Wealthsimple Investments Inc.
Relationship Disclosure for Self-Directed Accounts
Please review the information provided in this Relationship Disclosure document. It contains important details about the products and services we offer, the features of your account(s) and how it/they operate(s), and our responsibilities to you. Should there be material changes impacting this Relationship Disclosure information, we will let you know.
If you have a question, contact our Client Success team.
About Us
Wealthsimple Self-Directed Accounts are offered by Wealthsimple Investments Inc. (WSII), a member of the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization(CIRO) and the Canadian Investor Protection Fund (CIPF). WSII is an investment dealer registered in each province and territory of Canada. WSII provides order-execution only trading and related services to self service investors.
WSII also provides other services that are not related to self-directed accounts, including acting as a custodian and/or investment fund manager in a services arrangement with WSII’s affiliate, Wealthsimple Inc.
Products and Services Offered
Products
We offer the ability to trade exchange-traded securities, including equities, investment funds, options, and crypto assets. Our list of available products may change from time to time.
For more information on investment products, you can also read the investment explanations in the Investments at a Glance, a booklet prepared by the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) for financial consumers like you. It's available on the CSA website at https://www.securities-administrators.ca (see Investor Tools).
Services
WSII provides order-execution only accounts (OEO Accounts). With an OEO Account, you can enter orders using our mobile application, website, or trading desk.
We provide you support, tools and resources to help you make informed investment decisions and be confident in your investment choices. WSII will not provide any recommendations to you and will not be responsible for making a suitability determination of trades when accepting orders from you. You alone will be responsible for your own investment decisions and Wealthsimple will not consider your financial situation, investment knowledge, investment objectives and risk tolerance when accepting orders from you. We do not provide financial, legal, tax or investment advice or recommendations.
Fee Schedule
The fees you pay are explained on the Pricing section of our website or can be found at https://www.wealthsimple.com/en-ca/legal/fees/trade. If you have a Crypto account, the fees you pay can be found at https://www.wealthsimple.com/en-ca/legal/fees/crypto.
Our Reporting to You
Trade Confirmations
When you buy or sell securities or crypto assets, a trade confirmation will be made available to you electronically within one business day of the trade date. It will contain the details of the transaction including but not limited to:
Security / crypto asset name, marketplace (if applicable) and dates
Amount paid by you for a purchase or paid to you on a sale
Amount of any commission, spread, charge or fee applied
Account Statements
Monthly account statements are available electronically.
Annual Performance Report
On an annual basis, WSII will provide a performance report which will include account percentage return information. This report details how the investments in your account have performed in the last calendar year.
Investment Benchmarks
Investment benchmarks generally provide a broad measure of the return generated by specific asset classes over a given period. An Investment Benchmark can be used as a standard against which the performance of a security or investment portfolio can be measured. The most common form of investment benchmark is an index such as a stock or bond index. Some common broad-based market benchmarks include the S&P/TSX Composite Index, FTSE TMX Canada Universe Bond, and the S&P 500 Index.
Measuring the return of your portfolio against appropriate benchmarks can be an effective way of assessing the relative performance of your investments. However, when selecting a benchmark, you should carefully consider a benchmark that reflects your investments.
Conflicts of Interest
Please refer to Wealthsimple’s Conflicts of Interest Disclosure.
Other Helpful Information
We look forward to serving you. Our focus is on establishing open communication to build and maintain a strong relationship. Yet we know that misunderstandings and mistakes may occur. If you have a complaint, please let us know. See Wealthsimple’s complaint process here.
Trusted Contact Persons (applicable to individuals only)
You may provide WSII with the name and contact information for a person whom you consider to be trustworthy and is familiar with your personal circumstances (Trusted Contact Person). You agree that WSII may contact your Trusted Contact Person to protect your financial interests when WSII has reasonable grounds to be concerned about your personal or financial well-being. This includes concerns about your mental capacity, concerns that you may be the victim of fraud, exploitation or financial abuse or if WSII needs help locating you or your legal representative. WSII has the option to contact the Trusted Contact Person, but WSII is not obligated to do so. If WSII contacts the Trusted Contact Person, WSII will disclose personal and confidential information about you and your account(s) only as WSII considers necessary or helpful to secure assistance for you or to protect you from fraud, exploitation or financial abuse regarding your account(s).
You agree to notify WSII immediately of any change in the contact information of your Trusted Contact Person. You may change your Trusted Contact Person at any time by updating your Trusted Contact Person information. WSII will rely on the most recent Trusted Contact Person information received from you. WSII has no obligation to confirm this information.
WSII may place a temporary hold on your account(s) or a particular transaction if WSII suspects that you are being financially exploited or if WSII has concerns about your mental capacity to make decisions involving financial matters. WSII will notify you of such temporary hold, and will notify you again within 30 days of placing the temporary hold and within every subsequent 30 days until the temporary hold is revoked. WSII may also contact your Trusted Contact Person and/or your legal representative(s) to discuss the circumstances around placing or lifting a temporary hold and you consent to WSII seeking additional information from your Trusted Contact Person and/or your legal representative(s) in respect of your capacity and any circumstances that have led or may lead to a temporary hold. WSII may consider whether temporary holds should be placed on other account(s) that you have with WSII and may share any information with its affiliates.
Documents provided to you at the time of account opening.
We have provided you with copies of the following documents for your account:
1. Wealthsimple Account Agreements
2. Complaint Resolution Process
3. Conflicts of Interest Policy
4. Relationship Disclosure
7. Canadian Investor Protection Fund (CIPF) Brochure
8 CIRO – An Investor’s Guide to Making a Complaint
Making a Complaint- A Guide for Investors Brochure (Part 1 of 2)
How Can I Get My Money Back? A Guide for Investors Brochure (Part 2 of 2)
9. How CIRO Protects Investors Brochure
Thank you for choosing Wealthsimple. We look forward to helping you achieve your financial goals, now and in the years to come.