Every review on The Witty Investor answers the same four questions and ends with one of three words. Here is what goes into a verdict, and what never does.
The four checks
- The fee schedule. I read the provider’s actual fee schedule and disclosures, not the pricing page. Every fee a normal investor could run into goes in the review.
- The exit costs. What it costs to leave: transfer-out fees, account closing fees and anything else that makes switching expensive.
- Who it is for. The investor the product actually fits, stated plainly.
- What it is not. The limits the marketing leaves out.
The three verdicts
- PASS: worth using for the person it is built for.
- WAIT: decent, but something (a fee, a missing feature, a recent change) is worth watching before you commit.
- SKIP: better options exist for nearly everyone.
Hands-on or Researched
Every review carries one label at the top.
- Hands-on: I used the product myself through its free tier, a trial or a demo.
- Researched: the review is built from the provider’s fee schedules, disclosures and support documentation.
Neither label means I tested the product with a funded account or real money, and no review on this site claims that.
Keeping it current
Fees change. Every fee table carries the month it was last checked, and I re-check reviews every quarter. When a provider changes something that matters, the review and its verdict get updated.
Affiliate links
Some links on this site may earn a commission. A partner never gets a better verdict, and a SKIP stays a SKIP after any affiliate approval. The full details are in the Affiliate Disclosure.
Not financial advice
Reviews describe products, not what you should do with your money. Read the provider’s own documents before you open an account.
Spot a mistake?
If a fee is out of date or something is wrong, tell me and I will check it against the source.