Self-Directed

The decision comes before the trade.

Most self-directed investors record their outcomes. Very few record their reasoning. Without the reasoning, the outcome teaches you nothing.

The Framework

01Thesis

State the investment rationale before entering a position. What you believe, and why. Written down, before the trade.

02Benchmark

Define what you are measuring against. The market is the default. Everything else must be earned before it can be claimed.

03Kill Line

Set the conditions that end the position before emotion does. Price, time, or thesis invalidation. Defined in advance.

04Review

Examine the decision against the outcome. The accuracy of the thesis, not just the direction of the price.

This is not a trading interface. It is a decision system.

What This Changes

Without a written thesis, every position is a guess with a ticker attached. The outcome — good or bad — confirms the guess. It does not improve the investor.

Most retail investors know their returns. Very few know whether their decisions are any good. The framework separates the two. Returns are a product of market conditions as much as judgment. Decision quality is measurable independent of outcome.

Self-Directed does not prevent bad decisions. It makes them legible. That is the only way to improve.

Research Infrastructure

Intelligent Investing membership includes access to Fiscal.ai, a third-party research platform independently operated outside of Intelligent Investing.

Fiscal.ai is not an Intelligent Investing product. Access is included as a membership benefit. Visit fiscal.ai directly for full product details.

Regulatory & Institutional

Regulatory Standing

[CIRO registration — compliance-approved language required before publish]

Investor Protection

[CIPF membership — compliance-approved language required before publish]

Asset Custody

[Custodian and asset segregation — compliance-approved language required before publish]

Institutional Backing

[Orion Digital / Mogo — Proof & Facts review required before publish]

Self-Directed is available as part of the Intelligent Investing subscription.

Download the app

Account Types

Regulatory & Institutional

Regulatory Standing

Your investment account is opened with IntelligentInvesting Securities Inc., an Investment Dealer registered with the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO), offering Order Execution Only (OEO) account services.

Investor Protection

Your investments are CIPF-protected, with coverage up to $1,000,000 for TFSAs and another $1,000,000 for RRSPs. They are securely held by a member of CIRO and protected by CIPF within specified limits.

CIPF Coverage

Customers' accounts are protected by CIPF in accordance with its coverage policy. A brochure describing the scope and nature of coverage is available upon request or at www.cipf.ca.

Institutional Backing

[Institutional backing and public company reference — Proof & Facts source and investor-facing route required before publish]

Self-Directed is available as part of the Intelligent Investing subscription.

Download the app

Documents & Resources