OPENING AN ACCOUNT
Q. How do I open an account?
A. Go to the page where the account program is described. On that page we provide a link to Instructions for opening an account, and the Account Application you must fill out and submit to the broker. If you have further questions, we can often help with what you need to know, or find out for you, as well as provide you the names of specific contact people at the brokerage from whom to get information most quickly.
Q. Do I have to open my own brokerage account in order to participate in a managed account program?
A. Yes, you have to open a trading account with the broker used by the managed account program.
Q. Can I choose my own broker and ask the fund manager to use it for managing my account?
A. No. Your account must be opened at the same brokerage as all others under management in that program. The head trader for the program has access to software that allows trading of these accounts as a group , but they must all be at the same brokerage for the trade manager to use this.
Q. Does a managed account ever close to new investors? What if I am in the process of opening my account when that happens?
A. Yes, sometimes a managed program reaches a limit and must close to new investors. Usually, if you have already submitted your Account Application to the broker, your account will still be permitted to join the managed program. To make sure, however, you should always fund your account as soon as possible. Many brokers will allow you to submit funds at the same time as your application, to speed up the process.
DEPOSITING AND WITHDRAWING FUNDS
Q. How do I fund my brokerage account?
A. Most brokers accept funding by Crypto deposit or bank wire
Q. Why do some accounts have a minimum deposit higher than others, and yet the net profit history is lower than the others?
A. A lower net profit history usually comes in association with a lower history of drawdown, or lower risk of loss. The reason one might choose such an account is motivated as much or more by lowering risk, as by making profits. But because of the lower profit objectives, the account provider makes less money from their profit share and they have a certain minimum they wish to make, which they aim to achieve by requiring a higher minimum account size. It is not uncommon to see minimums of $100k, all the way up to $1 million , so what we are able to present to investors here is an exceptional set of opportunities.
Q. How do I withdraw funds from my account?
A. To withdraw funds, you simply execute a withdrawal just as you would normally from any other brokerage account, according to the procedures the broker uses. Usually this involves submitting a form that you sign requesting the withdrawal, which also specifies the means by which you wish to receive the money, such as by bank wire or crypto wallet. See the brokers website for details.
Q. Do I need to keep my money in the managed account for a certain period of time to avoid penalties like
mutual funds?
A. No, there are no penalties for withdrawing from the managed account program at any time you choose so long funds are available for withdrawal.
Q. Does the trader for my managed account have access to my funds?
A. No, the funds in your trading managed account are in your name at the broker. You are the proprietor of this account and the only one who can make deposits to or withdrawals from this account. The only power you grant to the trade manager for the managed program is the power to trade your account through a Limited Power of Attorney, which also authorizes deduction of the agreed performance fee/profit share ( incentive fee) stated on the Power of Attorney.
Q. If I do not withdraw profits, do they reinvest ” i.e. compound ” automatically?
A. Yes, eventually profits left in your account will be considered an addition to principal, and will be factored into trade size calculations for future trades.
TRADING IN YOUR ACCOUNT
Q. Once my new account is funded, how long before it will start being traded by the fund manager, when will I start seeing trades being placed?
A.This varies according to the trade strategies used by the program in which your account is participating. Sometimes it will only take few hours as soon as your account is funded, the trade manager for the managed account sees that it is ready for inclusion in the next new cycle of trades. You need do nothing, the trade manager is automatically alerted by the broker.
Q. How do I verify the status of my account?
A. When your managed trading account is opened at the broker, you are issued a Username and Password which enables you to view and monitor the status of your account 24 hours a day. Through this Login, you can view a complete history of all closed trades as well as the status of any open trades.
Q. If I have a question about trades in my account, who do I contact?
A. The broker is the main contact for all questions about your account. Because we refer a lot of clients, there are particular people in the brokerage who are most familiar with the managed program in which you are participating. With a managed account you let the trader do the trading and periodically evaluate the results, however frequently you wish. We post monthly results which you can also check.
Q. Can I open or close trades in the account that is being managed for me?
A. No. A managed account can only be traded by the trade manager you authorize with a Power of Attorney.
Q. Can I open my account as an IRA, and transfer funds from an existing IRA into it?
A. No. IRA accounts are not currently offered by the brokers with whom these managed account programs work.
FEES
Q. How is profit share/performance fee calculated? What if there is a loss?
A. At the end of your contract after your account begins trading, if there is a profit, the broker will deduct the performance fee/profit share, technically called the “incentive fee” that has been authorized on the Power of Attorney you sign when opening your account. The incentive fee is a percentage of the net profits from the “watermark” of previous highs. If there are no profits, there are no incentive fees. The high equity point established after incentive fees are calculated creates the “watermark” which must be surpassed before any future profits may again be calculated.
Q. When is the profit share/performance fee deducted from my account?
A. The profit share, or incentive fee, is usually deducted by the end of your contract when making withdrawal. Only the broker can say exactly what date they use, however, though generally you can expect it will be about the same time of your withdrawal.
Q. Do I have to pay taxes on profits made in a managed account?
A. You are responsible for paying all taxes on your income, according to the laws of your country. Profit made in your managed account is income in every classification of which we are aware, upon which taxes would be due.
Q. What are the risks involved with a managed account?
A. Basically the managed account program provider is acting as a trader just as you would yourself, if self-trading your account, so the same risks apply to them, and thus to you and your account, as if you were trading it yourself. You are exposed to the risk of draw down or loss in your account whether it is managed by someone else or whether you trade it yourself. Please read the Risk Disclosure statement.
They key points to remember is that your investment is always transparent, and liquid, and your risk can be restricted, and your risk level can be customized to your preference. Therefor your risk of loss is defined and “risk-limited” by yourself (you set this). There are no surprises.