5 Types of Alerts on the thinkorswim® Platform

Keeping tabs on your current trading positions, to say nothing of your watch list and the market at large, can be a challenge—especially if you're not at your desk all day. That's where the thinkorswim^® desktop platform's robust Alerts feature comes in. Think of it as your virtual assistant, continuously monitoring changes in your positions and the market so you don't have to.

Here's a look at the five main categories of alerts you can create within the thinkorswim platform—and what you can achieve with each.

Get notified of nearly anything related to a security's price, such as any time it meets a certain target or crosses above or below its simple moving average.

Set alerts tied to certain performance parameters, such as when your open profits or losses reach a specified dollar figure.

Create stock-specific reminders for important calendar events, such as earnings and split announcements, dividend dates, and more.

If you're following a specific stock, receive real-time news alerts from a variety of reputable sources, including Business Wire, CNBC, and Reuters.

Get notified when a specific stock experiences a rating change from one or more providers, including CFRA and Morningstar.

To receive alerts, first enable email and text notifications via the thinkorswim desktop app:

Click the gear icon ("Setup" on PC) in the top-right corner and select Application Settings. Click Notifications to enter and confirm your email address and phone number. Under Notify about, select Alert is triggered to adjust your Alert settings, then click Apply settings.

Now you're ready to create a new alert:

• From Monitor, click the bell icon at the top-right corner of the screen.
• In the pop-up window, click the drop-down menu next to Notify me on to choose Price condition, Portfolio metric, Calendar event, News, or Rating change. Then set your alert parameters.
• Under Notify with, decide if you'd like to be notified via sound, email, text, or the mobile app (see "Alerts on thinkorswim mobile") when an alert is triggered.
• Under Options, determine when the alert should be active, including the start and expiration times.

You can also set a Price condition alert directly from a stock chart by right-clicking anywhere on the chart and selecting Create alert. Once created, the alert will appear on the relevant stock's chart—and you can adjust your parameters by dragging the alert flag up or down.

You can find active and triggered alerts in the Alert Book under MarketWatch.