Why Should I Trust Double?

If you're thinking about investing with Double - a new player in the financial world - and a healthy dose of skepticism is perfectly natural. Entrusting your hard-earned money to any company, especially a newcomer, requires careful consideration. You might be wondering, "Is Double legitimate?" or "Can I trust them with my investments?"

In short, you should trust Double because:

• We’re a fiduciary advisor, regulated by the SEC which has the right to perform regular audits.
• Your investments are held in your name at Apex Clearing, a large SIPC-protected firm.
• We also have insurance for any errors or omissions on our part, and security features like two-factor authorization and encryption at rest.
• Our trading technology was developed by a team with over 40 years of experience, including building the first direct index optimization engine for Wealthfront.
• Finally, leading investors and employees from top financial and technology firms trust us as both investors and clients.

Let's get deeper into each of these.

We are SEC Registered, Regulated & a Fiduciary

Double isn't operating in the shadows. We are a Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). This means we're subject to their regulations and oversight, which includes regular audits. This registration isn't just a formality; it's a legal requirement that ensures we adhere to specific standards of conduct and financial responsibility. You can verify our registration here. We encourage you to read our latest Form ADV, which provides detailed information about our business practices.

Beyond registration with the SEC, we're also a fiduciary. As a fiduciary, we are legally obligated to act in your best interest, always. This means we must prioritize your financial goals above our own, avoid conflicts of interest, and provide full transparency in our dealings with you. This commitment is at the core of our business.

Your Assets Are Held Securely by a Trusted Custodian

When you invest with Double, your stocks aren't held directly by us. They are held in your name at Apex Clearing, a well-established and highly respected clearing firm. Apex is a member of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC), which protects securities customers of its members up to $500,000 (including $250,000 for claims for cash). You can learn more about SIPC protection at www.sipc.org.

Apex isn't a small player; they hold over $140 billion in assets across 19 million brokerage accounts as of 6/30/2024. They work with established companies like SoFi, Tastytrade, and EToro, and Apex was a partner to industry pioneers like Robinhood and Wealthfront during their early days. In the unlikely event that something happens to Double, your assets remain safe and accessible through Apex.

Committed to Making Things Right: Our Insurance Policy

We understand that mistakes can happen. That's why we have a comprehensive insurance policy through Vouch Insurance Services, LLC specifically designed to cover Errors and Omissions on Doubles part. If we make an accidental error with your account that results in a financial loss for you, we'll make it right. We also have Cyber Insurance to cover cyber issues that result in financial loss. These policies are a testament to our dedication to your financial security and our willingness to take responsibility for our actions.

Security Features You Can Rely On

We take the security of your account seriously. That's why we offer industry-standard security features like two-factor authentication, adding an extra layer of protection beyond just your password. We also encrypt sensitive information to safeguard your personal and financial data. For added convenience and transparency, we offer the ability to view your account balance and trade history through trusted apps like Plaid.

Our Trading Technology is Built by Experts

Our portfolio optimization technology isn't built from scratch. It's based on software developed by Rowboat Advisors, a team with over 40 years of combined experience in the financial industry. This team was responsible for creating the first direct index optimization engine for Wealthfront, a pioneer in automated investing. This experience translates into a system that powers your investments, and can explain why every trade is being made.

Backed by Industry Leaders and Trusted by Professionals

Our commitment to innovation and client-centric investing has attracted the attention of leading investors in the tech and finance industries. Our investors include prominent figures, including the co-founder of YouTube Jawad Karim, and respected firms like Matrix Capital and Y Combinator.

We're also proud to serve employees from leading companies like Amazon, Morgan Stanley, Netflix, Google and Plaid. We've also successfully transferred accounts to Double from established institutions like Fidelity, Vanguard, Robinhood, M1, and Frec.

Our Business Model: Aligned With Your Interests

To understand how we plan to make money, and how our incentives are aligned with yours, we encourage you to read our upcoming post titled "Can Double Make A Business on $1/month?"

A Final Word

Double is a new company, and we understand you might have questions about whether or not you should trust us with your hard earned money. We hope this article has helped to address your concerns about the safety of your assets, our competence, and our commitment to your financial well-being. If you have additional questions, let's chat! Please reach out to us at support@double.finance.