Investor FAQ

Net Worth can be calculated either individually or with a spouse, the choice is yours. Net Worth would represent the total value of everything you own (assets), minus any amounts you owe (debts). Examples of things you own the value for which you might include here could be: Investments, Cash, Pensions, money in bank accounts, owned residences and Real Estate, Cars, Jewellery, Art - anything of high value. Examples of debts would be: mortgages, credit card debt, lines of credit, car loans, school debt).

Need help calculating your Net Worth? Try our free Net Worth calculator here.

Net Financial Assets can be calculated either individually or with a spouse, the choice is yours. Net Financial Assets include the total value of all financial (monetary) things you own, minus any liabilities or debts connected to those assets. Examples of Financial Assets include: cash, chequing account amounts, savings accounts, investments, pensions, RRSPs, TFSAs, and others. Examples of debt related to Financial Assets includes: lines of credit, credit card debt, margin loans, etc. Financial Assets DO NOT include Real Estate or properties, and your Mortgage debt would not be included as a debt in your Net Financial Assets calculation.

Need help calculating your Net Financial Assets? Try our free NFA calculator here.

The Canadian securities regulators do not consider personally held real estate to be a financial asset.  Properties are assets and add to your net worth, but they do not contribute to your net financial assets.

Financial assets are assets that can be turned into cash in short periods of time, or provide a purely financial benefit.

For example, if you invest in a real estate fund it is a financial asset, but if you buy a property yourself and rent it out it would not count. 

Continuing as any investor type other than Retail Investor requires you to provide Equivesto clear documentation proving your income, your net assets, or your net worth. Continuing as a Retail Investor does not require the submission of any additional documents, but may limit your investment limits and the offerings you can invest in.

Common supporting documents include:

• Asset Test - Bank & investment account statements or screenshots showing over $400,000 in net financial assets to qualify as Eligible or over $1M to qualify as Accredited.

• Income Test - CRA notice of assessment or T4s showing $75,000 ($125k with spouse) in annual income to qualify you as Eligible or $200,000 ($300k with spouse) to qualify as Accredited.

• A signed letter from your accountant or lawyer attesting to your qualification as either eligible or accredited

Note: You only need to meet one of the above qualification criteria to be approved.

No, Registered User means your investor application forms have not been complete & submitted. You can return to your forms following these steps.

See below the account statuses and what they mean:

• Guest - Email Verification Needed (check you junk mail)

• Registered User - Investor forms pending submission

• Self Retail Investor / Self Eligible Investor / Self Accredited Investor - Approval pending Equivesto's review

• Retail Investor / Eligible Investor / Accredited Investor - Approved Account

Account approvals can take up to 1 business day.

However, in some cases it may take longer if there are additional details needed to be confirmed. A Dealing Representative will reach out to request any required documents or information.

The Dealing Representative assigned to reviewing your account will email you confirmation of your Account Approval and Personal Investment Limits. Until then, your account will be pending and unable to invest on Equivesto.

Your limits are set based on the information provided during signup, and are intended to help protect you.  Max Limits are automatically set at 25% of your net financial assets, and we do not recommend investors investing more than 25% of their net worth into any one investment. 

If your information changes or you wish to discuss your limits further, please reach out to invest@equivesto.com.

It is important to be aware of how much you are investing on Equivesto, as well as, other private investment platforms you may be signed up on and/or direct private investments you make. Equivesto does not have insight into your external investments, but you can view your past Equivesto transactions any time in the Transactions tab of your Equivesto account dashboard. Using your past transactions, less your provided limits, will give you your remaining limits.

If you are ever unsure of you current limits you can reach out to invest@equivesto.com to get confirmation.

Even if you used combined details to apply, limits are set in an individual basis. That said, in order for both you and your spouse to invest you will each need your own approved Equivesto account.

Although it can be tempting to invest beyond your provided limits, they are put in place to protect you and your best interests.

If you breach your recommended limits, Equivesto will reach out to you to confirm you understand that you have gone beyond your recommended limits, discuss options, and in some cases where there is no reasonable response unwind the transaction.

If you breach the legal max limits, Equivesto's safeguards will identify the breach and trigger an unwinding of the transaction. We will follow up with you to confirm if this was made in error. If limit breaches continue to occur, this may result in the blocking of your account.

If your recommended limits are lower than the legal maximum, you can potentially invest up to the legal maximum.

To do so you must confirm in writing that you understand the risks and you are choosing to proceed against our recommendations.

Please reach out to invest@equivesto.com if you would like to discuss your limits.

Please reach out to invest@equivesto.com to request the change. A Dealing Representative will request your supporting documents and some additional details to upgrade you account and limits.