FAQ
How TradeandTell works
A public track record for investors with a real process — verified trades, time-stamped, never rewritten. Tap any question to expand. Still stuck? hello@tradeandtell.com.
The basics
+−What is Trade & Tell?
Trade & Tell is where investors share their real portfolios in the open — timestamped, preserved, and audited by our system. Followers subscribe to see trades as they post and read the thesis behind them. It's a public track record for people who actually put their money where their mouth is.
+−How is this different from following someone on social media?
On social media, anyone can post a winning call after the fact and quietly delete the misses. Here, a creator's record is logged as it happens and can't be rewritten later. You're not looking at cropped screenshots — you're looking at a continuous, dated history, losers included. We start our audit from the moment a creator joins, so clever portfolio-porting of baked-in gains isn't allowed. Every gain and loss is calculated from the day you join or report the trade through our brokerage integration or manual entry.
+−What does “public audit” actually mean?
Every position and change a creator shares is recorded with a timestamp and kept on the record. For creators who link a brokerage account, activity is confirmed against their real account — so a Verified portfolio reflects actual holdings, not a paper-trading simulation. We don't include their existing gains; they start from scratch so there's no tomfoolery.
For creators — share and monetize your portfolio
+−Who is this for?
Investors with a real process and the confidence to show it in full. If your edge holds up to daylight, Trade & Tell turns your track record into something you own and can build an audience around — or send an audience to from Substack, Twitter, or YouTube.
+−How do I share my trades?
Link a supported brokerage for automatic syncing, or log trades manually. Linked accounts earn a Verified badge; manual portfolios are clearly labeled as self-reported, and prices for both match the real-world going rate for each security, option, or short position — so followers always know what they're looking at.
+−Can I share my reasoning, not just the trade?
Yes — and it's the most valuable thing you offer. Attach a note to any trade explaining the thesis. Most followers tell us the why matters more to them than the what.
+−How do I make money?
Set your own monthly subscription price for follower access. You keep [your share]% of subscription revenue; Trade & Tell takes [platform fee]% to run the platform and handle billing.
+−Is my brokerage connection safe?
Connections are read-only through a regulated aggregator. We can see trades and balances to verify them — we can never move money, place trades, or withdraw. We never see or store your brokerage password. We default every account to having its actual balance and total value hidden: relative performance and portfolio allocation are what matters, and we are all on the same playing field whether you have $5,000 or $5,000,000 in your brokerage.
+−Do I have to reveal everything?
Any account you choose to track shows its full activity — that's what makes the record trustworthy. Accounts you don't link stay completely private. You decide what's on stage; what's on stage is honest. You can group imported accounts by strategy and keep any individual account private for your own records.
For followers — subscribe and watch
+−What do I get when I subscribe?
Full access to a creator's portfolio, their trades as they post, the reasoning behind each one, and alerts when they make a move.
+−How fast are trade alerts?
For Verified, broker-linked creators, trades typically appear within minutes of being detected — not the instant of execution, but close. Self-reported portfolios update whenever the creator logs the trade.
+−Can I see a creator's history before I pay?
Yes. Headline stats and a portion of the track record are free to browse so you can judge a creator before subscribing. Full positions, alerts, and commentary are behind the subscription.
+−Can I auto-copy a creator's trades?
No. Trade & Tell is for watching and learning — we don't execute trades or touch your money. What you do with what you see is entirely your decision.
+−What if a creator's results turn bad?
You'll see it, in full, in real time — that's the whole point of a public record. A strong past stretch never guarantees future results, which is exactly why an honest, unedited history is worth more than a highlight reel.
Trust, fees, and the fine print
+−How do you stop fake track records?
The Verified badge means a portfolio is reconciled against a linked brokerage account, so the numbers can't be invented. Self-reported portfolios are labeled as such and are verified just as stringently against real-time market numbers, executed during market hours. Records can't be retroactively edited to hide losses.
+−Is anything on Trade & Tell investment advice?
No. Creators share their own personal investing for transparency and education. Nothing here is a recommendation tailored to you, and a creator is not your financial adviser unless they are separately and explicitly registered as one. Always do your own research, and consider speaking with a licensed professional before investing.
+−What does it cost?
Browsing and following public previews are free. Creating your own account and sharing it is free. Subscriptions are priced by each creator. We take a platform fee from each subscription.
+−How is my data handled?
Brokerage connections are read-only and routed through a regulated aggregator; we never receive your login credentials.