for my Personal Portfolio?

Use this link for detailed guidance on Auto-Stash. The article walks you through how to set or edit your Auto-Stash amount, frequency, and recurring investments.

Auto-Stash can help you invest consistently. That does not mean every investment will rise in value, and it does not remove risk. It simply helps you follow a schedule instead of trying to time the market.

How do I transfer funds from my Personal Portfolio to another account?

You can transfer available Personal Portfolio Cash to another eligible account.

• Use this link to start a transfer.

• Enter the dollar amount you would like to transfer out of your Personal Portfolio.

• Select Personal Portfolio Cash as the From account.

  • If you expected to withdraw more than the amount shown, you may need to wait for recent sales to settle or sell other investments in your Personal Portfolio.

• Select your destination account as the To account.

• Follow the prompts.

• Confirm the transfer.

Transfers to eligible Stash destinations may arrive as soon as 1 business day. Transfers to linked external bank accounts generally take 2 to 3 business days. Timing can vary by bank, account status, holidays, and review requirements.

If you want to transfer your investments directly to another brokerage, you will generally need to start an ACAT transfer from your new brokerage account. Use this link for details about ACAT transfers from Stash to a different brokerage account.

Why can’t I withdraw all the money I see in my Personal Portfolio?

There are a few common reasons:

• Some of your portfolio value may still be invested.

• Recent sell orders may not have settled yet.

• Recent deposits may still be processing.

• Your portfolio value may include market gains or losses that change during the trading day.

• An account review or restriction may affect availability.

Your withdrawable amount is based on available cash, not the total market value of everything you own.

How do I see the performance of my Personal Portfolio?

In the app:

• Tap My Stash to go to the home page of the Stash app.

• Scroll to the Accounts section.

• Select your Personal Portfolio.

• Scroll to Investing Performance.

  • You can view your all-time return for this portfolio and the total dollar amount of dividends you have received.

• To review the return on a specific investment, open the investment in your portfolio and select Position to view its performance metrics.

On the web:

• Use this link to go to your My Stash page.

• Click your Personal Portfolio.

• Scroll to Total returns.

  • You can view the total dollar amount you have invested in your Personal Portfolio and your all-time return on those investments.

• To review the return on a specific investment, open the investment in your portfolio and select Position to view its performance metrics.

Performance numbers can move as the market moves. A useful way to read them is to compare them with your goal and timeline, not with someone else’s screenshot.

Where do dividends go in my Personal Portfolio?

If an investment in your Personal Portfolio pays a dividend, it is generally credited to your Personal Portfolio as cash. You can review dividend activity in your account history and performance details.

Dividends are not extra magic. They are one part of an investment’s total return, along with price changes. They may also be taxable in a Personal Portfolio.

Will I get tax forms for my Personal Portfolio?

You may receive tax forms if you had reportable activity, such as selling investments, receiving dividends, or receiving other taxable income in your Personal Portfolio.

Common brokerage tax forms may include Form 1099-B, 1099-DIV, or 1099-MISC, depending on your activity. Stash does not provide tax advice. If you are unsure how to report investment activity, consider speaking with a qualified tax professional.

How do I close my Personal Portfolio?

If you want to stop using your Personal Portfolio, you can sell your investments and transfer the available cash out of your portfolio. Once you reduce your balance to zero, there is no more action needed for the Personal Portfolio itself. You can fund it again at any time if your Stash subscription remains active and your account is in good standing.

Before selling everything, consider whether you are closing the account for a practical reason or reacting to short-term market movement. The Stash view is simple: long-term investing, diversification, and consistent contributions usually beat chasing hype or jumping in and out based on fear.

If you want to close your entire Stash subscription, check out this article.

Can Stash tell me what to buy in my Personal Portfolio?

Stash can provide education, tools, and guidance to help you build your portfolio, but the Personal Portfolio is self-directed. That means you choose what to buy and sell.

A strong starting point is to focus less on hot picks and more on the investing basics: diversification, risk level, time horizon, and consistency. You do not need finance-bro energy to be an investor. You need a plan you understand and can stick with.