Trading crypto assets and other financial instruments
involves substantial risk. This page explains, in plain language, the specific risks that come
with using an automated, AI-assisted platform such as VestAccrue, and what you can do to manage
them. Read it before you deposit, and revisit it whenever your situation changes.
The short version: you can lose part or all of the money you invest. No
feature of this platform, including automation, AI analysis or volatility guardrails,
eliminates that possibility. Never invest money you cannot afford to lose.
1. Introduction and general warning
VestAccrue provides technology that analyses markets and executes trading strategies
automatically. That technology does not change the nature of markets: prices of crypto
assets, currencies and stocks move without asking anyone's permission, in both
directions. Automated execution can act faster than a human, which is an advantage in
some conditions and a magnifier in others.
This disclosure is not a formality. Every section below describes a way real clients have
lost money on platforms like this one, and each ends with a practical step you can take.
The order roughly follows how likely each risk is to affect a typical Canadian user.
2. Market risk
Market risk is the risk that prices move against your position. Crypto assets are
volatile: double-digit percentage moves within a day are common, and moves can persist
for weeks. Leverage, where used by a strategy, multiplies both gains and losses. A
strategy that performed well last quarter has no obligation to perform well this
quarter.
What you can do: decide, before depositing, the maximum amount you are
willing to lose in full. Treat that number as your ceiling, not a target. Diversify
across more than one strategy where available, and remember that past results do not
indicate future performance.
3. Liquidity risk and slippage
Liquidity risk is the risk that an order cannot be filled quickly at the price you see.
In fast markets or thin pairs, the executed price can differ from the quoted price; the
difference is called slippage. During news events, spreads widen and slippage grows.
A stop placed to cap a loss can be executed well below its trigger price if the market
gaps.
What you can do: prefer strategies whose instruments are highly liquid
unless you have a specific reason otherwise, and review executed prices, not just
results, in your monthly report. If a strategy's average slippage is drifting up over
weeks, ask your account manager why.
4. API connections and integrations
The platform connects to external exchanges through API keys you create on the exchange.
If a key is misconfigured, expires, or lacks the right permissions, strategies can fail
to execute precisely when they should act. Exchange API changes, rate limits and IP
restrictions can interrupt connections without warning. A key stored carelessly is also
a security risk (see section 7).
What you can do: create API keys with reading and trading permissions
only, never withdrawal permission. Store any key material in a password manager, not in
email or notes. The platform alerts you when a connection drops; treat those alerts as
action items, not noise.
5. Counterparty risk and where funds are held
Trading depends on third parties: exchanges, liquidity providers, banks and payment
processors. Any of them can suffer outages, freezes or insolvency. If an exchange where
your strategies trade gets into difficulty, access to assets on that exchange can be
suspended for everyone at once, including automated platforms and their clients.
Canadian deposit coverage frameworks have specific scopes: cash at a member institution
may be eligible for CDIC coverage under its rules, and eligible securities held by a
member investment dealer may be covered by CIPF within its limits, but crypto assets are
generally not covered by either framework. What you can do: keep your
trading balance at the size you actually need for your strategies rather than
transferring your entire savings, and withdraw profits on a schedule instead of letting
them accumulate indefinitely.
6. Operational risk
Software has defects, infrastructure fails, and home internet drops. An operational
incident on the platform, at an exchange, or on your own connection can delay orders,
reports or withdrawals. The platform is designed so that failures stop trading rather
than trade blindly, but a pause in a fast market can itself affect results.
What you can do: keep your contact details current so we can reach you
during an incident. Enable browser and email notifications for platform alerts. If your
own connection is unreliable, favour strategies that do not depend on your constant
presence.
7. Cybersecurity and phishing
Accounts on financial platforms are targets. Attackers use phishing emails, fake
websites and social engineering, including phone calls pretending to be support staff,
to steal credentials and one-time codes. A compromised email account can be used to
reset passwords elsewhere. No platform feature can protect an account whose credentials
have been handed to an impostor.
What you can do: turn on two-factor authentication (see
Security), use a unique password, and verify you
are on our official domain before entering anything. VestAccrue staff will never ask for
your password or a 2FA code. Report anything suspicious to [email protected].
8. Models, automation and their limits
The platform's algorithms detect statistical patterns; they do not know the future.
Patterns stop working, market regimes change, and a model trained on calm conditions can
behave unexpectedly in turbulent ones. Volatility guardrails can pause trading when
conditions exceed configured thresholds, which reduces chaotic activity but cannot
prevent losses and may itself cause a strategy to miss a recovery. Automation executes
a plan; it does not provide judgement.
What you can do: read each strategy's description before enabling it,
understand what conditions it is designed for, and set your own loss limits with your
account manager. Review which strategies are active at least monthly; automation left
unattended is still exposure.
9. Service availability
The platform undergoes maintenance, and unexpected outages can happen despite
redundancy. During an outage you may be unable to change settings, pause a strategy or
request a withdrawal until service is restored. Scheduled maintenance is announced in
advance in the dashboard; emergency maintenance is not.
What you can do: avoid enabling a new strategy right before announced
maintenance, and never assume instant access in an emergency. If availability matters
to a decision you are making (for example, funding before a planned withdrawal), leave
a margin of hours, not minutes.
10. Before you start
Four habits cover most of this page. Understand the strategy: if you
cannot explain in one sentence what a strategy does and when it loses, do not enable
it. Define your acceptable loss: a number decided calmly in advance
beats a decision made in a drawdown. Protect your account: 2FA, a
unique password, and healthy suspicion of unexpected contacts. Keep
supervising: automation reduces work, not responsibility; your monthly report
and audit history exist so you can supervise in minutes.
Questions about anything on this page go to [email protected]. If you are unsure
whether this kind of investing suits you, talking to a qualified financial adviser
licensed in your province is always a reasonable first step.